Saturday: an invasion of dragons?

[OT from cottage renovations]

the incidental portraiture that results from some completely different event or opportunity is always the most appealing to me. 

yesterday afternoon while I was at the periphery of the ballfield trying to capture the light through Ginkgo leaves (not illustrated) it was this vignette that caught my attention from out at the edge of vision. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)

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Woodward Park

this image takes convention and, well, stand it on its tail. 

for starters, it is obvious from first glance that this time around it is the maiden who is holding the dragon captive.  afternoon light flooding through its wings was nearly washed out in this image, but the details spring forth in her shadow.  the effect is more like that of a chameleon than a dragon though it is not unreasonable for a dragon to be expected to have mastered the same trick.  then there's the string; out of frame to the L its other end is being held by the young lady's mother. 

is this the end of the line for another convention, or just more Grove eccentricity? 

Saturday: not a sweetbriar

[OT from cottage renovations]

there are several gardens in the Grove that never fail to delight the passerby.  when I set off for a walk my path is seldom directed but it has a way of crossing these locations more often than others. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)

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Maple Avenue

 flora incognita  Anemone hupehensis

liking what I see is one thing; knowing what it is is another.  I generally try to look up the Latin binomial of any species before posting its image in this space but sometimes my botanical ignorance gets the best of me.  it can, however, be trumped by my own impatience on occasion. 

when that happens I do try to come back later with a correction so if you can bear with me for a while I'm hoping to get it right at some point. 

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[edit: as Bobbie points out it is indeed a fall blooming Anemone: Japanese thimbleweed]

Saturday: distant trees

[OT from cottage renovations]

last week there was some good news from the court with regard to the Grove's efforts to acquire the upper field as a legacy open space preserve.  or there wasn't, depending on who you ask. 

so far those whose outlook has been less favourable have been wrong more than they have been right so for the nonce I'm hoping for an outcome less bitter and more sweet.  whatever form it may take, one thing of which we can be certain is that it will happen in its own time. 

it's been a stretch for us to try to do even what we are attempting for the upper field; the lower field and the woodlands around it will be lost to highway construction and development.  the survey markers, vehicle tracks, test wells and other visible reminders all point to the same thing: the destruction of this little piece of land that has been doing quite well on its own for a long time, a time that is now running short. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)

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upper field

through this gap in the hedgerow between the upper and lower fields is the top of a treeline that gives a pleasing depth of the view.  for now. 

the upper field, if we do manage to annex it, will come to us without the hedgerow.  the trees in the distance, if I have been interpreting the maps and diagrams correctly, are on the site of a multilevel highway interchange.  concrete spans soaring through the air might thrill civil engineers, construction contractors, politicians and motorists.  but not me. 

Saturday: perimeter path

[OT from cottage renovations]

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)

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lower field

there's a trick of perspective here: from where this image was taken the path goes down and around the field even though it would appear to be heading upwards. 

Saturday: catch the show

[OT from cottage renovations]

there's a tumbling profusion of these yellow blooms along the NE edge of the lower field. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)

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lower field

( ..+2.. )

Bidens aristosa

the Latin name is so much more uplifting that the common tickseed beggar-tick or bearded beggartick.  they can be found anywhere E of the Rockies except Florida, Rhode Island and Vermont so perhaps this is No Big Deal but in yesterday afternoon's light they seemed to be adding a tremendous splash of colour to the scene. 

so other than the visual appeal, what good are they?  the Agriculture Dept doesn't seem to think much of their potential:

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

but elsewhere they are said to be favoured by beekeepers for producing a dark honey.  I guess that doesn't count.