Showing posts with label chicory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicory. Show all posts

Monday, August 24, 2015

Bad Guys

Usually I like to focus my observations and energy on natives... if I spent too much time paying attention to the invasives, I'd have a terribly negative attitude, as there are a lot of them.  Still, sometimes its important to be aware of their phenophases...
Purple Loosestrife, ravager of wetlands, is in peak bloom now... 
Sweet clover is blooming, slightly past peak.
Queen Anne's Lace... many are blooming,
many are already going to seed...
Chickory -- probably peaked last week but there's still plenty.  
This photo is just to show the whitecaps on the lake --
it's another REALLY windy day!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Daily Dragonfly, Drawing and More

Chicory is blooming on roadsides, its periwinkle flowers adding a new color to the weedy bouquet of medians and field edges. Chicory originally hails from Europe, where its roots have long been cooked, ground up, and used as a coffee substitute. This usage followed the plant across the pond, where people do still substitute the bitter root for exotic coffee beans.

Dragonfly of the day: this meadowhawk (and presumably a few of its buddies) have been hanging out around my yard of late. Its orange is quite striking, its movements darty, and its body more compact than the pondhawks pictured previously.


Bottlebrush grass is flowering; the tiny yellow grass flowers hang and blow in the breeze as though hardly attached at all.

















In the garden, strawberries are finished, but snap peas are coming in strong -- we're getting large handfuls a day since Thursday. (Blurry) broccoli is starting to form flowerheads and will be ready soon, and cukes are tiny little mini-fruits.

And. It has been pointed out that I am the first to complain when it is too hot or cold or wet or windy, but fail to express gratitude when it is perfect. Today was perfect, weatherwise, and I am thankful to the weather gods for this -- I spent many hours outside. (Now if the weather gods could just chat with the mosquito gods...)