A splash in the sea. Overstrand beach, North Norfolk, England – Inexplicable Device.
Water is life. It may sound like a simple phrase to many, but for some of us it invokes a sacred sense of responsibility. Without water there is death. People, animals and plant life all rely on this most important molecule. It is a basic building block to life itself. Had I been born into the world of Greek mythology I think the role as a water nymph would have suited me just fine.
Water offers us a reflection of ourselves and the world around us.
Reflection of a Sunset. Overstrand beach, North Norfolk, England – Inexplicable Device.
Wonder
When my son was a toddler he was fascinated by this little book. He had me check it out at the library so many times that I finally bought him his own copy. It’s amazing how much life can be found in a teaspoon of water.
One puddle from two angles, taken May 11, 2023, at Vega State Park in Colorado. Tracy Abell Another Day On the Planet
Water is a force of nature. Too much and that which gives life can also take it away.
Beauty
Water through the power of glacial ice or jet powered waterfalls has the ability to carve rocks into cliffs, mountains and valleys. I am humbled by it.
Areial view by helicopter of Victoria Falls Zimbabwe. By Lisa Troute
One need only to look upon the power and beauty of something like the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
Victoria Falls viewpoint in Zimbabwe. By Lisa Troute.
Movement
Water has the ability to transport us across shores, along rivers and through deltas. Like many people, I think, I find a lot of inspiration when surrounded by water. Why do our best ideas come to us in the shower when we haven’t got a stitch of clothing or a pen to write with? Who says nature doesn’t have a sense of humor?
Until next time friends, may you find peace and inspiration everywhere you look!
Next Photo Submission Request
The Farming Community ofWaverly WA USA By Melanie Reynolds
July Submissions – Fields and Grasses
Show me your Elysian Fields or ornamental grasses (includes bamboo and palm trees.)
Due: July 31st
To be posted on August 1st.
TheFine Print: Photo Submissions Guidelines
Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com, Subject line: Photo Submission for [month] (Multiple months of photos in one email is fine.) Image: Attached as a .JPEG or .PNG file preferred. Captions each picture: Subject in the photo (if known), State/Providence & Country, Date (optional). Your name as you want it to appear, Your blog link (if you have one.)
Feel free to add any interesting notes about a picture. I love interesting stories behind things! Let me know if it’s just for ‘my eyes only’ or if I can share any part of it with your photo. Pictures must be your own or you have permission from the Photographer to share it. All copyrights belong to their respective owners. This is a free, fun, community site about nature. Non-commercial and ad free.
Hello Nature-led friends! Welcome to the beginning of June!
Native Plant Nerd (Oxalis Oregana with digital glasses and mustache stickers) By Melanie Reynolds
I recognize and appreciate that some of you struggled to find native plants in your area. I hope this endeavor was not too frustrating and that you came away with a new understanding and appreciation for the native plants in your area. I wanted to do this submission request because I feel like most people don’t give native plants much thought. I feel like the poor things are stuck in a 1990’s era high school romance-comedy where the smart nerdy friend is actually a hot babe once she takes off her glasses, gets plucked, and wears a dress. Me too Oxalis oregana, me too. Like any native plant, I’m only exotic when I’ve been shipped off elsewhere.
The other reason that I care about the native plants is that they’re part of a much larger ecosystem with specialist insects, other plants, and animals that depend on them. None of this mattered to the rich Colonialists who were determined to make English Gardens on every continent aside from Antarctica. Back when wealth was portrayed by the upkeep of exotic plants and large swaths of green lawns. We still live with that legacy today. It didn’t just disappear; a lot of behaviors carry on without thought because that’s the way things have been more or less for over 200 years now. The mailers I get from landscaping companies show perfectly coiffed bushes and low-cut strips of sod. They threaten to mow, prune, fertilize, and eradicate the unwanted for a fee. Driving into a neighborhood with a militant Homeowners Associations (HOA) with their cookie cutter houses and landscapes make me feel like I’m trapped in an adaption of The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (with two movies by the same name.) I see the kids. I see how they hunger for the freedom at the edges of the play yard straining against the fence to reach into the wild spaces. Now it’s the native plants that have become exotic.
I had a wonderful History teacher in high school named Mr. Ayers. We would have a lot of funny banter between us. He showed me that history was not some boring dead thing, it lives all around us. One time before the start of class he asked with mock exasperation, “Why are you such a contrarian?” “I’m a woman.” I said. The whole class roared with laughter including Mr. Ayers. I didn’t set out to be rebel. I just am, by the nature of existing as a woman with strong opinions.
So, without further ado, let me share the wonderful collection of native plants across the world that many of us can appreciate thanks to our fellow community members who help this site grow! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
We’re starting with New Zealand, because I said so…
Roadside Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) By Ms Scarlet https://wonky-words.com/blog/Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) at the allotment North Norfolk England 29th May 2023 By Inexplicable Device
We’ll call this an honorable mention in the category of “Not native but plays well with others” I’m fairly confident this is a Japanese Skimmia (Skimmia Japonica). Milkweeds are herbaceous plants which means they have “non-woody stems” that largely die back in the winter. This plant has woody stems, flowers or berries on new grow and thick wide, non-serrated leaves. My first guess is always a rhododendron because there are so many varieties and it’s a common plant in North America especially where I live, but the growth habit of these flowers or berries leads me to my second guess, Japonica.
Wooly Locoweed ( Astragalus mollissimus) in Penitente Canyon, Colorado By Tracy Abell Another Day On the Planet
Photographed while hiking in Penitente Canyon (Colorado) on May 24, 2023. When I went to identify it, I was dismayed to learn that while it is native to Colorado, this Woolly Locoweed is the most widespread poisonous plant in the western U.S. Because it’s native, locoweed is not covered by the Colorado Noxious Weed Act.
On the same hike, we came across this lovely native wildflower that’s a type of clematis. It’s known as “Sugarbowl.”
Thank you to everyone who contributed!
My apologies for the brevity of captions and any errors. I pulled a muscle in my shoulder and it really hurts. Several people sent multiple pictures, so I didn’t share them all, but I do make sure at least one picture from each person is posted.
Show me your bodies – of water that is! Ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, waterfalls, fountains being appreciated by wildlife, your favorite puddle or bog.
Due: June 30th
To be posted on July 1st.
TheFine Print: Photo Submissions Guidelines
Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com, Subject line: Photo Submission for [month] (Multiple months of photos in one email is fine.) Image: Attached as a .JPEG or .PNG file preferred. Captions each picture: Subject in the photo (if known), State/Providence & Country, Date (optional). Your name as you want it to appear, Your blog link (if you have one.)
Feel free to add any interesting notes about a picture. I love interesting stories behind things! Let me know if it’s just for ‘my eyes only’ or if I can share any part of it with your photo. Pictures must be your own or you have permission from the Photographer to share it. All copyrights belong to their respective owners. This is a free, fun, community site about nature. Non-commercial and ad free.
Let’s see some of your favorite native plants from your country or region!
I know I’m not giving you very much time on this month’s photo submission request, but let’s see what we can pull together, eh? When asking for topics on the next three months of photo submissions there was the recommendation of “pretty weeds”, but alas, this is just not a frame of mind I can put myself in. I spend too much time pulling out invasive non-native plants that someone once thought was “pretty.” So instead, I’m doubling down on my love for native plants. If you are not familiar with native plants in your region now is the perfect time to get to know some of them!
I hope this request won’t be too difficult for anyone. Some native plant are so prolific they span entire continents! Try doing an internet search to the effect of “Native plants of [your county/prefecture/township name].
Here is one of my favorite plants native to the Pacific Northwest region where I live.
Western Columbine (Aquilegia Formosa ‘Blue’) Western Washington USA By Melanie Reynolds
same species different color…..
Western Columbine Red (Aquilegia Formosa ‘Red’) Western Washington USA By Melanie Reynolds
Here is a native plant that I’ve only seen in my yard so far, but I’m sure there must be colonies around here. I’m proud to say I’ve been a good steward to these little Starflowers that also help support native bumblebees.
This year’s emerging blanket:
Starflower Blanket (Trientalis borealis Raf) Western Washington USA By Melanie ReynoldsCloseup Western Starflowers (Trientalis borealis Raf) Western Washington USA By Melanie Reynolds
Unwelcome interlopers…
I regularly fight Himalayan blackberries which while edible, are just “okay” when it comes to flavor. Better varieties can be found in the store during blackberry season which is usually July and August around here. The ones in my yard often have little white worms that I drown out in an icy cold vinegar water bath before I can eat the berries. If you ever have doubts or concerns about the freshness and safety of salad greens or fruit, I definitely recommend giving it a 10-minute bath in cold water and white vinegar.
The other two things I battle most frequently are Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) and Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon). The archangel is in the mint family and is a “C” class noxious weed in my state, which means that when I pull it out of the ground, it cannot go in my personal compost or the municipal compost, but instead it has to go into the garbage.
Lamium galeobdolon ‘Archangel’, a noxious weed for Washington State USA By Melanie Reynolds
This is only a fraction of what I’m battling. Sigh.
TheFine Print: Photo Submissions Guidelines
Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com,
Subject line: Photo Submission for [month] (Multiple months of photos in one email is fine.) Image: Attached as a .JPEG or .PNG file preferred. Captions each picture: Subject in the photo (if known), State/Providence & Country, Date (optional). Your name as you want it to appear, and a link to your blog (if you have one.) It’s great if you can take a current picture during the submission month, but picture you’ve previously taken is fine too.
Feel free to add any interesting notes about a picture. I love interesting stories behind things! Let me know if it’s just for ‘my eyes only’ or if I can share any part of it with your photo. Pictures must be your own or you have permission from the Photographer to share it. All copyrights belong to their respective owners. This is a free, fun, community site about nature. Non-commercial and ad free.
The Nature-led Life 