Monday, June 30, 2008

Roadside Daylilies and Grasses

I am such a fan of those roadside 'ditches' where grasses, wildflowers and other plant 'volunteers' soften the hardness of the human-made road. This is such a place just outside a parking lot for an entry to a local nature reserve. I love the flowers and grasses against those large rocks... and will probably return to this photo to sketch it again and again. These 'wild' places remind me of why I fell in love with botanical studies --- the 'surprise' of volunteer plants -- blooming and thriving without pesticide, herbicide, water, pruning and the other chores of gardening. For me -- this is a place where miracles really happen.

We finally, thank HEAVENS, got a bit of rain last night. My dh and I were out taking our nightly walk and got caught in a cold downpour ... and all the while, we were dancing in the puddles -- grateful for the rain -- our garden plants were delirious too, I'll bet! LOL I know it's been a long time since we danced in the rain -- but somehow it seems even LONGER since we had rain to dance in!

9 comments:

Teresa said...

You have such a knack for bringing out the beauty in "ordinary" scenes. Gorgeous painting... and, as usual, your color choices are flawless!

Lynn said...

I'm a fan of volunteer plants, too. You captured the elegance and tenacity of this scene. It's beautiful!

Joan said...

Lin, Those are adorable photos of the kids!!! I love this painting of the natural way that plants grow!!! Great color in this!

Teri said...

You have really captured the beauty of these kind of spots of nature.

wagonized said...

I like the vantage point of this painting -- the eyes at the same level as the blades of grass. The Flickr image is so crisp!

Linda said...

I LOVE ditches, too! This time of year here we get to see Queen Anne's Lace, blue Chicory, and orange Day Lilies all at once ... just a riot of color! You captured that same feeling in this painting just beautifully.
:-)

Anonymous said...

I always loved riding in the country here with the thistles and blue "corn flowers" growing wild in the ditches and along the rocky edge of the road. You've captured this beautifully, and in an unusual position -- eye level in a car? Love it.
Hugs,
Lorraine

Anonymous said...

This is just terrific! I've enjoyed stopping by and catching up. I'm glad you got a little rain. We won't have any again for months and we're rationing here...but not as bad yet as it's been in your area. In those delightful photos the little ones don't seem to mind the heat a bit!

Ivona Hrvatin said...

I can feel this grass...BEAUTIFUL!