Agree, @Acerholic , that is how my Japanese maples obsession started. I found this unremarkable looking maple in the yard 3 years ago, a volunteer, became interested, and tried to educate myself about their culture, varieties, etc. The maples forum here has been instrumental in the process. One thing I still have not attempted is grafting... oh well, some day...
@Nik, that protection looks medieval lol. Those dark leaves are looking wonderful, well worth the protection.
Some encounters in the nearby fields. Alliaria petiolata Erigeron annuus Filipendula ulmaria A small Misumena vatia that exploiting the homochromy of the colors with the petals of the flowers camouflaged itself in ambush on a Foeniculum vulgare
@Arlette, Good morning ,the camouflage on the Misumena vatia is amazing, you were very keen eyed to spot it.
@Acerholic Yes, I was very surprised, I had never seen him "dressed in yellow"! So much surprised so that I have partly overlooked the beauty of Foeniculum vulgare. I had already seen and photographed it in white on Rosa and Celosia in color from white to red but their mimicry is not so accentuated.
@Arlette, good afternoon, lovely photos of one waiting for a bee I suspect. It is wonderful how they can change colour to suit their host. Amazing camouflage!!
I took this photo this morning, thinking to myself at the time 'what am I doing'. This is Senecio squalidus ' Oxford ragwort', something that any horse owner, as I was for many years, spent a lot of time in paddocks ensuring it was removed and burnt as soon as it was seen. But now, as my horse is no longer with me, I can look on this plant a little differently. Well perhaps only a little differently, lol
@Acerholic We have it mainly in our south and islands. Many times I wonder how ancient botanists attribute the name to their discoveries ?! How do you give the appellation squalidus to such a beautiful and joyful plant? But you know , I'm picturing you on horseback as John Wayne, while in the distance the coyotes howl at the moon !!!!!!!! Ciao, ciao!!!
@Arlette, that's an image I will leave with you, lol. But just to add, mine was 100% dressage. Sadly the plant is potentially a killer to horses, so although very pretty in large clusters, it is an enemy of anything equine. But that is another story, not for a botanical forum.
My wife and I, whist out waking this morning came across this Fraxinus excelsior 'European Ash' with beautiful Samaras.
I know that feeling. Every time we take the dog to the park we see a field that in early spring the dogs can romp through but now is filled entirely with the invasive Tansy Ragwort Senecio jacobaea. The field actually looks really pretty because it's a "sea of yellow" but it brings back memories of helping my mother pull it from the field where she kept her Arabians.
@pmurphy, good evening P. Arabians lovely. My boy is a British Warmblood 16.2 HH. Retired now at 23 in the Peak District of the UK with friends. Regarding Ragwort, as this is a Botanical forum not Equine . I have seen people remove it thoroughly, only for it to return the following year with avengance. The secret is to remove before flowering, which I did, but it still came back, urghhhh. I bet it did with your mums paddocks as well. I'm glad my post brought back some happy memories for you, it has me.
Good afternoon, Out on our morning walk, my wife and I were shocked to see Rubus fruticosus heavily in fruit, the Blackberries are fruiting so early this year. Haws on the C. monogyna 'Hawthorne' trees were very evident also. The birds are going to have a feast in the Autumn.
Our walk this morning did not throw up anything pretty or spectacular to photo, but this grasshopper was enjoying the morning sun. You have to look closely as the camouflage is excellent.
@Acerholic I had to enlarge the image to the maximum in order to see it !!!!! It seemed like one with the leaf !!!! If I'm not wrong it could be a juvenile male specimen of Metaplastes pulchripennis like the one that stood on my clematis which however was an adult specimen.
Who says you have to go to the woods to see nature... This image was captured by my trail cam at the top of my waterfall (which is where the birds like to bath).
@pmurphy Hi! But it's a Raccoon !!!! Too cute. But did I know it was a typically nocturnal animal?!?! Well, a nice surprise!
Vancouver's "city" raccoons seem to be active all hours of the day and night. This is one of last year's babies; still getting into trouble (according to the trail cam it spent a good portion of the night with it's paws in the top catch basin of the waterfall looking for things) and it hasn't yet learned to stay out from my yard (I use the hose to discourage them because my dog was bit by one many years ago).
Our morning walk along a different route today we came across this Artemisia vulgaris 'Mugwort '. Rather delicate and pretty IMO.
@Acerholic I see it written almost everywhere in the Forum referring to different situations but, I admit my ignorance, I don't know what the IMO acronym you refer to often means. You too now in the post of Artemisia vulgaris 'Mugwort '. I go to intuition but I would like to know more, can you help me? Am I OT?
@Arlette, it means 'In my opinion'. Or there is often said IMHO, which means 'in my honest opinion' or some say in my humble opinion. We do use it far too much IMO, whoops there I go again, lol. And btw, not ignorance just another language. That means 'by the way'. Too easy to keep using them !!!! Have a lovely Sunday afternoon Arlette.
Have just returned from another short walk this time, (dodging the showers ). Saw this lovely Rosa canina ' Dog rose'. Very pretty flower, but the thing we noticed the most were the hips. They were the size of small apples. Quite a few Blackbirds in amongst the branches enjoying the Summer feast also.