Tag Archives: carolina lily

Winter respite

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve had much-needed rain here the last few days, and this afternoon is the first time blue skies have peeked through clouds. Many of you have come through more than a week of unbearable cold and/snow snow. I thought we could all use a bit of respite from winter today, and so I’m sharing reminders—photos from last summer I didn’t get to share with you then—that summer will be here in a few months:

A little flower known by many names: Clematis viorna, Northern Leatherflower, Vasevine

A Carolina lily, North Carolina’s state wildflower

Here’s an interesting article about telling the difference between a Carolina lily and its very similar cousin, the Turk’s cap lily. Just so you’re prepared if you see them this summer.

How do you find respite from winter when it turns dreary?

The most beautiful summer day

Posted on by
13

After my husband got back from his morning run on Monday, he told me he wished he could have bottled the day. The morning was so beautiful, and he had run through a field of wildflowers, and the weather was perfect and drier than usual for summer around here, especially this summer when we’ve joked about building an ark a lot more than usual.

He had to dash off to work, but I wanted to find a way to help him remember the day. Monday was, quite possibly, the most beautiful summer day. Ever. Yesterday was a close runner-up. So I hiked up the trail he ran and took some pictures along the way.

Whether your summer has been perfect or too wet or too scorched or too busy to spend much time outside, I thought you might enjoy coming along with me for a glimpse of the most beautiful summer day.

grandfatherviewsummer_2013

The view early into my hike (locals will have no trouble guessing where I was)

interestedcow_2013

Turning a corner, I saw a herd of cows grazing and lazing in a field

interestedcalf_2013

An interested calf

hownowbrowncow_2013

My favorite of the calves, probably because he’s the same brown shade as my dog

fieldofgold_2013

A breathtaking expanse of Black-Eyed Susans and other wildflowers

wildflowerweed_2013

A lovely wildflower … or is it a weed?

pipevinebutterflyback_2013

Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly on a Joe-Pye Weed

pipevinebutterfly_2013

The iridescent beauty of the Pipevine Swallowtail

pipevinebutterflycloseup_2013

A closer view

In my attempts to identify the Pipevine Swallowtail and the almost translucent butterfly below, I stumbled upon a cool butterfly identification website.

fieldofgoldwithtree_2013

The field of gold hummed with grasshoppers, bees, birds and butterflies.

sulphurbutterfly_2013

A sulphur butterfly: Cloudless Sulphur? Pink-Edged Sulphur? Colias eurytheme, maybe?

jellyfishorlily_2013

A jellyfish in the woods?

turkscaplily_2013

This lily goes by two names: Turk’s Cap Lily or Carolina Lily

The turk’s cap lily (Lilium michauxii) is also known as the carolina lily and happens to be the official wildflower of the state of North Carolina.

turkscaplilies_2013

A group of Turk’s Cap Lilies

stripedmapleseedpods_2013

If my Leafsnap app is to be trusted, this is a striped maple, with its whirligig seedpods hanging down like grapes.

I haven’t mentioned Leafsnap in some time. It’s a fun (but not infallible) app for identifying trees.

cowsgrazing_2013

By the time I finished my hike, the cows had moved to a lower pasture to graze. I love how the calves are squished together in a line.

Which image is your favorite? How would you describe your most beautiful summer day?