The Dawn of Summer, Part III



This is the third installment of my ongoing series on summer's sprouting. Today we're going to see some of summer's best beauties, as well as a big, expensive toy. For more on that, read on.

 

To begin, here is a white clover flower. It isn't big, or showy, or even in focus, but it does make one more hesitant to use broadleaf herbicides on the lawn.

 



This picture sums up my feelings about irises: they're regal and always surprising. I've seen the lavender/periwinkle color before, but the pink/purple/gold variety is new to me. I don't think you can go wrong with color combinations when it comes to irises.

Even the necrotic tissue below that bud is elegantly shaped. That's impressive.

Here's a better shot of the multicolored blooms. Each color brings new sophistication to the whole. Stay tuned to my next couple of "Dawn of Summer" posts for more iris configurations.

The other great flower I noticed while I was home was peonies. According to my mother, peonies smell like roses used to. It's a vaguely sweet smell that enters your nostrils subtly, like the scent of marigolds. However, the smell of peonies is less controversial than that of marigolds. We had some peonies in my house for a couple of days over the weekend, and it was a pleasant experience.

See the sign on the tree in the picture above? That's a "No Trespassing" sign. However, I braved the warning to get a better shot of some peonies hanging out with yet another color of irises. The gold and maroon remind me of a crown.

I'm not entirely certain about the identity of this bush. The flowers look like dogwood flowers, but I've never seen a dogwood bush. The plant sure stands out, though. It must be fifteen feet tall.

See? The petals have the characteristic notches that dogwood flowers do. I wonder if dogwood can be trained or bred into bush form.

Lastly, a random neighborhood shot. This Corvette looks like something Adam West would drive.

Have you ever seen a plant in a form you didn't think possible? What colors of irises have you seen lately?

Next post: possibly potherbs.

Campus Smells Spring's Approach

As the weather slowly improves, lots of plants on campus are beginning to realize that spring is upon us. In fact, I saw my first daffodil bloom on campus today (alas, I was caught without my camera). However, I have been fortunate enough to capture a few plants in bloom throughout my walks around the school.

First: Helleborus purpurescens. These hellebores, or Lenten roses, are as sweet as can be. I always personify them as being shy because their blooms face the ground, as though they're bashful. I imagine I'm not the first to make that connection, though.

There were also purple ones! I enjoy the color on these.

This was the most photogenic little group of all of them. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing really hard, so the foremost bloom is out of focus. I guess that makes this a more interesting shot, though, since your eye is drawn to an unexpected flower.

The next plant that stuck out to me was Magnolia x loebneri, or a Loebner magnolia. I'm sure this tree will be white with blooms in a few days, but I liked seeing it just poking out a few cautious buds.

Red brick on blue sky always look good together, and it provides a lively backdrop for this tender moment in this tree's life.

In yoga the other day we were supposed to think of something for which we were thankful, like loved ones, the sunny day, or taking time for ourselves by coming to the class. While I was thankful for all of those things, I thought that I was thankful for the magnolias and the hellebores.

This shot's background is slightly less distracting, though.

This next tree was what prompted me to start taking pictures in the first place. Monday morning was a gray one, and as I was walking to class, the neon yellow of the buds on this tree were eye-catching, to say the least. I couldn't tear my eyes away. Sadly, I didn't have time to photograph it in that lighting, but even in the middle of the afternoon you can see it's ready for the warm season. Let's approach it, shall we?

 Closer...

Closer...

Okay, this is close enough! I think you get the point. This fine tree is a Cornelian cherry dogwood, or Cornus mas, according to the signage below it. As you can see, these flowers are almost as bright as street signs!

I gave the dogwood a little more space here. Yellow and blue is one of my favorite color combinations. Even if it wasn't before, this tree has convinced me.

That's about all I've got as far as springy foliage and flowers go. However...

Next post: Chard-related news.