What makes the great outdoors so beautiful are plants, trees, and flowers — in other words, plant life.
I enjoyed your images of furry and feathered friends last week, and now it’s time to share our plant life.
“Plants are solar powered air purifiers whose filter never needs replacing.” – Khang Kijarro Nguyen
But First, A Little Science
Plant life engages all of our biological senses — sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing.
Do you talk to your plants? Would you admit it if you do?
It is well known that plants respond to the human voice (those vibrations of sound), and the carbon dioxide expelled in our breath. By getting close to a plant, you can see its wonderful details, and you can breathe in its scent like the lavender above. It gets some carbon dioxide and provides oxygen in the air. It’s a win-win!
“Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.” ~ Terri Guillemets
Recent studies by local Washington State University at Pullman suggest that plants respond to touch at the cellular level.
“When the touch is first applied (by a fine glass rod), the cell sends a slow calcium signal wave to other cells. When the touch is released, a faster wave is created.” Source
Some plants like the Mimosa (aka Touch-Me-Not), when touched, respond by closing their leaves, similar to carnivorous plants (Venus Flytrap) that are triggered to snap closed when an insect lands on them. These are biological traits for the survival of the plant.
And we have four tomato plants — so taste is covered.
Outside we hear our plant life on a breezy day. One of my favorite sounds in nature is hearing the sound of the wind flowing gently through the evergreen trees. That shush of wind soughing through the trees–a rushing, rustling, or murmuring sound–is a delight.
“…Where the trees dance as the wind blows…” Kathy Mattea
When we first moved to Washington, we walked outside and I suddenly stopped and told my hubby, “Sshh, do you hear it? There’s that sound.” As kids, whenever we camped in Yosemite, we could hear the soughing because of the quiet. If only I could bottle it.
We planted five Quaking Aspens so far. When the wind blows, they make that delightful rustling sound.
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Greek proverb
Quaking aspens are part of the willow family, and they need to be planted close to one another. We have three planted together (shown above) and two together in another part of the yard. They are a community tree and thrive in groves.
“Above ground, aspen grow as individual trees, but below ground they’re enlivened by one interconnected set of roots.” ~ Mark Nepo
Between the rustling aspens and soughing evergreens, it’s downright noisy here.
While you are out there talking to your trees and plants, and touching their leaves, they can feel your touch as well as your breath. Perhaps now that you understand the science behind our wonderful plant life, you won’t feel so silly talking to and touching your plants.
Sunflower Fields Forever
Did you know I’m infatuated with sunflowers? Let me tell you my story of sunflowers.
Who would have thought that I would see more sunflowers now that we live in Eastern Washington compared to Sacramento? Sure, in Sacramento there were plenty to see—mostly the traditional ones planted by neighbors, but they only bloomed from May to September.
non-stop Sunflowers, a story of transition
I’ve shown you our wild arrowleaf balsamroot sunflowers that bloom in late March and are spent by the end of May. Our hillsides and fields are covered with them as they languish under those noisy evergreens.
When summer begins here, the common or traditional sunflowers bloom by the first part of July, much like they did in Sacramento.
But…there is a gap…
In that gap, especially this year with all the snow we had, hundreds of Brown-Eyed Susans or coneflowers have popped up everywhere.
These transitional wild sunflowers fill in the gap left by the arrowleaf sunflowers in May, just as the common sunflowers begin to bloom in July.
Last year, when we returned from our 5-week summer road trip, we arrived home in mid-July to hundreds of sunflowers in our backyard—all volunteers, likely from random neighbors’ gardens helped by wind and birds.
I didn’t have to mess around planting seeds and cultivating them. As much as I enjoyed that in the past, so I could have sunflowers in my backyard (and unending photo ops), now I can get them all free! If I want different varieties, yes, I will have to plant the seeds and urge them to grow. I may need a greenhouse for that project.
Non-stop sunflowers from March through October– eight months of sunflowers.
My infatuation is satisfied…. for now.
Speaking of volunteer plants, how about this bearded iris randomly growing on the State Park land at the intersection of our street?
For now, I will enjoy nature’s free show.
Faux Show
My thumb is anything but green, hence my love of wildflowers and volunteers, so I prefer to decorate the inside of my home with faux flowers. I can’t kill them and I can decorate seasonally. I get a decent discount at the local craft and hobby stores if I buy florals out of season or on sale.
“A beautiful plant is like having a friend around the house.” – Beth Ditto
Saving the Bee-est for Last
“The bee buzzed past again, flying in spirals toward the water…As I stared at the bee, it seemed to me its yellow bands began to glow brightly.” ― Heather Webber
Sunflowers and other flowers attract bees and butterflies like nobody’s business. Partially inspired by Denzil’s nature challenge–bees–I present a bee-utiful gallery:
“Warm, mellow summer. The glowing sunbeams make every nerve tingle.” ~ John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra
“Life tells the most beautiful stories.” ― Adrienne Posey
Inspiring Photo Challenges This Week
Each week I find inspiration from my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I enjoy incorporating these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.
- Cee’s Flower of the Day
- Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge: Bees
- Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday
- Lens-Artists: Telling A Story
- Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes: Glow (coming 6/28)
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
This Week’s Featured Bloggers
Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers, poets, writers, and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared their photos of plant life. I add these all week as new links are posted.
- YOUR BLOG’S NAME GOES HERE…
- Always Write
- Between the Lines
- Cats and Trails and Garden Tails
- Cee’s Photo Challenges
- A Day in the Life
- The Day After
- Deb’s World
- Denyse Whelan Blogs
- Easin’ Along Image shared in comments
- Eaton’s Eager
- Gfpacificbee’s Insights & Photography
- Graham’s Island
- Kamerapromenader
- LadyLee Manila
- Light Words
- NEW Lisa’s Everyday Life
- Live Laugh RV
- Loving Life
- Musin’ With Susan
- Natalie the Explorer
- Nut House Central
- Philosophy Through Photography
- Photos By Jez
- Quaint Revival
- Roberta Writes
- Robert’s Snap Spot
- Stevie Turner
- Tranature
- Two Trails One Road
- This is Another Story
- Wind Kisses
- Woolly Muses
- Working On Exploring
Themes for July are ready to view on my Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Page. This page is updated monthly and I am open to YOUR theme ideas, too! Join me July 2nd for a look at all things “historical.”
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