rescued from the brush cutter

we planted a bunch of native wildflowers this spring that were immediately overrun by wild grape and virginia creeper vines. today i had our handyman rent a brush cutter and take revenge, like noah’s flood, on everything except these three fern fronds, which i found to be free of sin.

cinnamon fern fronds in autumn

furry

the felt-like fuzz on this lamb’s-ear makes it look like the photo is not in focus (it is).  lamb’s ear is not native to our bioregion, but is naturalized and easy to identify along trialsides and roadsides. i never see people use this an an ornamental plant any more, but i love it’s symmetry and unexpected texture. I am thinking i may transplant some trailside plants into my garden next year and see how they do.

lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)

a different palette of reds

virginia creeper, sometimes called woodbine, dominates the understory of my two acres of woods. this year the vines, like the sumac, are skipping the yellow phase and heading directly  into reds. but unlike the fiery sumacs, these leaves are a softer palette of pale and saturated reds–probably because of the shady overstory. it’s makes a beautiful carpet, don’t you think?  quite magical especially when dappled with sunlight.

fall leaves of a virginia creeper vine (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

inferno

every year, without exception, sumac steals the show of fall pageantry. this year, probably due to an intense mid-summer drought, the sumac skipped it’s usual green-yellow-orange prelude, and instead jumped directly to it’s finally of blazing hot reds. the inferno of summer igniting an equally infernal fall.

staghorn sumac leaves in october

one more time

whoa, those roadsidia sunflowers i picked just keep on giving. here is take 3 on maximilian sunflowers. now, you know i’ll have to let them and dry, as they are, and take yet one more photo in two weeks. hold please.

maximilian sunflowers