Catching the Eye

It was a sunny, late summer morning with a clear blue sky when I was on my way out of an industrial park after teaching yoga.  Driving out, my eye was caught by what at first looked like little dancing flames among a stand of cattails.  The sun was hitting the yellowing slivers of cattail foliage and the breeze was making them dance.  It was so pretty, I had to take a photo--in fact I took two. My camera is nothing to envy, but hopefully you can catch a glimpse of flames dancing among the cattails.  The second photograph is a close-up, and thankfully, its much clearer.  One of my favorite shots of plants is too look at them from underneath, to see them climb vertically against the backdrop of blue sky.

Appreciating Autumn

Admittedly I am not much of a photographer, but because I always have my phone on me I can now catch a few good shots of things that I find beautiful.  It is almost always of a landscape, or perhaps some detail of a planting, or the striking architecture of a plant.  And that what fascinates me the most--their crazy, unique, almost alien forms-- but you have to take the time to really see them.  You don't have to go to a botanical garden to appreciate plants, just look underfoot.  This photo is taken from a bank parking lot where I found that puffball fungus mentioned in my previous blog:

Echinacea seed heads against Feather Reed Grass, probably Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

 

 

 

 

 

Feather Reed Grass is, so far, my favorite grass.  I love its vertical nature, and the way its flaxen seed heads catch light.  It is often used in parking lot boundaries and beds:

Not a very attractive photo, but you can see the kind of effect that this grass makes--its vertical and linear form makes it a very orderly looking plant, but the feathery seed heads soften the edges and catch sunlight.

Remember, every once in a while look up and take a look at what plants are growing in unexpected or overlooked areas--you might be surprised!