The garden hoverfly believes in making love, not war. This couple gets intimate on a Salvia greggii named "Wild Thing." The setting seems appropriate.
The Innocent Hoverfly
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
The swirls & whirls of the center disk contain multiple florets. Their colors range from green to orange to brown. The pink rays surround the disk & lighten up the garden. Many insects come to feast on this flower's nectar. Pictured above you can see an innocent hoverfly has come to visit. It is harmless to humans & does not sting. It is a beneficial insect. The adult feeds on flowers & can pollinate some. Its larvae, which is its immature phase, is nearly invisible. The larvae feeds on aphids, & by doing this it helps the gardener.
An Under Exposed Filmstrip of Reflection
The Point of Rocks Bridge carries U.S. Route 15 across the Potomac River. It connects Frederick County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia. The light and shadow under the bridge merges the real with its reflection. It reminds me of an old style strip of film, though the picture is digital.
Birdfeeder Attraction
An Eastern Red Cedar is the scene of a natural reaction.
Molting Season
Here the larval skin is shown. The dragonfly is a blue dasher. The wings are still wet. It will not fly until they are dry. There was a storm the night before.
Twelve-Spotted Skimmer
This 12 spotted skimmer rests on a blade of blue grass. Even though its back faces me, its amazing eyes can watch me within a 360 degree vision range. My camera rests still upon a tripod. No nervous motion triggers a flight response. A picture is captured. Then it takes flight out of frame. Recently I witnessed a 12 spotted skimmer within my pond. It had climbed up onto the stem of a water lily. Its larval skin had been shed. It was still attached nearby. I always marvel at the wondrous wings stretched out to dry. They had successfully unfolded and expanded. It soon took off, ready to thrive with a new lease on life.
Red in the Garden
My garden is finally getting some attention. Each day brings a little improvement.
There are Poke Weed trees in several places by the fences.. Their identification was verified by a New York Botanical Garden photo including an informative article. They have red stems with an abundance of berries which turn dark purple as they ripen. Their name is thought to come from an Algonquin word “pokan” which means bloody. I have cut down and pulled out of the ground several of them, though I am considering keeping the tallest one. It is located up against a fence in a spot not ideal for anything else. It might help some birds survive the winter. The chance of the birds spreading the seeds is 100 percent.
After I read the New York Botanical Garden article featuring poke weed I explored the rest of their website. I read about an ongoing exhibition by the artist Ebony G. Patterson which has been extended through October 22, 2023. I wish we lived closer to this garden so I could go see this in person.
The words:” …things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting” caught my attention. This is the name of the exhibition. The black vulture statues positioned among the field of flowers struck me as funny. I used to see black vultures and turkey vultures frequently in my neighborhood. They liked to hang out in trees next to the local little league fields. I would see them on some grocery store dumpsters. I rarely see them anymore. Seeing the picture of the vulture sculptures placed among the flowers seemed out of character for this species. The juxtaposition made me think.
Anyways as usual I went looking for my vulture pictures. I found some, but not the ones I was looking for. I did find a red cardinal beginning to molt. In my garden I have frequently seen the almost bald heads of male and female cardinals.
I like the artist Ebony’s idea of the connection between thriving and the shedding and molting. I feel like I have been shedding and molting for a long time now. I feel ready to thrive. These words uplifted me and made me realize this is how nature works. Thank you Ebony G. Patterson.
A Sister Duet
A simple duet performed by sisters. The metronome in the corner is used for practice. There are apps for that now. The round Seabee plaque on the wall is to honor our father. He was in Vietnam while we stayed in Port Hueneme (why Nee me). I no longer remember what song we played. My dad eventually returned from his war duties. We moved across the country soon after his return Our piano moved with us and I continued to take lessons. My sister's flute was easier to pack and it too traveled with us. She switched to a piccolo when she joined a marching band. Two years later I joined the same marching band. I became a flag girl. I no longer play the piano since it was sold when I was in high school. I was not an exceptional player, so my interest wondered away. The experience was worthwhile even if I did not progress. Perhaps if my fingers had been longer or my palm had a wider stretch, it would not have seemed so hard. There was no passion between me and the piano, so my piano playing ended.
The Moon and the Mermaid
I had a dream that the moon was a drag queen. The indigo sky was awash in silvery glitter. The long tail of the slender mermaid was tumbling through the liquid night with her long fingers stretched out to gently touch the crescent face of her majesty. Her long flowing hair could easily be mistaken as a wide tailed comet. The moon took on a golden glow when the glittery scales of the mermaid's tail wound around his face. She could see the pink blush dabbed on her majesty's cheek, and she smiled at him in all his feminine glory. They both waited anxiously for the fireworks to begin. They knew they would be a grand disguise for the real show, the drag queen's parade of heavenly bodies. *This poem was inspired by an old T-shirt.
Pond Songs
The pictures were taken by me, Katherine J. Krein.
The nights songs of my pond amphibians fill the air around my house and garden this time of year. These songs are a sure sign of summer. Their mating calls herald their eager presence. With their success the pond fills with tiny tadpoles. Over time their numbers thin and they become food for predators or learn to hide in order to survive.
