We have a section of our yard that I like to keep sort of wild just to see what will happen there. It borders our neighbor’s yard and sometimes he gets a little zealous and mows the “weeds” down. He doesn’t see the beauty in dandelions, Queen Anne’s Lace, Spring Beauty, Chickweed, and California Poppies. Well, maybe he enjoys the poppies, but it is nearly impossible to mow without cutting them all down.
I had a chance to get out there and make some close observations, capturing some of the flowers and plants before our neighbor gets back from his vacation and gets antsy to mow.
1. Blackberry vines, 2. Wildflowers Spring Beauty, 3. Wild grasses 1, 4. California Poppy, 5. Close Up Dandelion, 6. Wild grasses 2, 7. Widlflowers yellow, 8. Wildflowers blue, 9. Wild side
If you have a spot in your yard that you can let the “weeds” grow, I highly recommend taking the time to check out what you have right there in your own yard.
Amazing stuff.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Great idea! There is never a shortage of things to be journaled, but this is one I hadn’t considered. Love your blog entirely! Thanks!
I just did a post on nature journaling, showing how we created our actual journals…
http://intermissions.typepad.com/daffodil_lane/
Your post reminded me of my mother. She loved dandilions and would get upset if Dad mowed while there were any still blooming. She also had wild crocuses that bloomed without fail every spring – and one year she discovered wild Lady Slippers growing under the maple trees that surrounds their yard. Now that Mom is gone, Dad refrains from mowing part of the yard so that he can see the dandilions – and he always takes care to make sure the crocuses and lady slippers are able to survive the harsh Canadian winter we experience. Thank you for reminding me about the beauty in “weeds” – Mom always said “a weed is only something that grows where you don’t want it to grow. A rose growing in your vegetable garden can be considered a weed if you don’t want it there…But I want them to grow right where they want to grow so they aren’t weeds.”
We don’t have any wild areas in our yard, but there is a whole field of “wild area” where my daughter takes her co-op classes. There are wildflowers everywhere! I’ve been walking around enjoying both the flowers and the insects.I keep meaning to go on a photographic walk, but haven’t yet. And, though I don’t know many of the wildflowers, there are at least 2 moms who do. So, I could get their help with identification and then use a book to finish it off.
BTW, what program do you use to make those photo collages? 🙂