Garden of Delights

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve once again taken the time to explore the treasures of our yard, with a little side trip out to Watkins Lake for good measure. I’m not sure why, perhaps it was the easy winter this year, but our gardens and the nature trails at Watkins Lake have been really bountiful with photographic opportunity. So I want to share a few more images for your enjoyment, starting with some shots taken around our yard and along the creek bordering the back of the property.

Last Friday I grabbed an opportunity to visit Watkins Lake for a nature hike. It looked to be a great day with temperatures finally dropping back into the 60s. Unfortunately along with the cold front moving through the area we experienced high winds, gusting into the 40 mph range most of the day. That kind of wind not only wears one down, but adds considerable challenge for capturing a steady image that doesn’t resemble ICM (Intentional Camera Movement for the non-photographer reading this article). Because of the winds, this is what the majority of my images looked like that day! However, I was able to increase my shutter speed to capture a few images I found interesting, despite the winds.

Geek Alert: A couple of interesting points on the images. First, many don’t understand that Dame’s Rocket is a highly invasive plant imported from Eurasia centuries ago. It is often confused with native Phlox, but in reality it is part of the garlic mustard family and quickly pushes out the native wildflowers that are so beneficial to our insect population. One of the issues has been that seed companies historically mixed it into a wild plant mix and it has spread like wildfire. Second, Angelica (which has not fully bloomed yet but I was intrigued by the unusual shapes) is easily confused with edible Cow Parsley, or the more toxic Giant Hogweed or Water Hemlock. Angelica has long been used as a medicinal herb. Finally, Musk Thistle was quite abundant at Watkins Lake. It really is a beautiful flower head and very unique, almost alien looking. Unfortunately it is a highly invasive species that was imported by the Europeans in the 1800s for garden ornamentation, and now we have to deal with the consequences.

I also obtained one final image from that day that I converted into black and white. Over the last several years I have tried to capture this dead tree, but never really felt successful with it. This is my latest effort

     I hope you enjoyed this little spring garden tour as much as I enjoyed getting out to capture the images. With the heat dome settling in on us this week it may be a while before I have the ambition to venture outside again! If you enjoyed this Journal entry, please drop me a comment below, feel free to share with your friends, and visit my website Terrance Alexander Photography.

Terrance Alexander