Tag Archives: bloom

Mountain Shower

By Kenn | Published July 20, 2011

The Black-Eyed Susan is probably the most common of all American wildflowers

Okay, I’ve got hundreds of pretty flower photos that include dozens of black-eyed susans and things that look like them. These days when I swing the lens toward a flower it’s most likely because something is special.

A summer mountain shower in Vermont is special. The light changes and everything reacts to the rain, even a lone brown-eyed susan.

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Photo of the Day – Iris

By Kenn | Published April 28, 2010
Iris

Irises in our back yard (photo by Kenn Stearns)

The name iris comes from the Greek word for rainbow, reflecting the many colors associated with the flowers. There are almost 300 species in the genus Iris – with names as colorful as the flowers: snake’s head, blackberry lily, and Siberian iris. The Tennessee State Flower is the Purple Iris. Several famous paintings by Vincent van Gogh featured irises. The fleur-de-lis is a stylized iris. Orris root (rhizomes of an iris variety) are used in medicine, perfume, and gin. Iris plantings are often incorporated into waste water processing efforts to improve water quality because the plants consume pollutants. We use irises at home in our back yard as ornamental plants – and they’re at times closely admired by our children.

Iris Admirer

Iris admirer (photo by Kenn Stearns)

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Photo of the Day – First Rose

By Kenn | Published March 29, 2010
First Rose

First rose (photo by Kenn Stearns)

The garden theme for Photo of the Day continues. At dawn’s early light, after dragging almost a dozen bags out to the curb for the garbage collectors, I wandered to the back yard to admire what hours of work invested over the weekend had produced. We have several rose bushes, but our first bloom is on one of the climbing plants. Low warm light from the sunrise seemed to make it glow.

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Photo of the Day – Blooms

By Kenn | Published March 28, 2010
Azalea blooms

Azelea blooms (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Springtime is my favorite time of the year in Houston. Although the annual Azalea Trail happened earlier this month without azalea blooms, they’re everywhere now. Texas wildflowers adorn the highways, especially bluebonnets. White and pink Indian hawthorns blooms are out. Everything has been brown for so long it makes the blooms all that much more appreciated.

I took the photo above a few minutes ago, trying to mix a little of the afternoon sun with the bright color of the buds. The blooms will fire off soon and be gone soon after Easter. In Chinese culture, azaleas are known as the “thinking of home bush” (xiangsi shu). No matter where I travel, when I see azaleas in bloom I always think of home.

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