and so it begins

My mom was in the ER all day today. This maple tree was over-hanging the hospital parking lot. It caught my attention. It’s the first leaf-changes I have seen.

maple leaves in autumn transition

bycatch

Our resident sandhill cranes have been doing some pruning for us this summer. Steve has been tending his Jerusalem artichokes all summer, and in a few careless snaps of the beak, his summer’s worth of work has been cut down. It was a heartbreak, but luckily for the cranes, we love them more than Jerusalem artichokes. So no punishments were doled out. Jerusalem artichokes aren’t the only thing the cranes are trimming. It appears nothing is off limits right now. I wonder what they are looking for? Or are they just having fun with their extra-long beaks that look remarkably like gardening pruning shears? Nothing in nature is accidental. It must be serving a purpose. A quick google search tells me that cranes will go after “moving objects, but not stationary ones”. So perhaps the swaying heads of flowers are simply triggering a self-protective reflex. I am not too bothered by it, our yard is at best a barely-tamed few acres which we “manage” specifically to enjoy the wildlife. Target practice on bobbing flower-heads? So be it.

common sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

red wines leaves purple stains

My mom has a hydrangea plant in her yard that slowly turns a deep wine red color over the duration of the summer. It’s almost as if the petals are getting a deeper and deeper tan all summer long. I clipped some branches to put in a vase in her house, and when they eventually dried out, they turned this beautiful deep lilac purple. As much as I like a nice oxblood red, I think I prefer the purple more.

dried hydrangea flowers

Time of Ripening

Everywhere I look, I see see fruits and berries ripening. If I wasn’t care-taking my Mom right now, I would love to spend an afternoon gathering as many varieties as I could find to make a large composition. We had a lot of rain this summer, so the berries are particularly plump and abundant this year.  These false solomon’s seal berries always catch my eye because of the interesting splotchy coloration that almost makes them look sprayed or frosted. Zoom in if you can, it’s worth a closer look.

false solomon’s seal berries (Maianthemum racemosum)

the vine that keeps on giving

We were gifted this passion flower vine last autumn, and over wintered it in our basement under grow lights. This summer it took up residence on our dock in the full direct sunlight of a Minnesota summer. Although native to the neotropics, it seems the combination of full northern sun in combination with the reflected light from the lake was enough to keep this beauty happy and thriving.

passion vine flower (Passiflora)