Re-post: My favorite dragonfly photos

I photographed these two Blue Dasher dragonflies at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia, this time last year. These were both photographed in natural light without fill flash. You’ll get your best shots (of almost any subject, but insects in particular) on an overcast day.

Check out Eric Isley’s article, Dragonfly Photography 101, for great tips on capturing these beautiful insects, as well as David Westover’s (very detailed!) article on How to Photograph Dragonflies with Flash.

Today I discovered 5 min Life Videopedia, which features short videos on all sorts of topics. Check out this informative one posted by Go Wild TV on photographing dragonflies (love the photographer’s accent, too!).

Click here for a list of 326 short photography how-to films on 5 min Life Videopedia.

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I’m overdue for a field trip to Lewis Ginter (just about 1-1/2 hours away). I haven’t been there since April. Their Butterflies LIVE! exhibit is open (until October 11), so I’m sure that will be ripe with photographic subjects. Then again, I think the lotus blossoms are starting to do their thing at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (less than 30 minutes away). Decisions, decisions, decisions!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

See more of my photographs from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden below:

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/spring-blooms-at-lewis-ginter-botanical-garden/

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/glorious-day-at-lewis-ginter

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2007/09/12/how-can-something-this-beautiful/

Re-post: One of my favorite macros

Since I haven’t seen any praying mantis in my garden this season, I thought I’d go through my archives and look at past macros of this fascinating insect. I posted this photo much smaller in size and part of a collage in 2007 when I began this blog. To see the collage of various praying mantis in my garden, click here. This is one of my favorite shots because of the stark contrast of the bright green mantis against the purple potato vine.

I punched up the color a bit more true-to-life than the original posting, which upon revisiting I’ve noticed the color was a little flat. With improved Photoshop skills and the Pantone Color Huey calibrating my monitor, my color correction is more spot-on than. It’s a reasonably priced instrument (it’s now just $65.21—I got mine for about $80 at the time at Amazon here). I highly recommend it if you’re having problems with color from your monitor to print! My Costco prints are much closer to what I see on my monitor now. I’ve had great results with it and it’s very easy to use. It prompts you to recalibrate your monitor approximately every two weeks.

The Praying Mantis by Ogden Nash

From whence arrived the praying mantis?
From outer space, or lost Atlantis?
glimpse the grin, green metal mug
at masks the pseudo-saintly bug,
Orthopterous, also carnivorous,
And faintly whisper, Lord deliver us.

Photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Partake as doth the Bee

Partake as doth the Bee,
Abstemiously.
The Rose is an Estate—
In Sicily.

—Emily Dickinson

Photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Truly a thing of beauty…

Go. Quickly. Check out this living work of art on Flora’s Blog. Wish I had a wall. Wish I was in a gardening zone that would be conducive to growing this.

UPDATE: Wish I hadn’t gone out to weed my garden just now. I glanced over at the faux birdhouse that I’ve been “allowing” some unidentified hornet/wasp thingie to inhabit (nature lover that I am, I’m regretting that decision at this very moment). I watched as one adult, then another, then another (7 total) flew in to join the first one. I kept my distance, fascinated yet alarmed at the nest they were finalizing inside the entrance. Just as I was finishing up, minding my own business, I apparently stepped straight into the flight path of one of their relatives. I didn’t see him, but I realized something bumped me as I walked by. He flew into the faux birdhouse. Just a few seconds later I felt a sharp sting in my posterior! Then my attacker called for reinforcements and I was chased (screaming like a little girl) into the house. One followed me just inside the door (with two others in hot pursuit). I let out a series of short guttural moans—unnhhhhh unnhhhhh unnhhhhh unnhhhhh. My two cats (who were happily basking in the afternoon light by the patio doors) ran off in all directions, ears back and eyes as big as saucers. I grabbed some envelopes and swatted them out (the hornets, not the cats). Sure hope I got them (the hornets, not the cats). Now I’m indoors (with a sore hiney) looking at six large plastic envelopes strewn over the patio. Hornets 1, Cindy 0.

This link here shows what my attacker looks like (or pretty close—I’m afraid to go back out to confirm identification for fear they’ll recognize me!)

Lacecap Hydrangea

Hydrangea macrophylla normalis — Lacecap Hydrangea photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

Click here for an excellent site on various hydrangea varieties and tips on planting, fertilizing, pruning, propagating and drying.

THIS JUST IN: I just checked out my blogging buddy Phillip’s blog, Dirt Therapy, and he has posted an amazing variety of hydrangeas growing in his garden in Florence, Alabama. Go check them out!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bright Eyes Phlox

Aptly named Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’ — photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In bloom at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Check out my first paid blogging assignment!

A few weeks ago I wrote an article titled, “Got the Blues?” for Bloomin’ Blog, an online florist’s newsletter. All the photos, excluding the poppy image, are mine as well. The link to my newsletter contribution is below:

http://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/got-the-blues

Special thanks to Jamie, editor and webmaster of the Bloomin’ Blog, for contacting me and being such a pleasure to work with. The site, www.flowershopnetwork.com is an oline florists directory that produces the newsletter. I’m planning on submitting articles on event photography for their sister company, Wedding and Party Network.

Requiem for a baby robin

Not too long ago, a mama robin fashioned a beautiful nest at the top of the gazebo outside my office door. From my chair in front of the computer I could watch her come and go. I wasn’t sure if she was sitting on unhatched eggs or already mothering a hatched baby. Early this morning, after she left for her morning food gathering mission (I assume), I tapped on the gazebo and heard some faint chirping. I pulled out the ladder and climbed up to get a peek (camera in hand, of course). The gazebo has a grapevine growing over it and the area she had built the nest is well hidden by branches and leaves. We also put up one of those light nets that you put over bushes at Christmas so we could have mood lighting during parties. I wasn’t able to get up high enough to look down on the nest, so I just slipped my lens through the net, put the camera over my head, pointed it in the general direction, and snapped away. I got this not-that-great photo of her solitary sweet baby this morning.

About an hour ago, while we were watching a movie, Michael heard a bird chirping loudly and since birds don’t normally make much noise at night, we knew something was dreadfully wrong. Had the baby fallen out of the nest? Had Indie, a neighborhood cat, come into the yard and seen the baby? We ran downstairs, turned on the porch light and watched the mama bird hopping from branch to branch under the gazebo, chirping away. As soon as we opened the door, mama flew to the fence. We looked on the ground; no fallen baby. I looked up—and gasped—was that the curvy outline of a SNAKE? Yes, it was. I hollered to Michael. He went to grab a flashlight and grabbed the (black) snake by the head and pulled it out of the nest, banishing it (unharmed) to the woods nearby. Had we known the baby was already gone, I would have taken the dead bird and the snake out to the woods. I’m not a big fan of snakes, but I would never kill one (unless it was attacking me, that is) and I always discourage my snake-fearing friends from doing just that when they encounter one. I respect them but really…go feast on something else…and not in my yard!

I climbed the ladder to see if the baby was still alive. It was too late. I pulled its still warm but lifeless body out of the nest and started crying. Michael came back and we gave the baby bird a proper burial in the garden. Just 12 hours ago I was photographing an almost-ready-to-leave-the-nest baby and now we were burying it in our garden. I realize snakes need to survive, too, but it’s just such a sad thing to witness so soon after photographing it. Of course, when you build a paradise in your backyard, you’re bound to attract all sorts of wildlife, including the predators. I wish I had a better photograph to honor this sweet baby who lived such a short life. A short life, long remembered.

Speaking of snakes…a few years ago Michael was driving home through our neighborhood and noticed a U.S. postal truck that had stopped in the middle of the road. There was a group of kids on a nearby curb watching our postman beating the crap out of a harmless black snake! Michael gave him a lecture about black snakes and promptly rescued it, taking it to the woods to release it (although I’m sure it didn’t survive the postman’s wrath). The snake was simply slithering into the woods (as snakes are inclined to do) and the postman turned into animal control. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Michael came home from work, then walked across the parking lot to get the mail from the communal post box. The mailman came running over, shouting “do you have a shovel?!” Michael asked him, “what in the world do you need a shovel for?” He said, “there’s a snake over there and I ran over him a couple of times with the truck but he’s still not dead!” Michael walked over and looked at the snake. Once again, it was a harmless black snake. And guess what? It was the same damn postman, too. When Michael came back in to the house, he told me what had transpired. He was mad, which in turn made me mad. I called the local post office to register a complaint. The man who answered said he would be the one to report to, so I told him both stories. I gave him our address so he was able to pinpoint exactly which mailman I reporting. He said, “that is so not his responsibility nor his job. Plus, doesn’t he know that snakes keep the rat population down?” He apologized for the man’s behavior and said he would speak to him about the incidents.

Obviously Michael is the calm one in this relationship. It’s a good thing I didn’t encounter the postman either time!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Aw, I want one!

After the Hearing Loss Association of America Convention was over (click here for details), we headed toward Huntsville to visit our friend Sue. We wanted to show my sister the nearby towns of Franklin and Leipers Fork en route and we just had to stop to photograph this adorable baby donkey. He (she?) came right up to us to get some attention. I shot the image of Michael petting it to show you how small this little guy was.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

A few more butterflies

…from the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory

While in Key West, we visited the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory before we met up with the Muchemore family for the big event—Chantell and Austin’s wedding. If you want to see the wedding photos I shot, click any of the links below:

Weekend in Key West!

Much more of the Muchemores

Muchemore redux

Chantell and Austin on the pier

Yes, another wedding photo…

This conservatory is definitely one of our favorites now! As you walk around the winding pathway through the conservatory, you’ll hear classical music playing. Not only are there 60+ species of butterflies, they also have an array of exotic birds, tropical plants and a koi pond. Ever notice that most butterfly conservatories are hot and humid? That’s the case here, except for the strategically placed cool air tubes throughout the conservatory—these are to help cool the air for the birds. We humans appreciated that touch on a hot Florida day, too! There’s also a Learning Center and a wonderful gift shop. Founders Sam Trophia and George Fernandez established the Conservatory and the Trophia Butterfly Foundation in January 2003. Read more about Sam Trophia in this article on www.SunSentinel.com.

I photographed a plethora of butterflies at the Wings of Fancy exhibit at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland last year. If you fancy butterflies, click here and here to see those photos. I often find butterfly subjects to photograph in our garden—check out the Monarchs I photographed last fall here. Last year I designed a Monarch Butterfly Habitat poster for my friend Mary Ellen Ryall of Happy Tonics in Shell Lake, Wisconsin.

I have no idea what kind of butterfly this is below, but it’s a beauty, isn’t it? I made a half-hearted attempt to identify it for you but it’s late and I need some shut-eye (it may surprise some of you, but yes, I do sometimes sleep).

As my father often writes on his blog www.thekingoftexas.wordpress.com, “I’ll get back to you later with more details.”

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Amazing tree in downtown Key West

I’m fairly certain that a Ficus aurea, or strangler fig, has taken over this tree (or group of trees) in downtown Key West. I did some research online and learned that they are common throughout the Caribbean and tropical Americas. You’ll find excellent and very detailed information about strangler figs with illustrative photos on this site: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ploct99.htm

In the first photo, Michael serves as my scale reference. Doesn’t the second photo look like a scene out of a Harry Potter movie? If I have misidentified this unusual tree, enlighten me!

THIS JUST IN…Artist Val Webb posted this comment:

“It has been many years since I visited Key West, but I seem to recall that the tree in question is a banyan tree. There is a large one on the Thomas Edison property there.”

I looked up “banyan tree” and learned that a banyan is a fig tree that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree. The seeds germinate and send down roots toward the ground, and may envelope part of the host tree…giving them the name of “strangler fig.” So apparently banyan is another name for it. Thanks for the input, Val!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

AHS 2009 Great American Gardeners Awards

Last Thursday night I photographed the American Horticultural Society’s 2009 Great American Gardeners Awards dinner, hosted by AHS at their River Farm headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. For some strange reason, I couldn’t get the layout and photos to copy intact to this blog, so I’m giving you a link below to the main blog instead.

I was particularly excited to meet Amy Goldman, author of The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table: Recipes, Portraits, and History of the World’s Most Beautiful Fruit, as well as two other beautiful books. The Heirloom Tomato won a book award this year.

Check out the photos and write-up on the award winners on my main blog:

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/ahs-great-american-gardener-awards/

Contest reminder…just 24 more days!

Previously posted on May 22

Wanna help me pare down my notecard inventory?
I would love to hear from fellow gardeners who have the same modus operandi as I have when it comes to squeezing in just one more plant…or tell your tale about an incorrectly labeled plant, your greatest plant bargain ever, how you handled an overload of tomatoes (or squash, etc.), or when you realized you were a “gardener obsessed.” Perhaps you have had a humorous (or not so) encounter with a garden critter or a run-in with poison ivy or a hike that recharged your batteries. Tell me about your favorite garden or nature experience. Tell me what your garden means to you. Did gardening change your life, improve your health, wreck a relationship, forge a friendship, clean out your wallet or save your sanity?

Vanna, show them what they could win…
The top five winning contributors will be published on this blog and will also receive a free package of my Polaroid transfer notecards (4-color images printed on cream speckled card stock with contrasting seafoam blue green speckled envelopes—all on recycled paper—and each card is signed). There are 12 different images (see collage below): carousel horse, Canadian maple leaf, sunrise at Cape May, Monument Valley, red rose, tulips, Cape May seagulls, Saguaro cactus, kids on the beach, cactus blooms, Camilla’s lace dress and Canyon de Chelly.

Odds of winning are infinitely better than the lottery! You may submit up to five stories and there is no cap on the length (although any entries venturing close to War and Peace heft will be severely edited for publication). Entries will be judged by a panel of my fellow gardeners and authors (all of whom will be compensated—in the form of notecards). Entries will be judged on creativeness, resourcefulness, originality, and empathy/sympathy/laugh/tear-jerk factor. You retain all rights to the stories (and photographs, if included) you submit.

Please e-mail entries to me at dyerdesign@aol.com. Be sure to put “Notecard Contest” in your subject line and include your name and mailing address in the e-mail. Deadline: June 30, 2009

Read more about the Polaroid transfer process and my notecard venture on a previous posting here.

Cards are also available for purchase (in packages of 6, 12, or singles). Inquire within!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

What 20 bucks will get ya in Key West

(Delicious bruschetta not included) While eating dinner at Caroline’s on Duval Street on Saturday night, we watched a cockatoo dancing in time to reggae music on a nearby bench. The bird is on exhibit at Jungle Greg’s Rescued Animals booth in downtown Key West. A sign lists prices at $10 for each animal for photographs. He also had various birds and two large snakes on display. So Jungle Greg must have been feeling pretty good that night because he attached four birds to Michael for just $20 so I could get this shot. Whatta deal! The money goes to his rescue projects (at least that’s what the sign purports; the animals on display aren’t rescues). I did observe that the animals were far more lively and conversational than the proprietors. But $20 isn’t too bad considering he usually charges $30 (plus tax) to shoot a photo for you and that gets you one 4×6. As we were leaving, two twenty-somethings came up and said, “we’re scared to death of birds, but can we get a photo of the python wrapped around our necks?”

Coming soon: See how fast you can part with $35 in 15 minutes in the tropics!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Cloudspotting: spinal column

Key West sky photographed Tuesday, June 2, during a dolphin-watching tour

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Here lizard, lizard, lizard

Every time I hear the word lizard, I think of that Taco Bell dog commercial shown here.

On Sunday, Michael and I visited the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, the only “frost-free” botanical garden in the continental U.S. The garden showcases flora native to South Florida, Cuba and the Caribbean and emphasizes cultivation of threatened and endangered species of the Florida Keys. This “biodiversity hotspot” is home to many species of plants and animals. Common animals includes box turtles, Green iguanas (one greeted us in the parking lot), Mangrove Skipper Butterflies (which I saw and photographed), and various turtles, crocodiles, birds and snakes. And there were lizards virtually everywhere…on the walkways, benches and in trees. I saw at least six different species, three of which are in the collage below. There were so many that as I was photographing one lizard, another would crawl into the frame or run past my subject! And I had to look closely to be able to spot them—they were so well camouflaged. More photos to come…

Why were we in Key West this weekend? Click here to find out!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

It’s a jungle out there

Shot of our front yard garden taken this afternoon…

Just past bloom: White & purple Bearded Iris and Purple Sensation Allium 

Debuting now: Beard’s Tongue, Catmint, Veronica Speedwell, Creeping Thyme, Sweet William, Penstemon, Rose Campion (blush pink-white and bright pink varieties), Hellebores, Sedum, Yellow Yarrow, Nasturtium, White Dianthus, Pink Phlox, Hosta flowers, Ageratum, Evening Primrose ’Lemon Drop’, Strawflower, Geraniums 

Very-soon-to-bloom: Globe Thistle, Lavender (various), Coreopsis, Tickseed, Lilies (various) and Salvia

And later in the season: Butterfly bush (pink, yellow, purple varieties), Coneflower (various varieties)

Platycodon Balloon Flower (purple and white varieties), Shasta Daisies, Black-eyed Susan, Monarda Bee Balm, Lamb’s Ear, Morning Glory ‘Heavenly Blue’, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Maximilian sunflower

Ha! And this is just the list of plants in the front yard. Proof enough that I’m a gardener obsessed.

Got a question for my fellow gardeners…what is the weed (looks a lot like the tops of celery plants or almost cilantro-looking leaf) that is taking over my entire garden in spades? Why have I not noticed this prolific pest in previous years? Is it a new invasive? Do I need to photograph it for identification?
  
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

My Kenilworth bounty

The previous posting about Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens prompted me to look through my photo archives. I’ve been to Kenilworth three summers in a row (and 100% sure I will do so again this summer). While I have posted on my trips to the gardens, I didn’t gather all of them into one collage until now.

If you’re in the D.C./Virginia/Maryland area, be sure to visit the gardens, particularly in July. The main attractions are obviously the lotus blossoms, which bloom during the truly hottest time in our area (sigh), but I’m sure there are water lilies in bloom throughout the summer.

You can view my previous posts on Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens by clicking on the links below:

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2008/07/20/kenilworth-park-and-aquatic-gardens/

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/kenilworth-gardens-7222007/ 

What a muse that place is!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

A Wilson Bridge Too Far

Last Thursday I accompanied my friend Jeff to an office complex in Fairfax where five of his floral images are on display as part of the office decor. The woman in the top left photo with Jeff (below) is Sylvia Zuniga, who purchased the prints for the Fairfax Intelligent Office location.

The poppies were photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia, and the lotus blossom was photographed at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

A few weeks ago Jeff shared an essay with me that he had written to accompany his photos for his entry in the Nature’s Best magazine photography contest last year. The essay was about one of our field trips to photograph the lotus blossoms at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. I’m sharing his essay here, along with a photo I shot of him in the garden.

A Wilson Bridge Too Far by Jeff Evans

The Plan: A Sunday morning trip to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C. to photograph the sacred lotus, which is found in large numbers in the ponds of the gardens, not to mention dragonflies, butterflies, and other insects drawn by the water and plants such as milkweed which surround the ponds. Maybe even photograph a water lily or two. An early start would allow us to beat the crowd and have good light.

The co-conspirator: Cindy Dyer, good friend, head of the neighborhood garden club (fondly dubbed Head Weed), and excellent photographer.

The Route: Easy enough—the Beltway from Springfield across the Wilson Bridge to 295 to Douglas to Anacostia Avenue to the park. Easy-peasy. And early on a Sunday there would no reason to expect much traffic.

But this day…this day fate would not be a kind mistress. This day she would reveal the capricious nature of her temperament, the kind of day where she seems to channel the spirit of Ghengis Khan…and Conan, and acts as if the greatest joy in life is to crush her enemies, to see them fall at her feet—to take their horses and goods and hear the lamentation of their women. And this day we were the enemy. Woe unto us.

Because you see, the Wilson Bridge was scheduled for an opening that morning. And not just any opening, but an opening for a ship no doubt named “Slow As Molasses On a Cold Day.” We sat on that bridge, on the bridge mind you because of how close we had been to making it across, for at least 45 minutes, as the sun moved higher in the sky, and the light grew harsher. Woe onto us.

And then, safely parked in the parking lot at the park, I hear myself saying, “you know, the breeze feels really nice.” Doh. Double Doh. You appreciate the power of even a light breeze on photography when faced with flowers and leaves big enough to seem to want to act as living kites and float away into the sky, that seem to want to dance like teenage girls at a Ricky Martin concert. Oh, the gnashing of the teeth and the cursing of the Powers That Be. Woe unto us.

But hey, you play the cards dealt you right? And I had brought a secret weapon, an artifact so powerful that it might transcend the fickle will of Fate. A light, white, plastic artifact that puzzled some and earned startled exclamations of appreciations from others. A step stool, about three feet tall, to maybe help me get a little better perspective on both lotus and lily. Tall folks looked at me like puzzled dogs hearing a high-pitched noise. But short people knew. They understood. And thus armed, the battle was joined.

I don’t know if I won the war, but I at least won a skirmish or two. Got a punch in here or there. They’re there, on the enclosed CDs, in high-def and low-def. Take a look and know–-I fought the good fight. Thanks for your time and consideration.

Jeff “Blood and Guts” Evans

Photos © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Water like satin

Sunset begins at Lake Land ‘Or © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

The Lake. To — by Edgar Allan Poe (1827)

In spring of youth it was my lot
To haunt of the wide world a spot
The which I could not love the less—
So lovely was the loneliness
Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,
And the tall pines that towered around.

But when the Night had thrown her pall
Upon that spot, as upon all,
And the mystic wind went by
Murmuring in melody—
Then, ah then I would awake
To the terror of the lone lake.

Yet that terror was not fright,
But a tremendous delight—
A feeling not the jewelled mine
Could teach or bribe me to define—
Nor Love—although the Love were thine.

Death was in that poisonous wave,
And in its gulf a fitting grave
For him who thence could solace bring
To his lone imagining—
Whose solitary soul could make
An Eden of that dim lake.

I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky

Excerpts from “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver (my lifelong crush)

I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky
The shadows from the starlight are softer than a lullaby.
Rocky Mountain High…in Colorado
Rocky Mountain High.

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below,
saw everything as far as you can see.
And they say that he got crazy once and that he
tried to touch the sun,
and he lost a friend, but kept the memory.
Now he walks in quiet solitude, the forest and the stream,
seeking grace in every step he takes,
his sight is turned inside himself, to try and
understand, the serenity of a clear blue mountain lake.

Photos of Lake Land ‘Or © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Cotton candy

Another view of sunset from a canoe on Lake Land ‘Or, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Stairway to heaven

Late Saturday afternoon Michael and I drove down to join Karen and Joe at their lake house in Lake Land ‘Or. Just before sunset, Joe took me out in their canoe across the entire lake and pointed out these unusual stair-stepped clouds on our return trip. I finally learned how to paddle a canoe (thanks to Joe’s excellent mentoring) without going around in circles. Yay to me!

Thanks to The Cloud Appreciation Society, I think this cloud formation is an “altocumulus undulatus.”

I’m also experimenting with my new software program, Noise Ninja (doncha love that name?). Noise Ninja, available for both PCs and Macs, removes noise and grain, and is particularly effective with low-light situations (such as this one). Take a look at their before-and-after samples here. Pretty impressive. You can get the program e-mailed to you for as low as $44.95 (this home bundle license includes the Photoshop/Photo Elements plug-ins as well as the stand-alone program) here. I’ll play with some of my own low-light, high-noise examples and report my findings.

More weekend adventures to come…

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

So that’s what happens to our strawberries…

Several years ago, while in Sequim, Washington, we bought some strawberry plants from a local farmer. We planted them in a raised bed that Michael built just outside a window next to my main computer. From this vantage point, I can see Indy, the neighborhood cat, on the roof of the shed when he comes to pay a visit. And, from time to time, the occasional squirrel runs across it to points unknown. This spring, a mama squirrel has taken residence in the shed (after chewing a bit of wood away to get into it), and I see her go back and forth to her nest. Late yesterday afternoon I glanced up as a squirrel (not mama, perhaps papa?) was intently surveying the (always unproductive) strawberry bed below. I knew there was one almost-ripe strawberry available and I was fairly certain that’s what this squirrel had seen, too. I happened to have my camera at the ready and got these shots—from the squirrel’s roof dive, to rooting for the prized strawberry, to that first delicious bite, to sensing he was being watched, to running off (but not too far) with his little ruby red loot. Not the best photos shot through the window, but it was a slice of life captured in time.

When I told Michael about it, he asked why I didn’t run it off. After three years of this plant producing not even a dozen strawberries each year, I told him that we weren’t going to be strawberry farmers. He now thinks the reason we don’t have a greater yield is because of the antics of squirrels. Doesn’t he know strawberries come from Safeway?

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Tell me a story, win a freebie!

I would love to hear from fellow gardeners who have the same modus operandi as I have when it comes to squeezing in just one more plant…or tell your tale about an incorrectly labeled plant, your greatest plant bargain ever, how you handled an overload of tomatoes (or squash, etc.), or when you realized you were a “gardener obsessed.” Perhaps you have had a humorous (or not so) encounter with a garden critter or a run-in with poison ivy. Tell me about your favorite garden or nature experience. Tell me what your garden means to you. Did gardening change your life, improve your health, wreck your relationship, forge a friendship, clean out your wallet or save your sanity?

Vanna, show them what they could win…
The top five winning contributors will be published on this blog and will also receive a free package of my Polaroid transfer notecards (4-color images printed on cream speckled card stock with contrasting seafoam blue green speckled envelopes—all on recycled paper—and each card is signed). There are 12 different images (see collage below): carousel horse, Canadian maple leaf, sunrise at Cape May, Monument Valley, red rose, tulips, Cape May seagulls, Saguaro cactus, kids on the beach, cactus blooms, Camilla’s lace dress and Canyon de Chelly.

Odds of winning are infinitely better than the lottery!
You may submit up to five stories and there is no cap on the length (although any entries venturing close to War and Peace heft will be severely edited for publication). Entries will be judged by a panel of my fellow gardeners and authors (all of whom will be compensated—in the form of notecards). Entries will be judged on creativeness, resourcefulness, originality, and empathy/sympathy/laugh/tear-jerk factor. You retain all rights to the stories (and photographs, if included) you submit.

Please e-mail entries to me at dyerdesign@aol.com. Be sure to put “Notecard Contest” in your subject line and include your name and mailing address in the e-mail. Deadline: June 30, 2009

Read more about the Polaroid transfer process and my notecard venture on a previous posting here.

Cards are also available for purchase (in packages of 6, 12, or singles). Inquire within!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

10 for 10

About a half hour before the Green Spring Gardens plant sale was to close this past Saturday, the Virginia Master Gardeners booth started hawking all of their plants as “ten for $10.” Yep…some of the same plants I had purchased about two hours earlier for $5+, much to my chagrin. Reasonable prices before, yes, but at $1 each—what gardener in their right mind would possibly pass on that offer? Never mind if we’ve run out of space in our gardens—they’re a dollar! Just a dollar! We’ve discovered that some of the vendors do that each year so they don’t have to drag all the unsold items back to wherever they originated…and I am only too happy to help them lighten their load.

My 10-for-10 purchases included:

Oenothera Lemon Drop, common name ‘Evening Primrose’—a low-maintenance, herbaceous perennial that blooms in full sun from June-September. This perennial is tough, tolerates poor soil, and loves the sun. Bright yellow blooms all summer. Deadheading is not necessary, it’s drought and heat tolerant and grows 8-12″ tall. It can also be grown in containers, where it will trail over the sides. And of course I already have some of these in my front yard garden, courtesy of our friend Micheline, who shared them with us when she downsized houses a few years ago. There was a large bank of these cheery flower blooming profusely in her backyard garden. Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder.

One sorta sad-looking (had to rescue it, though) Japanese Aneomone or Windflower (Anemone hupehensis)–-the tag indicates the flowers will be pinkish/mauve, so this might be the variety ‘September Charm.’ This perennial plant bears poppy-like flowers in September and October. The plants reach a height of four to five feet with each flower having five or more petal-like sepals that enclose the golden stamens. The leaves turn wine-red in autumn. Wish this plant luck—it will need it! Photo © Cindy Dyer.

Two White Wood Asters (Aster divaricatus)—also known as ‘Eastern Star’—perennial herbaceous native to the eastern U.S. Grows 1-3 feet high with 3/4 to 1-inch white ray flowers that bloom profusely from August to September. The center of each flat-top flower starts yellow then ages to a reddish purple hue. The leaves are heart-shaped, stalked and sharply-toothed. White Wood Asters grow in part shade to full shade, are low-growing and low maintenance, and attract butterflies. They thrive in dry shade but become lush in moist soil. Cut hard at least once in spring to set the foliage back. Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder.

Viola striata (other common names: Striped cream violet, Common white violet, Pale violet, Striped violet)—native perennial herb blooms white and purple flowers April through June. Requires part shade and moist, loamy soil. This plant spreads through its rhizomes. Flowers attract bee flies, butterflies (particularly caterpillars of Fritillary butterflies and several species of moths) and skippers. Seeds are eaten by mourning doves, wild turkeys, mice, and rabbits.

I should be punished for purchasing another Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani). I bought the same plant four years ago because I thought it would be perfect at the bottom of the steps of our front porch. The plant label purported, “cheery little yellow flowers on 4 ft. stems.” Four feet tall—nice size for the front entrance, right? By the end of the summer, visitors were asking us if we were growing corn in the front yard. We measured it and the tallest stalk was about 12 feet high! I just did some research and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center site claims they grow 3-10 ft. high. What kind of wild range is that? (Imagine this scenario: Officer: Ma’am, how tall was the man who stole your wheelbarrow? Me: Ummm…he was three feet tall….then again, he might have been ten feet tall. I can’t be certain!) The plant grows Jack-in-the-Beanstalk high and then very late in the summer it sprays forth masses of miniature (2-3 inches across) yellow sunflowers that are at their most beautiful when they sway against a cornflower blue sky. And if I really want to get some good closeup shots of the blooms, I have to drag out the tall ladder to do so! Did I need another of these plants? No. But it was only a buck! Anyone have room in their garden for it? Photo © Cindy Dyer.

Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro)—Clump-forming herbaceous perennial with coarse, prickly leaves (and how!) with 1-2 ball-shaped silvery-lavender-blue or dark blue flowerheads blooming in early to late summer on rigid branching stems 24-48 inches tall. These beautiful ornamentals grow best in full sun to mostly sunny areas, attract bees and butterflies, are good for cut flowers (and dried bouquets as well), will tolerate the heat and are deer resistant. And yes, I already have one—it’s about three years old and is the size of a small shrub already. I expect a plethora of blooms this season. Photo © Cindy Dyer.

Snow-on-the-Mountain (Euphorbia marginata)—I photographed this beautiful annual plant at Green Spring Gardens last year and posted the images on my blog here. A member of the spurge family, it flowers in the summer. Reaching 18-24 inches high, it requires sun to partial shade, and will attracts a plethora of butterflies, moths, bees, wasps and other insects—a veritable photographic smorgasbord! Now I’ll have one of my very own…once I find a place to plant it, that is. Folks, it was just a dollar, remember? Photo © Cindy Dyer.

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)—This tough native is deer-resistant and provides food for larval butterflies. Clusters of sweet-scented white flowers appear on 1-2 foot stalks in June and July. Whorled milkweed can be found in prairies, pastures, open woods and by the roadside. Learn more about attracting Monarch butterflies to your garden (and purchase milkweed seeds, too) at www.happytonics.org, owned by my friend, Mary Ellen Ryall.

‘Ostfriesland’ Salvia (Salvia nemorosa)—also known as Violet Sage, Ornamental Meadow Sage, Perennial Woodland Sage—this sun-loving herbaceous perennial grows 12-18 inches high with fragrant violet-blue flowers blooming from summer to autumn. Attractive to bees, butterflies and birds, and deer resistant. I couldn’t find this version in my files or a suitable one to reprint, so I’m showing a similar salvia I photographed at Butchart Gardens. Photo © Cindy Dyer

Dahlias, dahling

This was one of my (many) acquisitions purchased at the big Green Spring Gardens annual plant sale this past Saturday—a very showy Karma Fuchsiana dahlia. The blooms are the most unusual intense shade of dark pink and orange—-the graduated colors of a tropical sunset—not easy to capture in a photo. In the second photo, you’ll see a little visitor—identification unknown.

I read online that Karma dahlias were bred specifically for the cut flower market because they have nice stems, hold up well in bouquets, and yield lots of flowers.

Speaking of the cut flower market, author Amy Stewart wrote the intriguing book, Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers, published in 2007. My friend Regina and I attended a Flower Confidential book lecture by Stewart at the U.S. Botanic Garden two years ago. Flower Confidential takes you inside the flower trade—from hybridizers to growers to auction houses to florists around the world. It’s a fascinating read about the path cut flowers must take from seed/bulb to vase.

I’ve also read two of Amy’s other books, starting with her first one—From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Year Garden, followed by her second book—The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms. All three books are worth checking out! Learn more about Amy Stewart on her Web site here.

I was so astounded by the number of different dahlias in bloom at Butchart Gardens last fall that I spent an hour just photographing the dahlia border! You’ll find that posting and accompanying photos here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Dirt, Digging, Daffodils, Dividing, Dousing and a Dose of D

Exactly a week ago today, Tom, Bill and Michael and I removed all of the daffodils from our community front entrance sign so that the newly planted nandina shrubs could survive. I personally wouldn’t have had the landscape company plant the nandinas in the first place because the daffodils were there first. They obviously didn’t look to see what else was already in the bed when they planned this less-than-stellar bed makeover.

What do most landscapers do in this case? Toss them away! What?!?!? Most certainly not on my watch! I just can’t bear to see healthy plants tossed out like that. I’m the head of our grounds committee (volunteer, of course), so with the help of these three very fine gentlemen, we transplanted every single daffodil into two common area beds. I tied off and divided them from huge clumps down to about 3-4 tiny bulbs per hole. By my count, we planted nearly 200 clumps—well over 500 individuals bulbs were relocated! The fellas did 95% of the removal and hole digging (it would take me forever with a shovel). I did the design/planning, dividing every clump into more manageable groups, some hand digging, and a lot of the planting.

I hadn’t actually gone up earlier to see just how many daffodils there were in the bed, so I was a little surprised that my declaration of, “it should only take about an hour with the four of us,” turned into almost five hours of work! The forecast called for rain that evening and over the following weekend, so our new transplants had a chance to settle in nicely.

RECAP #1, WED, MAY 13: gabbed with the guys, saved the nandinas, saved hundreds of daffodils, saved the homeowner association money, beautified two other beds that needed some oomph, divided some existing daylilies to give them room to spread, relocated a slew of worms (better soil than we had expected!), and soaked in some much-needed Vitamin D.

RECAP #2, WED., MAY 20: Just this afternoon, Tom and I doused both beds by hand (mostly because there is no rain in forecast for the next few days), hauling four 5-gallon buckets in his truck up the street. I’m crossing my fingers they survive the transplant shock. If they do survive, I’ll post a recap and photos of them in bloom next spring!

RECAP #3, THURS., MAY 21: Today Michael and Tom hauled free leaf mulch from the local mulch pile over to the area and watered for a second time. Thanks, guys!

© Cindy Dyer. All right reserved.

‘Osprey’ Spiderwort

This is a new Virginia Spiderwort cultivar—’Osprey’ (Tradescantia x andersoniana ‘Osprey’), photographed at Green Spring Gardens yesterday. You can order it from Bluestone Perennials. Their website states that after shearing the plants to the ground in midsummer, new foliage and flowers will return again in the fall. How’s that for a repeat performance? They’re half price on their website now!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blue False Indigo

Although it wasn’t identified with a plant marker at Green Spring Gardens, I’m pretty sure this is a Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis). This herbaceous perennial in the pea family grows 3-4 feet tall and features purple, lupine-like flowers blooming in spring. Its common name refers to the use of this plant by early Americans as a (lesser) substitute for true Indigo in making blue dyes.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded Iris

I just love the unusual color combination of this (unidentified) Bearded Iris. Now if there had only been a hoverfly, honeybee, spider or ant at the edge of the extended petal…maybe next time!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Oriental Poppy ‘Turkenlouis’

Oriental Poppy (Papaver Orientale), Green Spring Gardens—I think this might be Oriental Poppy ‘Turkenlouis’—a new hybrid Poppy. It was a bit windy this afternoon at the garden, so I had to be pretty patient with the breezes—the fringed petals of this beautiful scarlet flower kept swaying back and forth. This was one of my favorite shots because of the intense red hue against the bright green leaves and the stopped movement.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blue-Eyed Grass

Photographed this afternoon at Green Spring Gardens—Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is actually not a true grass, but a member of the Iris family, closely related to the Wild Iris or Blue Flag. The plant is also known as Star Grass because of the shape of the flowers. Blue-Eyed Grass, a native perennial, grows across the prairies and open meadows. They grow just 4-12″ tall and the leaves are about 1/4″ wide. The flowers are incredibly tiny—barely 1/2″ in diameter!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Love-in-a-mist

I photographed this beautiful Love-in-a-mist at Green Spring Gardens this afternoon. Michael and I got up bright and early this morning to check out the annual plant sale at Green Spring Gardens. We got back about noon-ish and then left again with my friend Regina back to the park. The morning excursion was reserved for plant-buying for me (recap to come) and this afternoon jaunt was simply to photograph the latest flowers in bloom. I wrote a post about Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) last May here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Indy on the roof

My morning (and frequent) visitor—Indy, a sweet neighborhood cat. To the left of my most-often-used Mac is a window that overlooks a side yard with a tool shed and attached firewood shelter. Indy comes up the stairs of the front stoop, jumps to the wrought iron railing, then makes his way over the shingled wood shelter roof, where he stares at me until I come out. He has an unusually deep and flat meow—a cat’s equivalent of something curmudgeon-ish—a complaintive “muh-wowwwl, muh-wowwwl.” This morning he was just lounging on the roof, staring down at me. I ran out to get this shot—one of only three shots I could manage—and then he was off to chase a squirrel out of my garden. (I confess that I got this shot while talking on the phone with a friend. Self-kudos to me for the shot actually being in focus! While on the phone, I saw Indy…ran upstairs to get my camera…back downstairs to grab a CF card…then outdoors to the backyard…climbed onto the edge of the raised tomato bed to get the best angle…cradled the phone on my shoulders and shot just four snaps before he ran off. How’s that for multi-tasking? And yes, I heard and understood every word my friend said.). Check out my first posting (plus a really cute photo) of Indy here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

A bit gaudy, but I couldn’t resist!

I planted these in the three wrought iron planter boxes on our patio railing outside the front door. The color scheme is red, orange, yellow and white, so these fit in perfectly. Identification to come, but if I had to guess—they might be hybrid strawflowers.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

After the rain…

Photos taken this morning at Green Spring Gardens, just after the morning downpour…this time, I was prepared—I brought a large trash bag to sit on. Unfortunately, when one sits on a slope to photograph a flower, one will soon find one’s behind sliding off the edge of the plastic and absorbing the surrounding mud and water. I speak from experience. Ah, well. No pain, no beautiful flower shots, eh?

A Spring Rain by Raymond A. Foss

The world is wet today
luxurious, damp, drenched
drops hug the leaves,
anoint the still budded lilac blossoms
before their blooming
rich purple and plum
made richer by their watery skin
New leaves under the weight
droplets heavy, hanging
bowing the white pine needles
undersides exposed to drink
drink in the morning
hushed in the rain
temperature near the dewpoint
sprouts of just planted flowers
eager from the parched soil
new puddles bloom too
on the ground, the driveway
collect and gather
without the smell of summer rain yet
tears splash and spread
silent shimmers, heralds, messengers
in the spring rain

__________________________________________________________

I came across the above poem and it was perfect for this posting. I looked at the name and wondered why it looked so familiar. Apparently I’m drawn to this man’s nature- and garden-inspired poetry because I published (with his permission) another of his poems on my blog in August 2007. His poem was a great accompaniment for my posting about harvesting Concord grapes in our backyard garden. Click here for that post and Raymond’s beautiful poem, Smell of Autumn. Raymond has written 3,974 poems to date and all of them can be found here. Click on “Poems” beneath his photo. Raymond’s blog can be found here.

Thank you for letting me share your poetry on my blog, Raymond. If you ever want to publish a book of your poetry, give me a shout—I would love to design it for you!

Photos © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Drawing a blank

I should know what this flower is, but at the moment I’m drawing a blank. Any takers? (Ed Vatza?—betcha he knows!)

UPDATE: Drumroll, please….Ed is the first to weigh in on identification. And a very close second is Catharus. Thanks to you both for chiming in—I appreciate it! Here are their comments:

ED VATZA: Oh, oh! The pressure is on! Looks like they could be Wild Geraniums. They are just beginning to think about opening here in PA. They are beautiful flowers. We just added some to our backyard native plant garden. Very nice image, by the way. Great color and sharpness.

CATHARUS: Looks like wild geranium.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Moroccan Poppy

Moroccan Poppy (Papaver alanticum) photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All right reserved.

Cabbage White Butterfly camouflage

I saw these brilliant white flowers across from the gazebo at Green Spring Gardens and went over to photograph this nicely arranged cluster (first image). Then I noticed the Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae) on the bottom flower. I moved in to isolate him on the single flower and got the bottom shot. His wings sort of mimic the petals—perfect camouflage! Males only have one black dot on their wings, so this handsome butterfly is a male.

UPDATE: Thanks to Michaela from www.thedailyclick.wordpress.com for identifying the flower as “Star of Bethlehem” (Ornithogalum umbellatum). She gives credit to Ed Vatza at www.itsmynature.wordpress.com for the initial identification. Thanks to both Michaela and Ed!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Flower power

Unidentified succulent or sedum ground cover in the beautiful rock garden at Green Spring Gardens…once I figure out what this plant is, I’m squeezing it into my garden!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

After the rain…

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Siberian Iris, Green Spring Gardens

Overcast (but unusually bright) skies (perfect for flower photography) + a gazillion things in bloom at Green Spring Gardens = photographer’s heaven! More photos to come…

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Just stick a flower on it!

I just knew pinning a flower on my first needle-felted hat attempt would improve it immensely. A little embellishment goes a long way. Not bad for a first attempt, right? Ahem. Don’t look too closely.

And a few words to the person who wrote the instructions on how to use the foam hat form—you really shouldn’t have put the sentence “Stabbing too deeply will pull chunks of foam out and mess up your project!” in the middle of the instruction sheet. It would have been much more helpful to have that as step #1 in the process. I felted so hard to the foam that I think Nancy pulled a shoulder muscle trying to wrestle the finished hat off the foam form. It resembled a rainbow brite-colored cat hairball at first glance. After a little prodding, pulling and cajoling, the hat began to take shape, although I’m still not sure I would wear it in public (so I offer my sincerest apologies to the sheep that gave up its coat for this project—I did not do your offering justice, I’m afraid). It is a first attempt, remember, so temper your judgment. Stephanie, however, makes it look like a boutique hat, so I’m not too terribly disappointed with my freshman try at needle felting a hat. Thanks for modeling for me, Stephanie!

RECYCLED SWEATER FLOWER
The flower pin was made by Leslie of Sweaterheads, in Astoria, Oregon. I met Leslie at the Portland Saturday Market (arts and crafts heaven!) two years ago and she explained how she makes these flowers with recycled wool sweaters. Check out this link here that details other projects you can create with wool sweaters or click here to read Diane Gilleland’s article on how to felt sweaters. You can crochet or knit projects such as hats and then felt them yourself, but recycling with sweaters from thrift stores (or your own closet) is faster and cheaper—not to mention it breathes new life into discarded stuff! Always a good thing. Check out the step-by-step process of washing machine felting on ehow.com.

EARLIER THAT DAY—FIBER UTOPIA
On Saturday, Michael and I drove up to the Howard Country Fairgrounds in Maryland to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival to meet his sister Nancy, her friend Marie and Marie’s niece Stephanie. All three women are avid knitters and yarn fanatics. By fanatic, I mean Nancy and Marie start the process from the sheep/rabbit/alpaca up! They both raise fiber-bearing animals and shear, spin and weave their results. We joined Nancy two years ago at the festival and came home with roving (wool that has been washed, combed and carded), a spinning wheel, needle felting equipment, and a ton of enthusiasm for all things wool. The only thing we didn’t bring home were sheep. Not that it hadn’t crossed our minds, mind you. Where there’s a will, there’s a…sheep. But the townhouse homeowner association might frown upon that…even if Michael is on the Board. On this trip, Nancy brought us almost-black wool cleaned and ready to spin (or felt) from the progeny of a ram we “invested” in for her hobby farm endeavors. She also set up our spinning wheel (again) so we could actually use it. Thanks, Nancy! SIDEBAR: Nancy bought some funny t-shirts for her sons. The shirts had an illustration of a ram with the slogan, “I think therefore I ram.”

I’M JUST SAYIN’…
It may just be me, but I think there’s something inherently wrong with selling lamb kabobs at a fair within smelling distance of the live lambs. As my baby sister would say, it’s just not right. But I digress.

WOMENFOLK
After we returned home, we gathered ’round the fire coffee table and drank champagne Diet Coke with Ned Michael while playing delightful parlor games crafting. I felt like I had stepped into Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (I’m a cross between Jo and Amy, I’ve determined). And there just happened to be exactly four of us. Pretty cool. If this is what they do in the obviously-crafty state of Ohio, maybe we should consider moving there. I could get into this creative group dynamic! No tv, no music, no other distraction. Just the (overzealous) tap, tap, tap of my scary felting needle and the clicking of knitting needles from the sock and shawl creators. Pictured above: Little Women Nancy, Stephanie and Marie. A word of warning: all knitters and crocheters can multi-task while doing their craft. You really can’t shouldn’t multi-task when you’re needle-felting. If you do, you will end up with one sharp barb (or 3, 6, or 12 of them) in your finger (much more painful than a sewing needle prick, trust me). Sadly, this supreme multi-tasker speaks from experience. It is a pay-close-attention-to-what-you’re-doing endeavor. Those barbs are sharp—have a box of bandaids at the ready!

Nancy and I shared needle felting duties on this hat. Marie was knitting a shawl and Stephanie was creating an elaborately-patterned pair of socks. I asked Stephanie how long a pair of socks takes to make and she said about a week. We assessed that this would be at least a 40-hour work week. If we assumed she would be paid at least the current minimum wage ($6.55 per hour), she could bill $262.00 for her time. Adding what I’m assuming could be anywhere from $10-20 for the yarn (just a wide-ranging guess, some yarn skeins run $25+ each, depending on the fiber content), she would have to sell that pair of socks for almost $300 to cover time and materials. She just graduated in December with a geology degree and is gainfully employed in Harrisburg, PA. I advised her against quitting her day job. Making socks is obviously a labor of love and not a pathway to wealth. So if you ever see handmade socks priced at $20+ per pair, don’t tsk tsk over the price!

WHAT IS NEEDLE FELTING? FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK!
Needle felting is felting without water (dry felting). You use special barbed felting needles to push the top layer of wool “roving” into subsequent layers.  Wool roving is wool that has been washed, combed, carded (and sometimes dyed) into a thick rope to be spun into yarn. Roving can also be made from cotton, silk and other fibers. When wool roving is prepared, but not twisted, it is known as a “sliver.”

I’m not entirely new to the needle felting process. I did make some rather nice free-form flowers (including a sunflower complete with a hovering bee!) for my crocheted hats after attending the festival the first time. I also created a series of miniature 3-D fruits for one hat, a tribute to Carmen Miranda. Many of the videos on youtube.com utilize cookie cutters and molds as guides; I created mine in a free-form fashion. You can buy needle felting applique molds like these here. My freshman fruits and flowers were created with either a single needle or three-needle implement, rather than the menacing 12-needled one I used on the hat above. I own the pattern shown at left, but have yet to make one of these more detailed flowers. Aren’t they stunning? You can buy the pattern on Indygo Junction’s website here. You’ll find kits, patterns, roving, pre-felted felt squares, felt appliques, ready-to-embellish purse “blanks” and finished purses and flowers on this link here. Below is a flower pin I bought at the festival. I’m inspired to create some variations of my own. It measures about 4-5 inches across and was needle felted with four colors of wool roving.

INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE FELTING
If you’re interested in needle felting but don’t want to do it entirely by hand, check out the needle felt or needle punch machines. The machines use barbed needles to mesh decorative fibers and fabrics together onto a base fabric in an applique fashion. I bought a demo clearance model last year and have played with it a little. Now I’m inspired to get it out of the hall closet and actually create something to crow about! There are fantastic videos on needle punching (with a specific machine by Janome) here and here. Brother makes reasonably-priced machines and has some great techniques on their website here. Machine needle felting doesn’t require a bobbin, thread, or previous sewing experience, and the creative possibilities are infinite.

MUST-HAVE SUPPLIES
To needle felt flowers, jewelry or 3-d characters (or a questionable hat like mine, for that matter) by hand, you’ll need some of the supplies below. The website I’m linking you to isn’t the only source of these materials—you can also find them at your local craft store on other online vendors.

Wool roving:
http://www.thefeltedewe.com/rovings.html
http://www.ericas.com/yarn/needlefelt2.htm

Felting needles and holders:
http://hookedonfelt.com/tools.htm#a2
http://www.thefeltedewe.com/supplies.html

Molds for flowers, leaves and other shapes (if you need more structure and fear the free-form process!):
http://www.thefeltedewe.com/Clover.html

Needle felt hat forms (from Hooked on Felt, the originator of this product that I used for my hat):
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20528185

________________________________________________________________________

STILL CURIOUS? WATCH THESE:

Needle felting on felt scraps (what gorgeous flowers!):
http://gfwsheep.com/feltflower/feltflower.html

Needle felting a heart lapel pin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kDb7Tumvhs

Needle felting directly onto a purse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_NmQZx0Slo

Beautiful samples of felted flowers for sale on etsy.com and kaboodle.com.

Machine needle felting demo here (watch the 40-second live demo at the bottom of the site): http://www.fiberella.com/html/techniques.html

Needle felting basics:
http://thesilverpenny.homestead.com/freeprojectneedlefelting.html

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

P. Allen Smith’s Little Rock home and garden

After the luncheon, we toured P. Allen Smith’s garden, just two blocks from the Governor’s Mansion. It was mid-day sun, so the shots aren’t as great as I would like (overcast would have been heavenly for shooting his garden—the contrast was high in most of the photos, but that can’t be helped when you shoot in light like this!). I did get some really nice portraits of Gay, Sue, and Gay’s friend, Nancy (wearing the whimsical cherry necklace) in front of P. Allen’s shed with that beautiful burnt red door.

I’m not sure how large the property is, but it seems to go on forever with little outdoor “rooms” around every corner. The garden flows completely around the house. I’m rethinking my desire to own five+ acres after seeing how much he has been able to accomplish with a much smaller plot. He also has a beautiful country home about 15 miles from Little Rock—oooooh, what I wouldn’t give to see and photograph that property (and sleep in that screened sleeping porch!).

Don’t forget to check out his website here. I now own three of his books. Sue bought me my first one—P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home. I bought two others, P. Allen Smith’s Container Gardens and P. Allen Smith’s Bringing the Garden Indoors, for him to sign at the luncheon. Hmm…now I need just one more, P. Allen Smith’s Colors for the Garden, to round out my collection. He also mentioned he and his staff are working on a garden-related cookbook that should debut in 2010. Busy fella, that Allen.

Enjoy!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Check out my zenfolio.com gallery!

I’ve been working on putting the “cream of the crop” of my garden and landscape photos into one easy-to-navigate gallery. Eventually I’ll have the gallery set up to sell prints as well as stock photos, but in the interim, this is just a way to wrangle all of my web-viewing-only images into one gallery. I’ll be adding more images in the future. Currently there are 380 images in the Botanical Gallery. That should keep you plenty busy! If you’re a regular visitor to my blog, you’ll recognize many of the photos.

Once you click on the first link below, you can click “view all” at the bottom and see everything on one page, scrolling down as you go. If you click on an individual photo, it will enlarge and thumbnails for other images will show up on the side (as shown in the collage below). You can click on any of those to enlarge, or you can just launch the slide show in the second link below. I hope you enjoy the show!

Gallery:  http://cindydyer.zenfolio.com/p270076135

Slideshow: http://cindydyer.zenfolio.com/p270076135/slideshow

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As by the loveliest of all lakes

Vignettes from a day at Gay’s lake house on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Photos © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Excerpt from Caddenabia—Lake of Como,
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

No sound of wheels or hoof-beat breaks
The silence of the summer day,
As by the loveliest of all lakes
I while the idle hours away.

I pace the leafy colannade
Where level branches of the plane
Above me weave a roof of shade
Impervious to the sun and rain.

At times a sudden rush of air
Flutters the lazy leaves o’erhead,
And gleams of sunshine toss and flare
Like torches down the path I tread.

By Somariva’s golden gate
I make the marble stairs my seat,
And hear the water, as I wait,
Lapping the steps beneath my feet.

P. Allen Smith Luncheon at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion

On April 21, Sue, her Aunt Gay and I attended a lecture and luncheon honoring outdoor living expert and gardener P. Allen Smith at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. The event was hosted by The Friends of the Mansion. He was also selling and autographing his newest book, Bringing the Garden Indoors (which, of course, I had to have!). Check out his website here—it’s nicely designed and very informative. Click here to find a plethora of short gardening videos featuring Smith on youtube.com.

Smith’s lecture started at 10:30, followed by an outdoor luncheon and leisurely tour of the gardens, which he designed. He has worked on the gardens for the past 25 years. Allen is a very engaging speaker and quite funny. We really enjoyed the presentation and although we didn’t win any of the “guess the plant and win a plant” prizes, we still had a great time.

SUE’S FERVENT MISSION
Years ago I told Sue that I thought Arkansas was the most dreadful state in the U.S. She has been determined to prove me wrong ever since. My opinion was not unfounded. Almost every time Michael and I made the road trip from here to visit my family in Texas, we took the “shortcut” (as if a 1,600 mile one way trip can even be associated with the word “short”) through the Little Rock area, and we never really had a pleasant experience. All I saw was flat, flat, FLAT earth. Grassy fields. Wire fences with a Red-tailed Hawks perched on every other post (yes, I even counted them to pass the painful time away). Red-tailed Hawks swooping in to terrorize tiny field mice. Heat. Lots of it. Even in November.

One year we decided at the last minute to surprise my parents and drive down for the holidays. We found ourselves with a week off during Christmas and hadn’t planned to do anything. I called my younger sister, who was staying with parents at the time, and told her about our plans. The last thing she said was, “you’re going to hit those predicted ice storms in Arkansas!” I dismissed her warning and we packed up the car and left that same night. Yes, in the night (young and foolish, we were). We were vagabonds. Gypsies. The blue highways were calling. Ice storm, smice storm. The next evening, we were on the outskirts of Little Rock. It was night—very cold and very dark. Michael was asleep; I was on driving duty. It was if the pavement went from bone dry to black ice with a line you could actually see. I went from 65 mph to barely 3 mph in seconds. There were freight trucks jack-knifed in the ditches on either side of us. I punched Michael awake and hollered, “if we’re going to die in this, you’re going to be awake for it!” Even with my foot off the gas pedal, we were still sliding forward. There was nothing to do but slide toward the nearest exit and find a hotel. What we hadn’t bargained for was that everyone else had the same idea. There was no room at the inn for Mary and Joseph. I suggested we pull over and sleep in the car. Michael nixed that idea, stating we would surely die from exposure. (He hails from Ohio; I’m a South Texas native—just imagine who knows more about cold weather).

The last hotel we went to directed us to the temporary Red Cross Shelter at a local Baptist church. After a restless night on a hard church pew, followed by cold grits (with no salt or butter in sight—hello?) and even colder biscuits (yum!), Michael and I looked at each other and silently agreed—we were leaving even if we had to skate to San Antonio. As we headed out the door, we were pummeled with, “you shouldn’t leave….it will be 3-4 days before it’s safe to leave!” Spending three more nights sleeping on a hard church pew was more than we could bear (Yes, we were grateful for the refuge, but driving 17 hours straight had rendered us both a tad grumpy). Michael and I linked arms and elbows and glided (sounds graceful, doesn’t it? Trust me, it wasn’t) our way to our car in the church parking lot. We looked over our shoulders at the group of ice storm refugees just shaking their heads in disbelief. We didn’t care if we had to drive 3 mph the entire 11 hour journey to Texas. We drove through a residential area, heading on a detour south. Not even one mile from the church, the roads were ice-free. We were jubilant! A few years ago, I started a new Virginia-to-Texas road trip tradition—as soon as we hit the Arkansas border, Michael would have to drive and I would sleep through the entire state until he could declare that we had crossed the Texas state line.

So there you have it. This was the basis for my opinion about Arkansas. I never gave Arkansas a chance. Never ventured off the interstate and into the hills, mountains, valleys and streams. Until this past week, that is. (I felt the same way about New Jersey, when all I ever saw was the Jersey Turnpike, en route to NYC. Then I got a chance to see other parts of the state—changed my opinion completely!)

RUBBING ELBOWS WITH POLITICS AND PLANTSMEN
Sue’s Aunt Gay lives in Little Rock and Sue was determined to show me another side of Arkansas. I told her the only way I would go is if I could meet Mike Huckabee and P. Allen Smith (two of the only celebrities I could think of from the (formerly dreaded) state—and when one has a blog, one is always looking for adventures to write and photograph about!). She pondered this request and said, “Lemme get back to you.” Not long after, she called to say her Aunt Gay had gotten us tickets to this luncheon honoring P. Allen Smith, and although Mike Huckabee wouldn’t be in town, the luncheon would be at the Governor’s Mansion, so technically I would be somewhere he had lived. Was that close enough? I conceded that it was. Little did I know that Huckabee’s wife, Janet (who is a friend of Gay’s), would be a last-minute guest and I would have the opportunity to meet, talk and photograph her. She was kind, gracious, and even co-signed an autographed copy of her husband’s seventh book, Do the Right Thing, for my mother (who is a Huckabee fan). She gave us a mini-tour of the living and dining areas of the mansion before the lecture and even served as an impromptu photographer, too, with my camera. In my searches online, I came across an article by Danielle Burton, compiled the U.S. News & World Report library staff. It’s titled, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Janet Huckabee.” The first one mentioned she was a star basketball player at Hope High School, a fact that didn’t surprise to me—she’s quite statuesque, as you can see by the photo of her next to shorties Sue and Gay!

Gay is also an Arkansas celebrity—she’s a former First Lady of Arkansas. She was married to former Arkansas Governor Frank Durand White, who was only the second Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was the 41st governor of Arkansas and served a two-year term from 1981 to 1873. He was best recognized as “the little-known Republication candidate who defeated Bill Clinton in 1980 after Clinton had served only term as governor.” Frank passed away in 2003. Click here and here to learn more about Governor White.

After the luncheon, we toured P. Allen Smith’s city home, just two blocks away from the Governor’s Mansion (photos to come). Thank you, Gay and Sue, for arranging this wonderful day as well as the opportunity to meet P. Allen, Janet and Ginger. I have solemnly promised that, after a week of wonderful weather, ample subjects to photographs, visits to gardens (photos to come), a lovely day at Gay’s lake house (photos to come), and shopping in Hot Springs, I would no longer think unfavorably about Arkansas. Gay’s hospitality and Sue’s road trip companionship has made the great ice storm adventure a distant memory. Almost.

SUE’S TRIVIA CORNER:
Did you know that Arkansas grows 85% of the rice consumed in the United States?

Above: Sue, Gay and Janet Huckabee at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion

Below: Sue with her Aunt Gay in the gardens at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion

Below: P. Allen Smith at the podium

Below: P. Allen signs his newest book, Bringing the Garden Indoors, with the assistance of Cathy Crass from the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion Association.

Below: Dining alfresco

Below: Gay White with the current Arkansas First Lady, Ginger Beebe.

Below: Sue and Carolyn, a master gardener and Arkansas resident. I told Carolyn she reminded me so much of the actress Ellen Burstyn. Do you see the resemblance?

Below: Sue, Gay and Janet before the P. Allen Smith Lecture