Serendipity, Impulse and Joy

ser·en·dip·i·ty   [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee]    

noun

1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident

2. good fortune; luck

  

This sweet, little, completely unexpected volunteer sunflower reaches valiantly for the dappled sunlight as it lives amongst the foliage of Turk's cap and a sticker vine.  A beacon of bright yellow in a sea of shady green!

 

im-pulse   [im-puhls]

noun

1.  the influence of a particular feeling

2.  sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action

3. a psychic drive or instinctual urge

adjective 

4. marked by or acting on impulse

5. bought or acquired on impulse 

 

 

While walking around Zilkerfest, (a local spring festival for all things gardening) I spotted a booth with beautiful glass twinkling in the sunshine.  Then I noticed this specific piece and immediately knew it would have a home in my garden.  The Canyon Lake artist uses found driftwood along with wine and liquor bottles to create the sculptures.  I love how it constantly changes as it catches the shifting light throughout the day.  

I'm seeing a trend here in re-purposed, organic art in the garden!  The new sculpture complements the carved coffee root nicely.

 

 

Another impulse buy at Zilkerfest, this datura seems happy in its new space.  It has plenty of room to spread and afternoon shade.  The flowers are short-lived but gorgeous!  All parts of this plant are poisonous and it is easily grown from seed so I'll be collecting them to keep it in check.  I've seen this in other gardens with white blooms and loved it.  In purple, it stole my heart.  

 

This plant is sometimes confused with Brugmansia.  The blooms of datura are upright and the fruit usually spiny whereas the Brugmansia's flower hangs on the branch and the fruit is spineless. 

Joy    [joi]

noun

1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying

2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight

Although not completely joyous about the photograph, the subject makes me giddy!  Do you see the monarch on the milkweed?  Look closely at the center of the shot...there she is.  I watched her for a few minutes as she flitted about the plant and I'm ever hopeful that she was depositing eggs.  She attached herself to the underside of leaves a couple of times before sipping the nectar.  Please, please, please let there be caterpillars!

I just love a garden - there is always so much to discover!  What are your discoveries of late?  Any impulses, serendipitous moments or joyful sightings?  Ah, that's a silly question; I know you have them all!

 

 

 

 

 

Time For A Change ~ I Hope You Like It!

*Update*

Thanks everybody for your input in the comments.  As the blog's one year anniversary approaches I'm so feeling the need to freshen up my blog a bit.  Your comments are so appreciated and I value your opinions. 

I agree with NSARH.  My photos pop more on a black background and the dark background really showcases them better.  But I love my new logo too and wanted to incorporate it into the blog and it just looks so nice and crisp on the white.  As a compromise, I think I'll change the font color on Whimsical so that it will stand out on a dark background.  Hopefully, this will give me the best of both worlds ;) 

There is also a mosaic feature somewhere on Blogger that I will try to find and I'll add that as a page if I can so that readers seeking out more of my photography can check out that page. 

Please feel free to leave more thoughts and suggestions...I'm open to them.  I love the fluidity of a blog and that we can change it up as we feel the need.  Many of you are much more experienced with blogging and I welcome your thoughts.

Where Do You Go From Exceptional?

It's July 5 and most of the state of Texas is experiencing drought conditions.  In fact, most of the state is experiencing 'exceptional' drought.  I'm just wondering where do we go from exceptional?

It's a little early for me to start pining for the slightly cooler temps of September but I find myself looking for signs.  It's almost instinctive after so many seasons in Texas.  You experience dozens of 100 degree days and you naturally start thinking you're nearing the end of them and that fall must be around the corner.  Not so.

The butterflies have been noticeably absent this summer although there are plenty of drought tolerant nectar and host sources.  I miss them.

On a positive note, there are a few new visitors to my garden.

You know you're a wildlife geek when the the Bobwhite quail couple that has been nesting nearby has a slew of babies and you can't pull yourself away from the window!  They stroll through the yard every morning staying along the edges of the perennial beds searching for seeds and insects; dad in the lead, babies following along and mom pulling up the rear.  They are so dang cute and I'm stalking them paparazzi style and hope to get a photo soon.  They are shy as can be.

Gardening is sometimes such an ironic endeavor...a large portion of our lot is covered by a canopy of Oak trees and I've always longed for a sunny corner to grow sun loving perennials, maybe a rose or two...some veggies.   A couple of years ago the sunny bed was added and I've grown tomatoes, okra, eggplant and herbs there. 

This year I planted lots of perennials instead and the spring showed such great promise...but the harsh truth of this year's drought laughs and sneers at my optimism.  The Globemallow is one of the few plants to sneer right back!

Several of the transplants have succumbed to the heat and lack of rain forcing me to rethink my plan and shake my head at my desire for a full sun bed.  Come fall the perennial hibiscus will be relocated to a part sun location and be replaced with a Pride of Barbados.  A heat loving plant that is drought tolerant once established.  They are in showy bloom all over town right now and I love their orange and red hues and should this type of heat be our new normal it should thrive regardless.

Despite its struggles, the hibiscus is blooming.  The inch of rain we received a couple of weeks ago revived everything a bit.

The trail behind our home is usually in bloom with various native wildflowers and grasses during the summer months.

In fact, the trail doesn't look much different this month than it did back in February during our brief snow event.  Mmmm, I think going back to that February morning might be a refreshing way to spend a few minutes...winter walk.

Although weirdly similar in color to the drought map, I much prefer these hues in this image taken during winter.   The possumhaw was a favorite photographic subject from fall through spring and if I ever figure out a way to gain enough space I'd like to put one in my garden.

Lest you think I'm crazy and bound for living solely in the past, I'll end with a shot taken of the garden this morning.  Talk about sneering at the heat and drought!  These flowers never fail to make me smile.

I'd love to hear what you're finding to smile about this summer.

Cheap Thrills!

For a few bucks at the local grocery store you can have the pure delight of bringing nature's bounty inside...

As the days are getting shorter, it lifts my spirits to have some of summer's sunshine brightening up the house.

These sunflowers are screaming "sunshine" at anyone who'll listen as they pass through the kitchen!

Look at me!  No.  Really!  Stop.  Look!  I'm intricately detailed and glorious!

Velvety rich leaves and silky petals beckon...

 

I guess I do have a couple of minutes to spare...Oh, yeah, you are so worth every penny!