Friday, July 10, 2009

Looking At The Flowers

There is a place at the back of the smallest park I visit where birds like to gather. It is a meadow area with the trees of the forest on all sides. When I'm back there I can hear birds all through those trees, but I almost never see them. The thing I do see is the flowers in the meadow.

I like to go back there to try and get a few lucky pictures of the birds. Sometimes I get them, but most of the time I don't. I have been back there very many times. When you go to a place over and over you begin to notice other things around you as well as what you're there for.

As I have become more aware of nature and my surroundings, I've also begun to appreciate things like flowers a little bit more. As time goes on, this meadow is filling up with these wildflowers. It's much easier to get pictures of flowers than birds.

I'm not going to give you the names of these flowers simply because I have no idea what the names are. I'm only just beginning to learn about plants and flowers, and the names aren't important to me at this point. What is important about a flower right now for me is the beauty.

The first thing I wanted to learn about was poisonous plants or anything else that might be dangerous. That should be anyone's first priority. After that, learning a little bit about plants I see along the way, including flowers, can be done as I go.

Once it begins to become a little easier to identify a few plants and flowers, I'll be ready for the next thing with plants. That would be learning to identify some of the beneficial plants. There are certain plants that are edible or have other good properties. I know a few of them, but not enough yet.

Since I'm only at the stage where I'm just beginning to learn a few names of flowers, like daisies, I'll just show you these pictures without telling you the names. The beauty of a flower is an important thing. It's one of the main reasons many of us want to know the name of them anyway.

23 comments:

  1. I think this is the best time of year for the prettiest flowers in Cleveland anyhow--I just took pictures of some yesterday myself!

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  2. Flowers can be very close to us, when we need them. They won't fly away.

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  3. I love flowers. I'm always taking pictures of flowers wherever I go. (Well, bugs and birds and animals, too.) ^.^

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  4. Beautiful flowers Ratty! I don't know the name of many either but do enjoy their beauty. I can post a comment now! I couldn't before. I tried last night to post to a couple of yours and it wouldn't work. Glad I can again!!

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  5. Very nice - like the photos - flowers are very colorful and add a lot of beauty to nature.

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  6. Thanks for letting us take a walk with you, Ratty. These flowers are lovely. Sometimes, not knowing what something is "called" helps you to appreciate what it "is". Enjoying something without a fuss is such a wonderful experience :) Good luck to you in your quest for plant knowledge.

    Happy weekend,
    Jennifer

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  7. Always love pictures of flowers. I've got some wild flowers growing beside my house. Have a great day

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  8. Beautiful flowers, and wild flowers are the best of all..

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  9. Oh, Ratty, how true that we begin to notice other things when we start studying one aspect of nature! What a rich experience we can all have when we stop and notice. Thanks for another nice post! Diane Tucker, Estate Naturalist, Hill-Stead Museum

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  10. Well, I don't know what that first one is! It may be a garden escape because the other pink on is Cosmos- a garden escape. The yellow one is brown-eyed Susan, and of course the Ox-eye daisy at the end. Part of the fun for me is knowing the names. Hopefully WiseAcre or someone will rescue me on that first one.

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  11. Wild flowers are the best, we just need to pause for for a moment to notice them.

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  12. Nice comps. Those are flowers in the "sunflower" family, the Asteraceae. Some of those look like ornamentals but I definitely could be wrong.

    But bright blooming flowers are a great addition to any day.

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  13. i love wildflowers, they add so much character and beauty to a landscape. and yes, it is easier to take them pictures, except when it is very windy, making macro shots of flowers almost impossible. you have lovely collection of flowers, i am so glad you are seeing flowers now in your trail.

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  14. Beautiful flowers, great pics, thanks for sharing.

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  15. Beautiful flower shots. I too always hear birds when I am at the gardens but rarely see them and when I do, I try and get photos yet they always fly away. I thought of you Ratty yesterday while at the gardens. I came upon a squirrel and tried to get a photo yet he kept scurrying away from me. I guess I scared him but I wondered how you always get those great shots :)

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  16. Karen - It might be the same way here too. The only difference is that we're a little farther north.
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    Rainfield - Yeah, they're so much easier than birds, and flowers seem to love the camera.
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    Laura - I started out with the bugs and birds and animals, but the flowers are becoming very fun.
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    Ginnymo - The beauty is the important thing. I tested the comments after you let me know and I had the same problem. Thanks.
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    Mike - Flowers used to be difficult for me to write about because I didn't understand. Now I'm beginning to appreciate their beauty.
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    JStantonChandler - You are exactly right. I've been able to start out with only the beauty in mind. Now I can begin to learn more.
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    Joe Todd - I love the wildflowers too. I have to go to the park because neighbors like to pick them when I'm not home.
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    Icy BC - I agree, because wildflowers are always an unplanned pleasant surprise.
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    Diane - Yeah, just one little thing opens up a whole new world for us, and especially for me.
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    Sharkbytes - The first one is deceptive because it is actually very small. It's really less than half the size of a dime, and it's in a bunch of on a stalk of more.
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    VanillaSeven - Yes exactly! It took me a long time to understand that.
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    Julia - There are actually whole fields of these growing at two different parks. I love sunflowers so it's good to know that.
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    Betchai - Some of these are from large fields of the same flowers. I take pictures of them to try to imitate some of your wonderful pictures of fields of flowers.
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    Glynis - Thanks I'm very happy to share these.
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    Poetic Shutterbug - Just the thought of those gardens makes me again want to see them myself. Most squirrels I see run away the same as yours. I have just learned to stalk them so relentlessly that I sometimes get lucky. It also doesn't hurt that there are so many at the places I go.

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  17. You can never go wrong with flower pictures for me! I love all the wild and hybrid flowers. I am kind of like you...it isn't as important to know their names, just to enjoy and admire their beauty.
    I left a comment on your blog yesterday, but I didn't see it show up...wonder if there was a problem?

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  18. Great post Ratty. I like wild flowers a lot but i am not good in identifying them too..:D

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  19. You're taking the first good step toward becoming a naturalist. While names aren't that important at first, as you get to know the names of more and more individual plants or animals or rocks or stars, you'll find that you are looking at the world with greater curiosity and greater attention to the new and never before noticed. It's a great adventure.

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  20. i never tire of your adventures or your pictures. flowers are one of the most beautiful things in nature and you have captured that beauty. thank you for your adventures.

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  21. Beautiful photos of my favorite things, flowers.

    Something else I like about wildflowers is they attract insects which are also great for photos.

    Have a great weekend,

    SQ

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  22. The Retired One - I have even more flowers coming. I have some good shots of a few. The comment problem seems to be happening on most Blogger blogs with the inline comment form.
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    Rose - I don't know most of them, but I'm learning. I hope it helps me learn even more good things about beneficial plants.
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    The Old Gray Egg - I certainly hope you're right. I hope this adventure gets better and better.
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    PJ - I'm beginning to get a true appreciation of flowers now. I hope it continues.
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    SquirrelQueen - The insects are some of my favorite things about these flowers.

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