Prettyish Kind of a Little Wilderness

Spring Springing!

2010-03-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

So, yes, I didn't post any pictures over winter. Suffice to say it was very cold, snowy and icey! However, now spring has arrived and the garden is waking up as the snows recede. Following are a bunch of pictures, some that will hopefully be useful later as reference shots as, in the coming weeks, all the browns and greys are replaced with greens and flowers!

Autumn Colors

2009-10-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Bountiful Harvest

2009-07-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we harvested the red currents, and it was a great year for them!! We got four full ice cream buckets of them....which translates into 48 jars of jelly. Ymmmmm. The picture of them in the pan represents about 1.5 bucket's worth.

Purple and Red

2009-07-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

A jungle of color!

Leopold the Frog

2009-06-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Behold, Leopold! He is a large frog living in our small pond. Can you find him in the top view?

Spring Garden Shots

2009-05-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been slacking. The garden, however, has not!

April Flowers

2009-04-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T07:12:00.001-07:00

Snow Dragon

2009-02-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

Though certainly not a nature shot, per se, this picture of our traditional New Year's Day meal (black-eyed pea soup) is sure to warm the soul and fortify you for trekking into the wilderness. Family legend states that if you eat this soup on New Year's Day, you will have a healthy and happy year!

Late Christmas Greetings!

2008-12-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

A cold junco huddling in the Nativity scene on the deck.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

Autumn Gold

2008-11-05T06:02:00.001-08:00

Last Flowers of the Season

2008-10-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Mums and rose!

Summer Rolling On By

2008-08-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've been terribly lax in posting new pictures from the wilderness, so here are a few choice ones from the last few months.

May Flowers...

2008-05-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

...are in abundance!

Blooming Plum

2008-05-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

The plum tree is covered in flowers now.

Bloodroot

2008-04-24T05:25:00.000-07:00

The red "root juice" (hence the somewhat scary-sounding name) of this North American wildflower was used by American Indians as an insect repellent. And it is just a pretty little flower that is blooming all over the place in our little wilderness!

Hello Hyacinth

2008-04-20T13:15:00.001-07:00

Some lovely hyacinth are blooming now. (As are some more daffodils)

More Early Spring Flowers....and the first Honeybee!

2008-04-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

Some more crocus, some new scillia and daffodils.
And here is a picture of the first honeybee! (or the first one I caught with my camera, anyway)

Hellebore and More

2008-04-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here is some hellebore starting to open up. The grass has turned pretty green, and the trees will certainly soon follow!

Hocus Crocus

2008-03-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what some sun and warmth can do! The crocus are blooming, as are some more snowdrops. It actually got up into the 60s today!

It's Snowing! (Yet Again)

2008-03-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

Just don't tell that to the plants! This is a daffodil coming up through the new snow.

Thaw and Snowdrops

2008-03-20T17:47:00.001-07:00

As you can see from these pictures, we've had quite a thaw over the last two weeks. It has been going gradually, the temperatures only getting up to the high 30s/low 40s at the warmest during the day, and the high 20s at night.

And spring is definitely in the air on this, the first official day of spring. I heard a red-winged blackbird singing (a song that always reminds me of summer trail rides), and my mom says she has seen some robins (which I haven't seen yet). And, a sure sign that no more major freezing spells are on the way as far as I'm concerned, the snowdrops are blooming!

Tracks

2008-03-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about snow is the evidence it shows. You always have a feeling that there are many creatures that wander through your yard, but rarely have proof other than some nibbled plants, trees scraped of bark, or empty bird feeders. With snow, you get a clearer picture of who is inhabiting your own personal wilderness. In this picture are tracks from a rabbit, a squirrel, some birds, several deer and even a fox!

Warmer Climes

2008-03-12T18:36:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went down to Texas for a wedding. Here is a prettyish wilderness picture from one of the courtyards at the Alamo. This is a fantastic live oak that is around 200 years old.

Big Storm

2008-02-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we had another large snowstorm with quite a bit of ice. Here are some pictures of the beautiful aftermath in our little wilderness.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T16:28:00.001-08:00

Major Snowstorm

2008-02-06T14:06:00.001-08:00

We had a major snow storm today that dumped a good 12+ inches of snow on top of us. Here are some pictures taken throughout the day.

Catching Up

2008-01-24T08:28:00.001-08:00

January 6, 2008: It was foggy and "warm," much of the snow melting.
January 16, 2008: The peak of the January melt before the weather became more "seasonal" again.January 19, 2008: Another snowstorm. A male and female cardinal are at the feeders.January 22, 2008: Yet another large snowstorm piled back on top.January 24, 2008: Today, lots of snow and bitter cold.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

The following picture was taken at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium which is located in my home town. This bald eagle landed in a tree in the outdoor exhibit area. There are many eagles near the river this time of year as they like to fish in the waters that stay open because of the Lock and Dam located here. What a beautiful bird! (Unfortunately, I didn't have my zoom lens with me, so these are something of "notorius nature shots," as my parents call them. ;) )

Snow Scape

2007-12-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some more snowy pics (all taken from the comfort of inside :p). We're on track to have record snow fall this year...and, technically, winter just started! More (possibly up to 7") is expected tonight. It's a good thing I like snow. Otherwise, you'd be forced to listen to me complaining!

The following pictures and movie were taken December 23.

Ice Storm

2007-12-18T18:53:00.001-08:00

Here are some neat pictures from the ice storm last week. While dangerous and destructive, it was also downright beautiful.

Then and Now

2007-12-17T20:15:00.001-08:00

This picture was taken on July 7th.And now, as you can see, it is a little different.

Fall....to Winter

2007-12-09T16:38:00.001-08:00

Here is a series of photos to get you caught up with happenings in the wilderness. What a difference a month makes. ;)

November 10, 2007
November 22, 2007
December 5, 2007
We've gotten some more snow since these last pics, and it is bitterly cold. So now you are up-to-date! (more or less)

Early Christmas

2007-11-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

It seems that as soon as Halloween is over, all of the stores around town would have us think it is Christmas....even though it is actually 2 months away. Well, this Christmas cactus is apparently in on the scam as well. Just look at these blossoms!

Autumn Birches

2007-10-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Top.........to bottom.

Awesome Autumn

2007-10-24T19:35:00.001-07:00

Today was a glorious fall day! Here are some updated pictures. The garden has changed a lot since the last pictures!

Beautiful Berries

2007-10-14T16:36:00.001-07:00

These lovely berries are known by the easy-to-remember name of Beauty Berries! The latin name is Callicarpa americana. Though not especially edible, they are lovely to look at!

Cool Clouds

2007-10-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

Not pics of the garden today, but pics of the sky. As I was driving home from work, I saw these cool clouds. Of course, the pictures didn't capture the colors as they looked, but the shapes are neat. We had a big weather shift this evening as if Mother Nature suddenly realized yes, it is actually mid-October, after all.

Early Autumn Reference

2007-10-07T17:34:00.001-07:00

Here are three random pictures of the backyard from the deck. I'll try to take pictures from this spot again as the seasons change, so we can see the progression. These three views look southeast, south and west, respectively.

Critters in the Garden

2007-10-05T18:25:00.001-07:00

The first is a large sphinx moth that was hanging out on the west-facing wall of the house. It stayed there all day until I took this picture of it, then it flew away. It clearly wanted to be posted on-line!The next picture is of some swallowtail butterfly caterpillars that are feasting on some dill. They seem to grow as you watch them!

Early Fall Color

2007-10-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

A touch of early fall color in the little wilderness. This American coffee bean is one of the early ones to change into its fall colors. A fearless Yorkie in the foreground patrols for rabbits and mourning doves.

Chestnuts

2007-09-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

Before they can be roasted over an open fire, they need to "hatch!"

Autumn Asters

2007-09-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Fall starts this weekend, but autumn is already in the air. Here are some asters, an autumn favorite.

Fish Pond

2007-09-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

This small fishpond is located on the east side of the house, so it gets a lot of morning sun, but none in the afternoon. We keep a section of chicken wire over it to keep the deer from drinking out of it. In the past, the have drained it! We keep it well stocked with about half a dozen lucky feeder goldfish (the many frog statues appear to do little to discourage the insects from checking it out ;) ). The fish dine on constant supply of bugs, and grow amazingly quickly! I have also seen birds drink at the two limestone splash levels. There is nothing like water too make a garden feel complete!

Roses

2007-08-29T16:49:00.001-07:00

Many, many roses in bloom! Unfortunately, the Japanese beetles really like my favorite, the Mainzer Fastnacht (the light purple one; pronounced: mine-zer fass-e-nacht). I wish this had option of including smell with the posts. There is no nicer smell than that of the Fastnacht!

Morning Glories

2007-08-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

These beautiful flowers like to climb.

Not-so-hardy Hibiscus

2007-08-14T19:13:00.001-07:00

Along with the hardy hibiscus posted a few days ago, we have some of the tropical variety. This is a rather neat potted hibiscus that is actually a woven "tree" of three varieties that bloom red, yellow and pink. In this picture, I tried to catch all three colors. This one needs to come in every winter, of course.

An Influx of Phlox

2007-08-13T20:12:00.001-07:00

Due to my woefully deficient posting lately, here is an infusion of phlox! All are currently blooming in the garden.

Bad Nauheim Rose

2007-08-08T11:58:00.001-07:00

Named for the area in Germany that my mom is from, the Bad Nauheim rose is a gorgeous, bright red in color.

Raspberries

2007-08-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

The raspberries in the southeast corner of the garden and very ripe and quite tasty!

Clematis

2007-07-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Clematis climbing up the back deck.

Swamp Cypress

2007-07-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

It was rainy this morning, and I found that it is the ideal weather for a long shot of a swamp cypress. These prehistoric trees have short, soft needle-like leaves that stick out horizontally most of the time. However, on days like today, they collect a fair amount of water which bows down the branches. There are several of these trees in the garden, and they are certainly some of my favorites. It takes very little imagination to see a brontosaurus browsing off of them!

Hardy Hibiscus

2007-07-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, there are hibiscus that can thrive through the "extreme" Iowan seasons. This hibiscus is planted on the southwest corner of the house and gets a lot of afternoon sun.

Rocks, Stargazers and Black-eyed Susans

2007-07-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is a view of the plot in the northwest corner of the garden. The stargazer lilies and black-eyed susans are in brilliant bloom!

Where?

2007-07-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here in eastern Iowa, we have a garden that the legendary Lady Catherine de Bourgh would likely term a "prettyish kind of a little wilderness." Here will (hopefully) be posted daily pictures of our own prettyish wilderness and shots of the surrounding area. Many people incorrectly assume that the geography of Iowa can be summed up in two words: "flat" and "corn." As I hope to show here, that is far from the truth of the matter.