Mystery Flora: After the Storm

I mentioned I took a little ramble up the drumlin and back on Saturday, when the sun decided to pop out and say hello. You know, that doesn’t actually happen in Seattle very often: downpour, then sunshine. That’s more of an Arizona thing. But it happens sometimes, and one seizes the moment and gallops out of the house to enjoy it.

Look at this. Just a few hours before, the clouds were so thick and the rain so heavy it looked like winter out there, and then bam, this:

Suddenly summer.

The blackberries are blooming, the trees fully leafed out, blue skies – lovely!

By the time I got out, the sun was low, so bits of the path were shadowed. The oxeye daisies at the bottom of the hill were already bathed in twilight.

Oxeye Daisy and Friend. At least, I hope that’s an oxeye daisy. No idea what species the bee is.

I should probably go back out when they’re in full sunshine and glowing. But they’re quite pretty in shade, too.

Oxeye daisies. So pretty. And, I believe, not native. Sigh.

I’d have spent more time with them, but a blaze of purple down the way caught my eye. A nice shaft of sun was hitting some fireweed just so, and it was more beautiful than I’d ever seen it.

Fireweed in the setting sun. Glorious!

I quite like fireweed. Which is astonishing, because it’s native, and I’m usually fatally drawn to the invasives.

Attempted artistic shot of the fireweed. I did say attempted.

And by now, you’re going, “Damnit, Dana, you said mystery flora! But you keep identifying them!!

Or mis-identifying them, as the case may be – I won’t know until you’ve actually had a chance to say. But I promised you mysteries, and mysteries you shall have!

Mystery Flora I

These are on ornamental bushes in our parking lot. Tiny little purple flowers gathered together in great clusters.

Mystery Flora II

The macros, I think, are pretty neat, but you probably need the entire plant for identification purposes, don’t you?

Mystery Flora III

And then, just because I like it, a macro of a barely blooming bit:

Mystery Flora IV

Look kinda like botanical fireworks, don’t they just?

Moments like these, rambling round in unexpected sunshine taking photos of flowers, make life delicious.

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Mystery Flora: After the Storm
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