sedges have edges

i love that after ten years of doing daily nature photos, i am still finding new-to-me subjects to photograph. case in point, these bur-reed sedges. i also love that when my husband asked me “what’s the difference between sedges and grasses?” i was able to answer confidently,  “sedges have edges” which i learned because of STILL.  so, i guess, what i’m really saying is…after all these years…i STILL love STILL.

bur-reed sedge (Carex sparganioides)

bowl of beauty

peonies thrive in our northern climate. they are popular wedding flowers for a reason. in floriography (there’s that word again), the language of flowers, peonies represent all the good stuff: good fortune, happy marriage, riches, honor, compassion and surprisingly, bashfulness.

‘Bowl of Beauty’ peony, paeonia lactiflora

short-lived

dandelions will be with us all summer. but each individual blooms lasts less than a week.

dandelion gone to seed (Taraxacum)

fern-like

as promised.  too pretty to pass up.

black locust leaves

in the family of legumes

a few days ago i came across some white bleeding heart in my neighbors garden. i picked a handful (with permission) and spent the afternoon trying to capture them in a photo. i failed miserably. yes, i still struggle with capturing white subjects on a white background after ten year. this morning, i innocently asked my husband “what happening right now?” and he quickly answered “the black locust trees are blooming.” so, i walked down the block to the place where i know black locust trees grow, and i snipped a branch in full bloom. then i spent an hour trying to capture their white blossom on a white background. F R U S T R AT E D. i may have said his name in vain a time or two. the only saving grace was the sweet perfume coming off these blossoms. it makes me wonder if it’s been bottled. i was truly lovely–not too sweet or cloying, just lovely. anyway, i muscled my way to a photo i was happy with. but honestly, the leaves are show. i should have forgotten about the white blossoms and just photographed them. maybe (probably) tomorrow i will do just that.

black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)