Monday, May 25, 2009

Flora


I've tried to get outside as much as possible lately because it's been so beautiful out. This weekend, my love and I hit the parks with our walkin' shoes on. The poor guy has to stop at least once every 30 seconds to let his head-in-the-clouds girlfriend snap photos of every little thing that makes her smile. So I thought I would share a few shots of the plant life I photographed over the past few days. I'll start with one of my all-time favorites:

Honeysuckle!! I love the sweet scent of a blooming honeysuckle bush. And of course, I always have to stop and sample a few of them. :-)


This is another one I've experienced quite a bit during my childhood. It's pokeweed, aka polk salad. This plant is actually edible, although the one pictured would be too large. Once the leaves reach more than seven inches long, they are too poisonous to eat. The stems and roots are not edible no matter how large the plant is. Leaves smaller than seven inches may be collected, washed, and boiled. This is a common dish in the South, as polk salad grows abundantly here. My grandma used to cook it for us, it's like a mix between spinach and collard greens. I absolutely loved it, but I was a freaky child who always ate my vegetables without complaining.


Carolina Creeper is a vine that is often mistaken for poison ivy. It's completely harmless to humans, but I do think it causes damage to the trees it grows on. I love the way it looks though, it reminds me of something you would expect to see growing in the jungle!


Ever since I've started making terrariums, I've been more aware of all the moss growing wild nearby. I'm not intending to sell the terrariums I make, I just wanted to experiment. It's fun, too!


We found Oriental poppies growing wild in a local park. A small part of me wanted to pretend like I was Dorothy and fall asleep in a bed of them.


River reeds, growing by a creek in this instance.


And just because I thought this photo would blend well with all the other green in this post, here are some new magnets available in my shop. They are made from vintage buttons. I thought they would be nice for someone looking to add some retro flair to their kitchen.


What kind of plants are in your backyard?

4 comments:

babalisme said...

I love all your photographs, and Carolina Creeper took my breath away, it's so pretty, and the way it grows on tree is so pretty, like dressing the tree in a cute dress!

Heather said...

I heart all this green stuff going on! And i love honeysuckle, you often smell it before you see it. Heaven! I've got a big wild rose bush and a little veggie garden growing in my back yard. Plus a rose bush that I bought at a local herb fair that I'm sort of in love with....

Audrey said...

Those are really great pics!! Thanks for the comments on my blog. I tend to be "too happy" too. I figure if it annoys someone - to bad for them.
I will take lots of picks while "ATVing" this weekend!

Rheea said...

These pics make me feel like I'm in the beautiful nature with you. I'd always love the nature! Your knowledege for plants/trees are quite good huh. ;)

Rheea