The Colors of June! (Politics Free)
I’ve mentioned before what a joy it is in the summer here in Alaska. After months on end where the outside eye sees nothing but white, grey, dark grey, ecru, eggshell, off-white, beige, brown, bright white….(you get the idea), we’ve finally hit the season of color. Mid-June is probably the most colorful of all. I’ve been watching the rose buds swell, waiting for them to bloom, and now, looking out over the wooded hillside near my house, it is speckled with pink as far as the eye can see, as though someone threw confetti. As the eye adjusts, patches of blue, and then white, and finally yellow become noticeable.
The weather has been a little odd lately. You’re never sure if it’s going to rain, or if the sun will break through.
Today was more on the rainy side, so instead of taking a hike, I took a short stroll just to catch all of the June flora at its height of perfection.
This, I believe, is a yellow cinquefoil. I used to go hiking with a dear friend, who has passed away, and knew lots about flowers and plants of the area. Once on a hike over the Resurrection trail, I pointed to something that looked like this and asked her what it was. “Ah,” she said, “That’s a DYF.” She said it so it sounded like deewyeff. I told her I’d never heard of that before. Only then did she crack a grin and say, “Damn yellow flower.” There are so many dyfs, it’s frustrating even for ‘flower people’ to try to keep them straight.
These are one of my favorite flowers – the wild geranium. It is ubiquitous this time of year, and it seems to me so much more delicate and beautiful than the ‘domesticated’ version of a geranium that we know today. Some years they seem more saturated with color. This one is a little pale, but still lovely.
The Sitka rose. In addition to speckling my view with pink confetti, the sitka rose fills the air with its sweet perfume. When you put one near your nose, close your eyes, and inhale deeply, it’s like getting a free gift. I’d take a few of these in a glass over a dozen long stem roses with no smell any day. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so. If I were a creepy little fly, I’d be the one in the background, right in the middle, rolling around in the pollen, having the time of my life.
The regular tall version of fireweed isn’t ready to bloom yet. It’s still in it’s ‘hurry-up-and-get-tall’ green phase. I usually don’t get any fireweed blooming by the house, because Brian the moose loves the stuff and eats it all before it has a chance to bloom. But this little patch of dwarf fireweed only grows about a foot or so off the ground, and is right up against the house. So far it has survived, and the patch grows larger every year, which is fine by me. Weed or not, I love it.
Speaking of weeds….the horsetail grass is fully grown now, and it grows in long swaths along the edge of the road. I know I should dislike it, and it is a pain in the neck in the garden, but when the breeze blows over it, it looks like shimmering emerald waves and I can’t help but like it in a certain way.
And, of course, the lowly dandelion. Alaskan dandelions are a phenomenon. The long hours of daylight turn them into gargantuan, monstrous things that leave visitors to the state gawking. I measured one in my yard yesterday. It stood 16 inches tall and the flower was 2 1/2 inches across. We’re on our second crop of dandelions at the moment. Some are blooming in all their freakishly huge glory.
And others are just about to cast off their last little bit of DNA into the wind.
Of course there are dozens of other species around, blooming their hearts out, but I’ll save them for another day.
HonestyinGov: I’ll try that rooting. My Granny used to do it with African Violets all the time. I should probably let them grow just a bit longer before I start cutting, though.
Also, too… One section is doing great, no problems. Just down the fenceline, they are all being eaten by bugs! The ones being eaten are under a big tree.
Any suggestions? I’m just going to let them go and see what happens, I think, barring any great advice (I don’t want to use chemicals in the yard, though).
Gorgeous photos, AKM!
FYI, genus Geranium/aka Cranesbill is the true geranium. The photo above is an example. The indoor/outdoor more showy “geranium” is the genus Pelargonium. They are both members of the Geraniaceae family. I have some Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ in my garden and it’s just fantastic. BTW the Latin names above should be italicized, but I don’t know how to do that. ::sigh::
Never heard of DYF, but that’s a good one. We do refer to LGB’s though (little grey birds).
@ Bonnie
We don’t have the GOOD kind of dandelions. Ours are true weeds!
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…
We’re on our way up there on Thursday. Since retiring in Tucson we’ve made it back almost every summer for a least a week. This time we’re renting an RV and heading down the Kenai. Always so beautiful! So many good restaurants in the area but we’ll hit Villa Nova this time — haven’t been there in years. Keep that sun a-shining! See my Alaska friends soon.
The one thing I like in TX are the weeds; bluebonnets, wild rose, Indian Blanket. But few dandelions do I see here, and none like yours. Have you ever made dandelion wine? 🙂
Michigander & HonestyinGov: A few years back, I was given a potted MG. Put it on my front porch and forgot about it. About a week later, it had climbed all over the trellis and awning, just LOOKING for a new way to expand itself. When it was time to retire the poor thing, getting it’s vines out of the trellis was a chore, but not horrendous.
The GOAL is that they reseed themselves for next year. They are on a particularly barren length of ugly fence (there are other areas of fence hidden by massive trees and other things, which is good. Probably 20′ of fenceline is disguised by my pink roses alone!). Also, too, once established this year (from seed), maybe next year they will get an earlier start in their climb.
I wonder if our cool June has slowed everything? Or, is it just that I’m impatient (love impatiens, too! Granny used to have them EVERY year!) and want some color NOW. I have the roses, but they are already withering a bit. The pink ones, especially. Very papery and they drop their petals in just a couple of days, but leave behind hearty greenery for the rest of the summer. Not good as cut flowers at all. The red roses are a complete surprise to me… I didn’t notice them at ALL last summer (my first in this house). Where WAS I last summer?
Discovered just a couple of days ago: RASPBERRIES on another patch of fence! The plant is crazy with fruit that I and the neighbors hope will grow big by mid summer. Neither of us knew about them. Previous owner kept cutting the bush down, so it didn’t flower last year. AND, there are smaller Raspberries further down the fence! These act as a great “coverage” item, as well.
Honesty: I’ll try to root some MG’s. To my mind, that fence can’t get covered fast enough.
I’m totally into gardening this year, where last year, I did minimal outdoor work. I think it has alot to do with being laid off… MUCH more time on my hands to pay attention further than cursory mowing just to keep the City from knocking on the door. Last summer was a VERY hot one and I have no A/C. Working outside just wasn’t appealing after a long work week.
You are an extremely talented photographer AKM! What kind of camera do you use if I may ask?
The last photo is particularly striking. How did you spot it? Your eye is amazing!
Canon Digital Rebel XT w/ 100mm macro lens. I have my eye on a new camera though…. dreaming for now. AKM
Since my year in Alaska was almost forty years ago, I have sort of a time-lapse memory of the scenery:
… Everything is covered in snow, but you can see vast expanses of evergreens and birch, and would possibly kill for one damn greenhouse maple.
… Everything is covered in snow, and it’s too dark to see, anyhow
… The snow is gone, and the ground vegetation is dead
… The ground is covered with mutant exploding green stuff, and the air is filled with mutant mosquitos the size of frisbees.
… Acres and acres of fireweed. I form a tentative hypothesis that the reason for Alaska is to produce fireweed. The hypothesis fails peer review, but I’m still partial to it.
34 samper Says:
June 14th, 2009 at 8:17 PM
I planted Morning Glories specifically to hide parts of my ugly chain link fence (the neighborhood has the same fence on every single yard from when first built over 40 years ago, save a few folks who put up privacy fences… on my list of things to do!). They will climb like weeds and are starting to make their way up the fence, but nowhere near bloom yet.
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samper… about your Morning Glories…
I like them as well. I remember a grandmother had them all over the garage years ago in Tenn. maybe they remind me of that time and Her.
I did the same as you. I made a copper trellis for them to grow on but they eventually grew down the whole fence…. and then went about 30 foot up the tree by the fence.
These were actually ‘ Moonflowers’ ,purplish in color, (part of the same family) I believe but they never die off and are green all year…. even in Winter. I have planted Morning Glory seeds from packets and the vines dry up around fall and drop their seeds waiting for Spring so they are not year round.
Just a little FYI : If you have a few established plants (with this Moonflower variety ) and want to get the fence covered ‘ quickly ‘…you can do cuttings off it to start more plants so that the fence covers faster. Just cut some of the ‘runners’ from the end (maybe 2-3 feet )and stick the cuttings in plain water. If left in the water after a few weeks they will develop the little tiny white feeder roots (sprouting from where the leaves attach to the vine ) It’s basically foolproof. They root basically every time. Once you get enough roots you can transplant to the ground.
I have done many cuttings and started plants to give away to friends who like them. Just keep the water fairly clean and fresh so you don’t get algae and rot.
AKM – our Alaskan flowers are out in all their glory, aren’t they? Your pictures are so pretty and you have such an eye for the little tiny details. Maybe you were a Faerie Queen during a long dream and you remembered the beauty of close and small. I love them all and it’s a joy to see them through your eyes, too!
#40 Krubozumo Nyankoye :
Thank you for all of that. Very interesting!
Beyond my backyard is a sea of Horsetail Fern (still on our property). I find them beautiful and I don’t mind them. They pop up in our back yard and I just go out and yank them up. I leave the ones way out back alone. One of my neighbors is fanatic about getting rid of them and probably hates me for not doing the same.
Thanks for the link and the info. After reading what you posted, I feel privileged to have them so close to me. I really do think they are beautiful!
The “Horsetail Fern” is what you refer to in picture # 7. Its proper name is Equisetum hyemale and it appeared in the biota approximately 410 million years ago, so it is a venerable and durable part of our world. It incorporates a large amount of silica in its cell structures and so it is also known as the scouring fern, because it was used to clean cooking utensils.
It is worthwhile to pluck one and examine it closely, its structure is very simple and apparent. That it has endured for about 100 times the duration of our own species is also notable. This organism is probably one of the first to colonize the land. There is evidence it was preceded by the lycopods. None the less, IMHO we should revere great age and heritage.
Go to http://www.timetree.org/ and plug in the genus species given above versus Homo sapeins and you will see how long ago we diverged from these
cousins.
Cheers,
Love the pictures AKM Makes me wish I could have been up their in the late spring early summer instead of winter and early fall,
AKM, I feel the “grey pain”. It is the same here. I always say we have different shades of grey and various degrees of brightness on our cloudy days. The varying degrees of grey color and “grey” brightness truly are discernible. Spring and fall bring the vibrant colors of nature out here. I love spring and fall. I like summer and winter too, but the colors we get, especially in the fall, are wonderful!
samper – have you planted Morning Glories before? I have for years, the Heavenly Blue which I love. The only thing with them is they re-seed and come back as purply/pink and smaller blooms. I don’t mind in some areas but they can take over. They are a chore to clean up (which falls on me). Lots of work! I still do it but….
Actually, looking again at the fireweed, I bet they don’t climb well… the stem seems too thick. Morning Glory stems are very tiny, so they can weave in and out of a fence, trellis or whatever with ease (and they love to do so!)
These are all beautiful, but I LOVE the last 2. They are astounding. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, what great pics! I was inspired several posts ago to go out and take a couple of my roses (red & pink). I got a pretty good pic of each color’s best offering and sent them to my mom, who is a few states away. She’s not biased at ALL, but thinks I’m the best gardener in the whole wide world!! 🙂
Dandelions… yuck. Hate the broad leaves and hate the rate at which they grow, making my otherwise nice yard look ghetto. We fight them with vim and vigor all summer long here. They win every time.
I planted Morning Glories specifically to hide parts of my ugly chain link fence (the neighborhood has the same fence on every single yard from when first built over 40 years ago, save a few folks who put up privacy fences… on my list of things to do!). They will climb like weeds and are starting to make their way up the fence, but nowhere near bloom yet. Other fence areas are filling in with various stuff that is many years in the making. The goal is to have a “privacy” fence that is nothing but foliage. Well on the way! 🙂
That fireweed is VERY pretty! Poor little guy shouldn’t be called a “weed”. It looks like it could be a fence climber and might do well in MI. If so, would LOVE to get my hands on some. Haven’t seen them by seed or plant at the local nurseries.
Anyway… the Question of the Day: DO they climb? And if so, short of traveling to AK, where can I get some?
Thank you AKM, this is lovely! I have been spending as much time as possible with nature since Mother’s Day. I haven’t posted in a long time because we lost my Mother in Law that day. I shared Mudflats with her and my sisters (in law) and I thank you for being you and giving so much of yourself.
AKM, you have a positive, loving and hopeful attitude toward our future yet tell it like it is. You make a difference. People need and appreciate you (o:
Thanks for your kind words, michigander. I’m so sorry for your loss…it’s nice to have you back. AKM
The new cat (the one who replaced the departed sauerkraut) nearly caught a baby bunny today. Have never seen one so small – about half the size of a Raid Yardcard can. Little thing sure was screaming real well.
I am so jealous of AKM’s macro power. I had a good camera – a Minolta Dimage, but it died early last year. I’ve been relying on my iPhone (awful low light) and a cheap Fuji coolpix or something since. I want a GOOD camera!
Meanwhile I posted some wildflowers yesterday, with musical accompaniment:
http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2009/06/riot-of-wet-wildflowers-at-home.html
Right now, I’m getting ready to cut down some little yellow wildflowers (Alaska is the only state in the USA were Dandelions are native) with a string trimmer….
You are a talented photographer! I really enjoyed seeing these photographs. Thanks for sharing!
The spousal unit and I were in Alaska two years ago this month, on a cruise, so we only really got to the touristy spots. Summer scenery was fantastic.
@Ripley:
I have Cranesbill geranium in my garden also, and they are a lovely deep purple (too bad I can’t send some in the purple swap box) and bright magenta. Cinquefoil- or potentilla- bushes nestle next to the shrub roses by our patio- getting ready to bloom.
Thanks for sharing, AKM.
great pix!
Beautiful photos. I hope things are better for your sil, redwood muse.
I love those clouds!!! Very relaxing and magnificent.
Beautiful photos! You make me want to grab my camera and start clicking away. However, my pics never come out like that so I’ll save myself the disappointment and just admire yours 😉
Actually, MonaLisa, just add vinegar to fresh dandelion leaves, and put them on crusty Italian bread with Italian sausage cooked over fire….my grandfather’s favorite sandwich which we have for dinner on his birthday every year to honor him.
Dogwood is blooming all over the wild places in my yard, and the daisies are just about to pop, too, but the chickweed is trying to take over civilization (which means everywhere I’ve cultivated)! 🙂
fantastic shots!
I especially love that shot of the dandelion head with one seed left on it – that really shows off the magic one can capture only with a macro lens.
Fascinating images AKM ~ and just the whimsy needed to start the new week afresh!
Thanks for sharing the journey…. 😉
Dandelions are quite tasty, by the way. Especially if you pick the leaves before the plant flowers. A little bitter, maybe, but mmmmm!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Dandelion-Greens-242014
I think you’re right, AKM. The DYF pic looks just like the dwarf cinquefoil that is slowly but surely crowding the grass out of my front lawn. Adorable tiny yellow flowers, 5 leaflets, looks like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LHScjlfjrpA/SfitXb5VG8I/AAAAAAAAAZk/_lEmR27MRaU/s1600-h/White+Deer+Creek,+Penns+Creek,+Fishing+Creek+in+April+025.jpg
It’s great for hard-to-mow slopes, and actually prefers poor, dry soil; but here in southern CT it’s invasive and it’s gotta go!
Thanks AKM. The pictures are beautiful and really lift my spirits.
redwoodmuse
What lovely pictures. Thank you again.
I understand in certain parts of the country, the pussywillow is a weed.
But here in So.Cal it’s an exotic plant. We have one in our back yard grown from a cutting brought from Connecticut. It’s been propagated for 50 years. My Mother has given away cuttings and we have enjoyed the cut pussywillow branches in flower arrangements in our house. For free. They’re hugely expensive if you buy them at a flourist and not as pretty as our home grown ones.
One man’s weeds is another’s exotic landscape.
When landscaping with the local weeds, we call it “drought tolerant” landscaping.
Your pictures, as usual, are food for the soul, AKM.
weaver57 Says:
June 14th, 2009 at 4:12 PM
All the photos are great. The fireweed is beautiful. I love beautiful weeds. They are so hardy and continue to grow. Wish they were all that way. Oh well, wishful thinking. And ditto #2 Visitor.
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I have to agree about weeds, weaver. We had one in Nebraska when I lived in Omaha that farmers and everybody else seemed to hate. It is called Musk Thistle. I know it is a nuisance, but it is so pretty and such a vibrant color.
http://weeds.hotmeal.net/weeds/Musk_Thistle.jpg
Lovely! Thanks AKM. Our wildflowers here in Southeast Alaska are popping out all over as well. Chocolate lilies, wild iris, shooting star,all the Avens’,wood violets, ground dogwood- on and on! If you miss a favorite at sea level ,hike up 1000 ft and catch up with them on ground more recently thawed…
Add UBRs to the generic outdoor listings- according to geologist sis it is Ubiquitous Black Rock or Ugly Black Rock depending on one’s frame of mind.
Do folks in your part of the state start the “summer’s over!!!” blues when fireweed blooms as they do here…? 😀
Thanks again for the pics.
Wonderful images. Thank you. That is so funny about the DYF. In S. Ga. the botany people call them DYC’s – Damn Yellow Composites. We have brown eyes, green eyes, black eyes and on and on.
As always, your pictures are worthy of publication, AKM (and of course, you have!)
In another life you must have been a National Geographic photographer.
DYF? LOL. Our local birds are referred to as LBJs. Little Brown Jobs.
Ah…a breath of fresh air! Just what I needed. Thanks AKM 🙂
That last shot is truly amazing…
All the photos are great. The fireweed is beautiful. I love beautiful weeds. They are so hardy and continue to grow. Wish they were all that way. Oh well, wishful thinking. And ditto #2 Visitor.
Thank you for the lovely pictures. After all the bizarre and strange news this past week it was a nice break from chaos!
Beautiful. Thank you!
Love that last pic. And thank you. I have said before and I say again. Your pictures inspire me to take my own, and I am very glad of it.
Cranesbill is another name for the wild geranium. I let them stay in my garden along with the Wild Columbine. A lovely explosion of purple and pink….going by now. But more stuff to come!!
Nice shots! Please tell me what make and model camera you are using.
Thanks! Canon Digital Rebel XT with a 100mm macro lens. AKM
And it is even more beautiful in person.