I was amazed by this tree trunk that looks like an elephant's head.
Elephant Trunk
Crowned Beggarticks
Eight-petaled flowers are rare, so it was a mild surprise to see plantings of Crowned Beggarticks (Bidens trichosperma) near the Museum of History and Industry. The button (or disc) in the flower's center is just beginning to blossom, ringed by a "crown" of eight pistil-like structures to mimic the number of petals and each aligned with... Continue Reading →
Thistle Fool Ya
I was stopped in my tracks when I saw this thistle-like plant, cultivated in a garden outside Seattle's Museum of History and Industry. What makes it unusual is the intense purplish-blue color of not only the blossom but the spiky leaves surrounding it. My guess is that it's a false blue thistle. Regardless, the plants were... Continue Reading →
Man-Drake
How many colors can a drake have? Judging by this one, whose photo was taken at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton, quite a few. If the ladies are attracted to colorful decoration, this guy is a stud.
Hydrangeas
I have never paid much attention to hydrangeas until fairly recently. Now when I see them, I marvel at their complexity, at how each plant can have flowers with variegated colors, how each head unfolds from neutral-toned buds to petals bursting with color. The lacecap varieties intrigue me the most. I came across a patch of mophead-type... Continue Reading →
Sammamish River Trail Garden
There is a small water conservation demonstration garden along the Sammamish River Trail, right below the NE 85th overpass in downtown Redmond, that showcases plants that draw insects attractive to salmon and birds. The garden design simulates a riparian environment by its system of mounded beds, large rocks and gravel pathways. It also provides photographic opportunities throughout much of the year.
Fluffy Ground Cover
At this time of year in the Seattle area, cottonwood trees release their seeds deposited in downy, cottony puffs that become airborne on the slightest breeze. They swirl around like snowflakes, a little puzzling when you see them for the first time well past winter's end. In some places, they can accumulate in such quantity that they appear... Continue Reading →
Banana Slug: Our S(ub)lime Northwest Mascot
The Pacific Northwest has, it seems, zillions of slugs. Their mighty jaws chew through flower gardens like Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo. They are dark brown or black—and they were introduced from the outside, interlopers (like the gray squirrels that have overtaken the Douglas squirrels' domain here), the European red and black slugs. Our native species is the banana slug,... Continue Reading →
Washed Up in Akaroa (New Zealand)
Along the rocky beach of Akaroa's French Bay, the low tide exposes all sorts of interesting things. Among them are seashells, including turrets that curiously seem to accumulate in one small area. The tide pools reveal not only various forms of sea life, including small crabs, mollusks and sea cucumbers, but marine algae, including this most unusual-looking brown... Continue Reading →
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