This grass is as common as it comes: you’ll see it in ditches, pastures, building sites, just about everywhere. Are we taking its artistic form for granted? Definitely. Take another look: Brome grass’s stems are a brilliant Kelly green that softens into a delicate cream […]
Several decades in the past, Vacation Bible School was a highlight of my summers: my sister and I spent the week at our church feasting on frosted animal crackers and red Kool-Aid, crafting crosses out of yarn and tongue depressors, and learning Bible songs that […]
Flowers tend to get people’s attention with color, but grasses can steal the show with their form. Take Kalm’s Bromegrass, for example – this amazing grass looks like a cross between wheat and a fireworks display! The graceful curves of the stems end with energetic […]
What a happy little flower! Birdsfoot trefoil is another common plant that most everyone has seen but few have lingered over … including me, before this photo series. After adoring it through the camera lens, I went looking for some information about this little cutie: […]
Let’s talk about sumac! But first, a word about gravel dust. Gravel dust is a major challenge mid-summer, when the weather dries and the roads turn dusty. The powdery white limestone dust accumulates on all the plants that line the roads, dulling the impact of […]
Fleabane is the cutest little miniature flower! I remember this one from when I was a kid, when my sister and I crawled around in ditches (country kids do that sort of thing) and we noticed flowers a lot more … but we never knew […]
Before this photo project, chicory was just a blue blur on the side of I-80, seen through the car window on summer road trips to my grandparents’ houses but never really appreciated. Folks, don’t make my mistake – it is totally worth pulling over to […]
So … what is a “weed”? As I waited in line for my turn at a wild mustard patch, I had plenty of time to ponder the question. The patch was wrapped in a fluttering shawl of butterflies and bumblebees and it seemed rude to […]
Let me tell you a story about the best-laid plans of mice and men … I was thrilled to find a couple of these plants growing just off the gravel road near my driveway in late June. Since, like the dainty seed balls of dandelions, […]
So everyone knows that monarch butterflies are really into milkweed – their caterpillars eat it and the adult butterflies sip from the blooms. But take it from me, milkweed’s appeal goes way, way beyond monarchs. When I waded out of a ditch clutching milkweed cuttings, […]
