Saturday's sun

[15_the_circle]

[OT from cottage renovations]

as I headed out Friday morning to a difficult and depressing day at the office, it was even harder than usual to leave the Grove with the light so clear and abundant.  this instilled in me a wish -- and resolve -- to get out into that light if it were to last into the weekend. 

it did, and I spent almost all of Saturday just walking around the Grove, seeing afresh what the light can do for the place and, consequently, what the combination can do for my own spirits. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)

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Acorn Lane

flora incognita: artificia sinofabricans?

the taxonomy of this ornamental species was elusive at best, but I was pleased with the reflection of tree and cottage in its glass marble fruit.  the plastic berries and fabric blossoms will be wanting a bit of dusting. 

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Bittersweet Cottage garden

hydrangea

we've already been touched by a couple of frosts so these hydrangea leaves won't be looking like this much longer.  but there's plenty of texture, shadow and light here, and that one stalk behind the leaf to the L can be made out both by shadow and by translucence. 

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Ridge Road

Phytolacca americana

this pokeweed stem has already set loose its fruit and seeds.  though use depleted for that purpose, it now provides a habitat for the tiny spiders whose webs can be seen against the light streaming across the field and through its structure. 

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Zoë Wadsworth Park

autumnally blooming crocus can be found in a few places around the Grove.  these clusters are near the gazebo.  others can be found near the Circle, where in a week or two a couple of the azaleas will be following a similarly syncopated cycle. 

are these plants out of season, or is it merely the floral embodiment of traditional Grove eccentricism? 

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Oak Street

there's nothing special about this plant, other than what these leaves did with the light.  I didn't need any more provocation than that. 

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upper field

multiflora rose hips


detail

multiflora rose is one of the nastier invasives around -- right up there with bamboo and kudzu.  but that doesn't keep me from falling for its shape and form.  I really should be firmer about these things. 

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I don't know this one either, but it sure does a fine job of catching afternoon sweetlight. 

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1^st Avenue

Mimosa

it can take a lot of work to keep up with the tendency of Mimosa trees to spread all over the place -- it seems one is forever pulling up seedlings.  nonetheless one can admire the luminous quality of the pods from which they disperse. 

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Chestnut Avenue

Callicarpa americana

I was alerted to these by the property owner, who kindly invited me to take these images.  getting the right sun angle entailed two trips back: one in the afternoon and another the following morning. 

the common name for this plant is American Beautyberry or Beauty Bush; the former brings to mind roses and the Grateful Dead.  the berries are wonderfully chromomorphic: lavender in sun and purple in shade. 

Comments

[neat-and-pretty.livejournal.com]

Oh I just love Callicarpa americana the Beauty Bush. I wonder if we can get it here in the UK. I will look into it :)

Helen

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

one would not expect to be able to just pop some seeds or cuttings into the mail and have them get through.  surely the attempt would raise some sort of administrative ruckus, so I hope your legitimate supplier channels can deliver. 

[nienna-nineve.livejournal.com]

I'd never heard of Beautyberries before, and now I've seen two sets of pictures of them in one week! They're quite striking. I'm amazed by the colour.

I like the detail and clarity of your pictures. You have a wonderful eye for nature.

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

thank you, it's always a pleasure to hear of somebody enjoying the images in this space, one of the quietest corners of the internet. 

[collpepper.livejournal.com]

I love the color of the Callicarpa Americana .....soooooo pretty!

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

a sunny day brings it out rather well, and I couldn't resist the temptation to play with the shadows of berry on leaf.  Callicarpa americana is an understory plant so its habitual shade means that the berries are most often seen as that dark purple. 

Light light

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, you've really brightened my day. Over cast and light rain here and no sun for a few days. Thanks for that. New kitty has a cold- snuggles up to the laptop. Need name suggestions. Photo coming soon of the grey tiger with the pumpkin colored eyes. TK

re: Light light

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

Meg showed up with a bit of a respiratory issue, but it cleared up after a couple of days of being on amoxo (dosing a kitten is so easy -- she's so distractible she forgets the indignity).  over the weekend she bonded to me and is now very appreciative of lap and purrs constantly when in, though when she also seeks in vain to nurse it's a compliment that she feels so secure but heartbreaking. 

over the weekend my long term part time housemate was in CR and IC for a meeting of a group that I haven't yet joined (but do mean to) else I would have taken the opportunity/excuse to be there.  so you got Grove images instead; I'm glad you liked them. 

fall crocus

[(Anonymous)]

George: these are, genetically and authentically, fall blooming crocus (colchicum.) Anne Haskett became enamored of the species many years ago and started some in her back yard. They continued to appear - seemingly out of nowhere - every fall. I didn't realize until Sunday that we had any that had naturalized in the Grove. Or perhaps Doc is up to his discreet ways and planted the bulbs there as a surprise for anyone passing through that area. He is responsible, as you may know, for the huge American Holly at the corner of Zoe's park (Grove and Center) and the beautiful white fir farther along Grove Road at the Locust Lane end of the park.
Thanks! Ann

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't put it past him, not for a moment. 

he is, by the way, completely responsible for the calendar project (http://www.livejournal.com/~15_the_circle/tag/calendar) and, if all goes well, the book for which it is a test bed.  but first things first: there's no point even thinking about that until the calendar happens, inshallah.