Wildflower Study

I took my camera with me when I went for a walk this evening after dinner. I didn't know if I would see anything I would want to photograph, but I stuck my little camera in my pocket just in case. I'm lucky to have a park adjacent to my neighborhood, complete with walking/biking trails, lots of playground equipment and a picnic shelter by a small lake. In a section of the park, next to a stand of trees, in a naturally low area, the parks people placed a native wildflower/prairie planting. At first glance it might just look like a lot of tall "weeds". And for the most part, other park goers ignore the tall grasses, hurrying past while listening to music, talking with friends or family and walking their dogs. But after getting up close and looking among the tall grasses I found any amazing variety of wildflowers! I was so glad I had my camera.

There are lots of cattails, wild asters and goldenrod.

And lots of vibrant colors and interesting spikey seed pods hiding among the tall grasses.

I was pleasantly surprised at all the wonderful native plants. I guess we all need to remember to try to take a little extra time to appreciate the beauty all around us!

In Full Bloom

My pretty, white Annabelle hydrangeas are in full bloom these days.

I just love the huge showy flowers! They are bright white
and as summer goes on they will fade to a pale green.

They make nice cut flowers.
I cut the wody stems at an angle and keep them in fresh water.

And the smaller pink hydrangea also has gorgeous blooms. I would love to dry some of the flowers to be able to enjoy them over the winter. I've dried some of the white flowers in the past by hanging the cut blooms in a cool dry place until they are dry and hold their shape. But, this year they just seem to wilt. Maybe because we've had so much rain? (about 12 inches above average) I can try again as they start to turn green but I'd prefer them to be white. Please leave me a comment if you've had success drying your hydrangeas and have any suggestions for me. In the mean time, I'll just enjoy their beauty in the garden.