Look around and down

When you need a change of pace on a short schedule and an even shorter budget in early spring, your yard or almost any unoccupied green space will reveal enough marvels to keep your attention. This close up of a dandelion bloom gone-to-seed is a good example.

Click to see more of the dandelion plus azaleas and more

Geodesic dome designers, eat your hearts out, Mother Nature has bested you before you leave the blocks. The common dandelion, hated by many and admired by few, is an engineering marvel available for viewing in most back yards. Though they are the target of many a squirt of Roundup, I admire their yellow blooms and miraculous seeding process.

Get a closer look at the dandelion as it has done its work, plus some azalea freckles, spring beauties, and a tiny mystery flower on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot-com. We’ll wait here while you look.

Moving right along, looking ahead of your feet, if you get lucky, you will see some small yellow flowers waiting to be pollinated. These are stretching it to be 3/8 inch across at the widest point.

If your neck gets tired from looking down, look up and you may spot some Dogwood trees if you are lucky. If you do, keep walking to see the blooms up close and personal. You may miss some details otherwise.

The dogwood blooms are early here in LA this year. They will be long gone by Easter. Further north, they may be right on time.

Closer inspection of blooms on the tree revealed a busy bug. A detail you’ll miss if you don’t get close. Consider it a mini-zoo visit.

Lurking in a corner, these blooms go almost unnoticed unless you face in the right direction. The long pistils of the flowers fooled the cameras auto focus function, so they jump out like freckles.

Click on the blooms to see more spring shots.

Ofttimes there is plenty to see that incurs no expense past a few foot pounds of energy. Mother Nature is fickle. She cares not if you look, but offers manifold rewards if you do.

Speaking of which, if you take a look at our Weekly Grist Gallery, you will find 20 more poesy pictures including more of the dandelion, some azaleas, a closeup of the Dogwood bug, and last, but not least, some wild yellow flowers along the highway (shot incidentally and not on a special trip) which demonstrate some social characteristics.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey

Joe Dempsey,
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind

http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html