Weed Or Flower?

Well, I guess it all depends on how you view it.

This is a photo I took recently of a Moth Mullein plant flowering. It's a lot "sexier" than the common mullein plants you see. (My cousin and I used to "sword fight" with those - they really hurt if you swung them hard enough!)

I zipped past a lot of these plants on the highway on my return trip from "up north" a few weeks ago. I can't say they looked very impressive at 70 miles an hour, but I did wonder what they were. So I stopped on the side of the road and took a few pictures. When I got home and flipped through my weeds and wildflowers guide, I saw it was a "weed".

On my morning walk a few days ago, I saw a moth mullein plant tucked in with the tall grasses. So, I plucked the whole plant from its place in the Michigan mud. (Hey, it's a "weed", right?) Then I replanted it in some organic soil and it's currently flowering on my porch, right up the stalk. And it's gorgeous.

From this perspective it is definitely a flower. I'm reminded of orchids, even. I thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy.

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Greetings & A Flower

Thank you for the kind welcome, Summer! I'm new at this, so be gentle, dear readers.

I've been trekking through the back woods behind my complex the last few Sundays to see what's growing, budding and flowering. I thought I'd post a photo of this beautiful Mayapple for a start.

What I tend to see the most of though (it's amazing how successful a plant can be) is poison ivy. Remember the "leaves of three, let them be" saying? Pretty much holds true. I wear my fake rubber wellies out there and often gloves, too. But it doesn't deter me from enjoying the plants and trees. Hope to share more photos in the future.

Best,
Water Daughter

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I'm still here! And a new author...

Check out who is still in the land of the living!  Work and kids kept me awfully busy for a while there, and just when I needed a break, Easter provided an excellent opportunity for escape.  We drove nearly a thousand miles to get to Eau Claire, WI and back to visit family.  It was a lot of fun, but damn 8 hours is a long drive when you've got two young energetic BOYS in the backseat.  Not to mention a 3-state evening thunderstorm.  That was just *awesome*.

But wow did that storm have an major effect on my little .7 acres!  I took a bunch of pictures of my garden in progress before we left with the intention of doing a blog post, but I just didn't have the time.  So now I get to do a splendid before and after. But before I get to that...

An exciting bit of news!  I've sweet-talked one of my dear friends into becoming a contributing author of this blog!  Yay!!  Woohoo!!!   Welcome!!!  WaterDaughter, who grew up on a river in Manistee, and I met thanks to our converging paths in the nonprofit circle, and became good friends because we share a love for the green and wild, among other things.  She plans on occasionally posting photos and information about the lovely wild things she comes across in her many treks through swampy Michigan wonderfullness.

Now some before and afters:

Chives

Guara

Lovage

Roses

And some things that hadn't popped when I left:

Daffodils

Tarragon

Tulip Buds

And, of course, bugs!

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