Saturday, October 8, 2011

Wildflowers

On my near-daily walks, I often follow what is known locally as the lake road. 


This is my favourite view over the fields that line the road.




Soft golden grasses recall the rays of the summer sun (not that we saw much of it this year).


 

 The bullrushes, or cattails, have gone to seed now, all exploded fluff drifting on the wind like furry fairies.  I was surprised to learn from my Environment prof (long ago) that bullrushes can be ground to make flour.  Cattail bread?  Maybe not.



These must be the tiny nests wherein the fairies dwell, and the lace with which they fashion their wings.

Wildflowers or weeds, what's in a name? In early autumn days, these are the plants that line the ditch along the lake road.  Or, they did, until last week when they were mown down.


Blue: straight out of camera; Pink: adjusted in Photoshop
Now probably I "should" know what these sweet little lavender blue posies are called.  But I'm really not very good at being able to put names to plants, and anyway, I subscribe to the philosophy that there is no such thing as "should."



It was a very windy day and I planned to come back to get close-ups of these flowers but on my next walk, they'd already been cut down by the village road crew, for reasons best known to them, although I suspect it has something to do with a pay cheque. 



So, instead of close-ups, I offer up a painterly version of this particular roadside attraction.

And while I'm at it, I 'll take the opportunity to contribute this to Bonnie's Photo Art Friday.

I encourage you to take a virtual stroll through the gallery there of artistically rendered photos from bloggers all over the world.  It's a great way to feast your eyes, soothe your soul, and find inspiration for your own picture making.

I wish you happy trails, wherever your feet may roam!


31 comments:

  1. Very, very nice! So Monet like! Love it!!

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  2. Gorgeous, and that first photo is like the Platonic ideal of rural North America.

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  3. Ah Lynne - I would like to take that stroll with you one day. Love the painterly feel you have given your photos. I think that little flower is known as Chicory (can't vouch for the spelling!).
    So glad you linked up with Photo Art Friday!

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  4. A lovely, peaceful entry. I can almost smell the crisp fresh air and feel a gentle wind. Love the soft muted tones. And darn those road crews. The same has happened to me on a few occasions when I returned to a location for another crack at the "weeds" and they had been mowed down to dirt. Can't figure out why...

    You live in a beautiful place inside and out!

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  5. Lovely photos, here. I felt like I was walking in my own neck of the woods as all is pretty much the same around here but with the added pleasure of seeing it through someone elses eyes.

    Bonnie has indeed identified the blue flower correctly. It's wild chicory. As for the pink one, that's wild CHICKery.. as only a girly girl would turn it pink. ;) Perhaps for Breast Cancer Awareness? :)

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  6. Beautiful sights along your stroll! I do like the painterly effect you have given that last shot!

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  7. Maryvel,
    Oh my, it is wonderful to have a picture likened to a Monet! Thank you.

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  8. Tatjana,
    Thank you for stopping by and leaving your kind comment.

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  9. Robert,
    And I didn't even have to make it rhyme!

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  10. jann,
    Wow. I photographed a Platonic ideal? Who knew! Well, you, obviously. I guess that's why the scene is so appealing to me, on a subconscious level it is the ideal country setting where all is peaceful and right with the world.

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  11. Bonnie,
    Well, next visit to the Maritimes, give me a call and we'll go for a stroll. I do believe you're right about the plant being chicory. I thought it might be, but wasn't sure. I have to ask my neighbour every year (she who can name every plant in existence) what those delicate little blue flowers are.
    At least I'm consistent.

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  12. Stickup,
    I kind of blush when I know you've looked at my photos (because of your photographic prowess). But I'm still tickled pink (as in the altered flower pic) that you stopped by. It is lovely around here, though there is much that I have trained myself to ignore. One day I set out to take pictures of everything I find ugly about the village area, but it's too depressing to share on my blog. Why accentuate the negative? Perhaps beauty is all a matter of focus (pun intended).

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  13. Hilary,
    Wild CHICory, haha. Good one. The pink happened accidentally when I was doing post-production experiments but I liked it (in spite of not really being a girlie girl type--though hardly outdoorsy/woodsy, either). Thanks for confirming my suspicion that the blue flower was chicory. It was sort of the last one standing and I'm used to seeing them in clumps so wasn't sure. Not being an outdoorsy sort of girl. You can take a girl out of the city...

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  14. Pat,
    Some days around here it is just amazingly gorgeous. I'm glad you like the painterly effect I chose.
    Thanks for stopping by.

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  15. Lynne - dearly enjoyed your post with such beautiful texturizing. The photos are calming and reflective. I could feel the breeze -- or, did you say wind! Smiles. Hugs from Alaska. Karen in Kenai I will return.

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  16. Hi Karen,
    Thanks for coming all the way "down" from Alaska. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Alaska on your blog site. We can compare the strength of the prevailing winds.

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  17. Your photos here are hauntingly beautiful.
    I think I will have to study photo shop

    but even so, it is you who has the eye to see!

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  18. Your first photo is beautifully composed and I am drawn to the layers of texture and color. Your description of the fairy nests and the lace with which they fashion their wings makes me think you have the start of a story. Lovely

    Bises,
    Genie

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  19. Wild CHICory... wow, feel like I've stepped into an episode of "women gone wild" here...

    Am so late, had to work Saturday late into Sunday morning, then had some correspondence to catch up on, am only just getting around to one or two blogs before turning in... but am glad I did, as this will set the scene for some sweet peaceful dreams... cue up "Peaceful Easy Feeling"... Just proves that one doesn't have to go far to find hidden treasures. I love looking at wildflowers, especially in the Fall when they have gone to seed, some of the ways they create of spreading their seeds are simply extraordinary. I still have a box-seed branch I picked over 20 years ago, with little tiny boxes with a hole in the top side. If you blog gently over the hole, like playing flute, the microscopic seeds come swirling out. Amazing plants. No wonder people create divine explanations for such wonders.

    Less divine, as you observed, are the sad things people will do for paychecks, like cutting down wildflowers. One could add : like mining coal or cutting down forests, etc, but that could lead into another long rant, which we shall artfully sidestep here by stepping back out of the comment box.

    So, along with the wild CHICory, there were no brown-eyed susans, or american beauties ? And the blue ones weren't stella blue ?

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  20. oops, it should say "blow" instead of "blog", and "g" isn't even next to the "w" key... must be getting confused in my advanced age...

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  21. Very pretty photos -- I like the Orton effect you've used. So soft and dreamy. :)

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  22. Now this isn't fair...I KNOW I left a comment here yesterday...anyway, I want a Lake Road...
    Those photos are so beautiful and the place is very walkable!

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  23. Elizabeth,
    You have a great eye for making excellent photographs so I have complete faith that you would come up excellent results in Photoshop, if you put your mind to it. I warn you, though, it can quickly become addictive!

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  24. Genie,
    I have taken so many shots of that first scene because it pleases me so much. It's actually on zoom, so I'm pretty pleased that my little camera managed to get a clear enough image for me to work with.
    The beginnings of a story, you say? Hmmm, guess I'll put it on the pile of projects already big enough to last me the rest of my lifetime, should I be lucky enough to live to a very great old age.

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  25. Owen,
    What on earth is "Women Gone Wild"? Or should I ask. And what are you doing watching something with such a title?
    Sorry to hear you were slaving at the straightjacket factory over the weekend. When you bade me "have a rolicking weekend" on the previous post I just assumed you were heading off into one of the same ilk for yourself.
    It's vital to find the beauty in one's environment, in one's own backyard. If there's none to be seen, vital to get out of Dodge and find a new backyard. I put on my blinkers and see only the beautiful on many of my walks. I learned to love the rusty colours of autumn the first time I spent that season in the country, in a cottage in Quebec, wandering the country lanes in absolute awe and wonder of the transformation of the flowers, grasses, pods, leaves. Up till then, I'd been strictly a city girl, in a land of yellow and brown soggy maple leaves and dripping cedar trees.
    Autumn is my favourite season.

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  26. Owen,
    Thank you for clearing that up. I was quite bewildered about how one could play a flute by blogging technique.

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  27. Nancy,
    I must admit a certain addiction to that pseudo Orton effect. You're the first person to have commented on it!

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  28. Saj,
    So Blogger must be playing nasty tricks with you and not posting the lovely comments you leave at my doorstep. It's been doing the same with me on various blogs I visit. Very frustrating.

    The Lake Road is, indeed, very walkable, being so very flat. There's considerable more effort involved in getting back to my place from there, though, as it's all uphill no matter which way you go. But there is also a small lake with a trail around it that's nice to walk. Give us plenty of notice when you want to come visit so Pierre can finish installing the bathroom up in the attic guest room for you. Oh, and maybe you'd best wait until winter's done here, which will be by the end of April.

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  29. These make my heart soft.

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  30. Shayla,
    I would venture to say, "softer".

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