Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A Snapshot or Two....

The flower from a Mimosa tree. When the Mimosa is in bloom it looks like it is covered in cotton candy. The leaves are rather fern like. Except when it is in bloom the Mimosa is rather unremarkable, but in bloom it is stunning.

Here this little bumblebee is holding on for dear life. They like the rotten blooms which give off a distinct odor. Because the leaves and flowers are so delicate they look like they are dancing in the wind.

A few nights ago we had our first thunderstorm in weeks. On my morning walk by the Inter Coastal Waterway I found this Robin's nest that had been blown out of a tree. Only one egg made it with out breaking. The Robin had abandoned her nest she had worked so hard to build. In the front you can see a Swan feather, to the left several old cigarette butts she had used to stabilize the sides.

This is wild Sumac. I love the little blossoms. Such a wonderful plant. The leaves and roots are used for teas and poultice, the Indians used the flower heads to make flour, and in the fall the leaves turn a rich red. A many purpose plant.

A lovely Lily that graces my yard with blooms for several weeks. I can never get over the bright colors and color combination's of this plant.

The regal Magnolia. I can't talk Southern flowers without including this. I love the saucer size flowers with their rich creaminess. There fragrance and grace bless us. What wonderful blessings from nature grace your surroundings?

9 comments:

aimee said...

id love to walk by the water.what a splendid walk that must be. poor little bird. i had a friend that raised birds, and she would put the eggs under heat lamps.
blessings,
aimee

Janet Ghio said...

I love your mimosa photo. One place we lived we had a mimosa tree--it was so pretty when in bloom!
Poor little robins egg--but how interesting to see the use of cigarette buts in the nest!

Bea said...

I love how creative that little bird was with her nest. I bet she was so pleased with it. How sad when that happens. When we had those storms here I noticed a number of windblown nests. I hope they were empty before they fell.
Gorgeous flowers, just gorgeous! :)Bea

Diane said...

That Mimosa plant is gorgeous! Love all your pictures. Have a great day!

Lorraine said...

As always Elizabeth, stunning photos!

Anonymous said...

You have an excellent eye for photography!! May I ask what kind of camera you are shooting with?

Sharon said...

Thank you for such beautiful flower photos Elizabeth. I don't know that I've ever seen mimosa or at least didn't recognize it if I did.

The nest photo is fascinating. Earlier this spring I watched robins gathering all sorts of garden "debris"
to build their nests. There were days when every few minutes the bird would come back for more!

Jeanne Nelson said...

Absolutely spectacular photos. The Mimosa Tree reminds me of my childhood, as my grandmother had one in her yard and we called the blooms "powder puffs," and would pick them and pretend we were using them to apply facial makeup to each other, lol. The lily and magnolia are stunning! Thank you for sharing a peek into nature within your area, ;).

Unknown said...

I think magnolias are one of the most beautiful flowers ever...I never appreciated them in pictures and then I saw a real one.........