I can’t think of better material to post on this final — and brutally sub-freezing — day of 2017 than a bunch of photos of flowers and other flora found in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, DC. The presentation will begin with Spring, of course.
APRIL
Here’s a bit of nature I found while hiking a trail in Glover-Archbold Park. It came from a majestic tree commonly known as the tulip tree or tulip poplar for its tulip-shaped flowers painted in a brilliant orange, green and yellow. In fully mature trees these spring flowers remain high up in the tree’s canopy, out of sight to those of us below. So I was surprised, one day in April, when I came across this specimen resting on the forest floor. I wondered whether it was a storm that brought it down from on high. But then I noticed the twig that not long ago had connected it to the tall tree above. This stalk was cut cleanly, on an angle. Who would do such a thing? The best answer: a squirrel.
.
April 29, 2017, Glover Park, DC
April 29, 2017, Glover Park DC
.
MAY
May 21, 2917, Glover Park DC, sedum in bloom
May 21, 2017, Glover Park DC, an unmowed front yard with wildflowers and grasses. In the lower right you’ll find the left-behind shell (exuvia) of a cicada.
.
JUNE
June 5, 2017, Glover Park DC
June 5, 2017, Glover Park DC
June 5, 2017, Glover Park DC, one lily wants to roam free
JULY
July 9, 2017, Glover Park DC, puzzle pieces of sycamore tree bark
.
AUGUST
August 4, 2017, Glover Park DC
.
August 4, 2017, Glover Park DC, drooping hydrangea
.
August 25, 2017, Glover Park DC, liriope‘s late-summer flowers
.
DECEMBER
December 24, 2017, Glover Park DC, fallen leaves from a Japanese Red Maple on moss-covered pavers