It seems most of the summer flowers are orange, yellow or white but there are some other colors the bull thistle reddish pink blossom as well as some prettier purple flowers.
Sea of Purple
Picture of the Day for August 6, 2014
Recently there have been a lot of popcorn type rain showers springing up, with thunderheads dotting the sky and providing a firework like display inside the cloud as the lightning appears to slam around the inside of it. My finger was too slow reacting to catch the lightning flashes but it seems odd to be watching it from a distance knowing it is raining a lot under the cloud while I remained dry.
Firework Cloud
Picture of the Day for July 28, 2014
The road ditches have spotted patches of reddish orange color as the native lilies are blooming. Although growing up, I thought they were Turk’s Cap Lily but Turk’s Caps are not native to Wisconsin and they are actually native Michigan Lily instead (but I think they should have been called Wisconsin Lily instead as Wisconsin has more counties with them in than Michigan does). But whatever the name, they are pretty in the road ditches and fields.
Michigan Lily
Picture of the Day for July 27, 2014
The sunset last night kept reflecting off the clouds, changing their color and at times, reflecting rays up into the sky. But as pretty as the sunset was, just forty-five degrees to the north from the sunset was a thunderhead and there was lightning flashing all around inside the storm cloud. My finger was too slow, so I didn’t get a picture of the lightning inside the thunderhead before the lower dark clouds covered my view of it.
Sunset on Saturday
Picture of the Day for July 25, 2014
Apparently when I mention I was taking flower pictures, the watchful cat thought I was taking the flowers and not just photographing them as I had another escort when photographing in a neighbor’s yard.
Flower Guard
Picture of the Day for July 24, 2014
Farmers are busy putting up hay during the dry days and even the flowers seem to be enjoying the sunny days instead of having their colors washed out. I wonder if there are any birds nesting in the rustic birdhouse.
Climbing Pink Clematis
Picture of the Day for July 21, 2014
When the Black-eyed Susans open up, you know summer is officially here and the very hot day confirms summer has arrived. The wildflowers might not wither and wilt in the heat like I do but I won’t be hiking out to the field in the hot afternoon to confirm that theory.
Daisies and Black-eyed Susans
Picture of the Day for July 17, 2014
People, critters, birds and flowers are enjoying this nice sunny summer day.
Fence of Color
Picture of the Day for July 15, 2014
Seeing a wet, shaggy looking flower in the ditch reminded me of my hairdo in the morning. Wild bergamot, is a wildflower in the mint family and is widespread as a native plant in much of North America, and you often see butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds visiting the flowers for nectar. But I didn’t see any insects feeding when it was raining and I was taking the picture, so I guess the butterflies had more sense to stay out of the rain than I did.
Wild Bergamot
Picture of the Day for July 14, 2014
The milkweeds are starting to bloom and the milkweed is important to many species, especially the monarch larvae which appears to feed exclusively on milkweeds and the monarch butterflies need the milkweed to lay their eggs.
Some people eat the milkweed flowers, using them in stir-fly, soup, casseroles and other dishes (after you wash the bugs out first). I prefer to just look at them and take pictures of the blossoms instead of eating them and I will leave them for the monarchs butterflies instead.
Milkweed Blossom
