After our aunt Ruth Stein died in 2011, our cousin Ann Monahan reliably sent us lively messages of remembrance on Ruth’s birthday, April 9. She often introduced her cheers for Ruth with the yellow blooms of early April.
Ann’s death on April 7 this year cut short such special poetic reminders to us and countless others in her life. The striking loss led me to gather images of yellow blossoms, in honor of Ann’s great array of ways to supportively connect people.
Category Archives: nature
November Leaves, Above and Below
Bright Thanksgiving morning after rain, damp leaves underfoot reflected sunlit fluttering leaves against azure sky. The familiar, ever-changing wooded path near me called out to be captured close up below and broadly high above. That brief chance to take in fleeting moments of autumn leaves in progress led up to the photos in this post.
Dramatic Reds in Different Places
As a spectacular sequel to “Dramatic Reds in Salem Garden,” Barbara Nachmias-Kedesdy offers an arresting array of reds from her travels and previous home.
Appreciate Wreaths
Holiday wreaths fit happily within the realm of ‘Pleasures of Plants,’ so one late December day I photographed several on my street and a bit beyond.The longer I looked, the more I appreciated their common and distinctive features. All are circular, continuous, connected, intertwined. Some are mostly evergreens, while others keep bare branches.
Edible Plants and Memories of Minna Lee, part four*
Photos and text by John Miller; text by Brad Gurman with photo by Bernard Lee
*fourth of five parts, so far, with responses from friends and family to my request for photos and text related to edible plants in the life or remembrance of Minna Lee (1917-2005) prompted by her birthday on August 23.
Edible Plants and Memories of Minna Lee, part two*
Text and photos by Renee Kasinsky and Tina Gram; Text by Harold Snedcof, photo by Marjory Wunsch; text by Linda Harris, photo from Lee/Levy family album
A rush — Still Learning To See
The sun-powered rush to grow, bloom and reproduce is under full steam now with wave after wave of plants hoisting their flowers up to the wind and/or the pollinators and the eyes of those who are seeing. They tempt with color—much of it invisible to my human eye—and scent and, for the insects, tiny magnetic […]Continue reading “A rush — Still Learning To See”
Fascinating Desert Plants from February in Tuscon, Arizona
During frigid February days in Massachusetts, I was happily transported by photos Julie Shaw texted during her brief family vacation in Arizona. Inspired by those radiant images from that distinctly different landscape, I asked her to share some in a post on Pleasures of Plants. Fortunately for all viewers, she responded with the following images, including well-researched enlightening captions and notes.
Irises Recall Presence of Birch from Past
Until two years ago this tall graceful birch was a welcome landmark of a nearby park, reliable in my routines. When I became aware the birch was gone, I missed it and wondered why it was cut down, but I never sought out answers to that recurring question.
Bare Trees Work with Winter Skies
As buds begin on branches, I recall that blossoms, leaves and fruits will reduce the chances for sky and sun to interact with the structure of bare trees. While eyes and iPhones focus on compelling colors and layers of growing green, I’ll lose sight of dramatic or intricate patterns of tree trunks, bark, limbs and branches for the next three seasons. This post presents reminders of what winter trees will offer again as autumn ends.
Pleasures of Plants 