Today's Flowers

One of the African violets is blooming merrily.

Sunflowers

Skywatch Friday

I took these sunrise shots last week. If you glue them together, they cover nearly half the horizon, I think.

Swans

There were five cygnets in this brood.

And when the bread was all gone, this fellow bit the man with the empty bag.

Watery Wednesday

Lady's mantle is a low growing herb which catches the raindrops on its leaves. There is a magical property to the water thus collected, but I forget what it is.

Alchemilla vulgaris

Here, the lady's mantle contrasts with lemon balm leaves.

Geese

The ice was thick enough in places to hold the weight of a goose, so some are walking while others are swimming.

And they all flew away.

Ice after Four Days below Freezing

The ice is a couple of inches thick now, and I can venture further from shore. There was a scattering of snow on the surface.

The bubbles are stacked now. I have never seen anything like it.

Rose of Sharon

The Latin name for this shrub is Hibiscus syriacus. The blossoms come in shades of white, pink, and lilac, but I prefer the pink ones.

A Host of Golden Daffodils

These are all from the spring flower show at Algonquin College, last March. I tell myself there will be another, next March.

Ice, Still From Thursday

This is the sunrise colours reflected in the ice.

And some sort of algae making the green colour. The blue is the reflection of the sky.

When they dug the pond a few years ago, they installed a boat ramp lined with these pavers. The bubbles that formed over the concrete make a wonderful pattern.

More bubbles, from natural rocks.

Cracks, open water, and the reflection of the sky.

I have no idea why the bumps formed, but I love the pattern.

An abstract in ice, near shore.

While Walking

Lambs' Ears

No, these are not aliens from another planet. They are flowers called lambs' ears. Stachya byzantina.

They do just fine beside the driveway, a place where so many plants complain of the radiant heat.

Ice and Other Things

The geese were in the large patch of open water, off to the right, and their movement caused the ripples in the water at the edge of the ice.

A stalk of cow parsnip fell into the water, and was captured by the ice. I love the reflections.

A couple of shots at the base of the cattails. I am not sure what the green algae stuff is, but it adds interest to the whole image.

The bubbles in the ice are formed around the rocks in the water.

And where there are geese, there are feathers.