One of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow is @rfedortov_official_account. Maintained by a Russian deep sea fisherman, the creatures he photographs remind me of many monsters and aliens that I’ve seen in movies and TV shows. Peppered in-between the creature photos are gorgeous shots of sunrises at sea.
Ever since my husband and I bought our house five years ago I have fallen in love with the delicate honeysuckle vines growing in our backyard and the neighborhood nature trail. I always thought of them as quintessentially southern, tied up with associations of hot summers, wide porches, and sweet tea. Except these flowers are not native southern belles. Honeysuckle native to the US have scarlet flowers, and mine are white and yellow. It turns out my honeysuckle is considered to be an invasive species from eastern Asia. Able to slink up to 33 feet up a tree, it chokes out native plants while leaving an intoxicating vanilla scent in its wake. They might lean more towards being femme fatales then southern ladies, but I think that has endeared them to me even more. I won’t be pulling them out of my yard anytime soon.
sun shimmers through trees a glistening amber drop petrifying me
trees used to tower high enough to block the sun once upon a time ********** That you Freeverse Revolution for the prompt!
blue grey morning light slate like early ocean waves washing over me
winding path tracing through the woods and history ****** I took this photo at King’s Mountain Military Military Park.
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. John Muir
I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy. Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
I have a few places around Charlotte that I like to visit when I have a day off. One of my favorite’s is the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. A large botanical garden just south of Charlotte, its been updated recently into two parts. The first part is very manicured section that features a changing seasonal assortment of plants and blooms along its pathways and fountains. On the edge of this section is orchard house. A miniature tropical paradise year round, unique orchard flowers dot the greenery in miniature pops of color. It takes a lot of work to maintain, and since I was visiting on a weekday, I caught a glimpse of all the work it takes to constantly weed and update the flowers around all of the water features. The second part is a walk way that loops around a large meadow and a quiet wooded area. A nice contrast to the carefully tended seasonal gardens, the eventual plan is to plant wildflowers in the meadow. I’m sure the final product will match the gorgeous …
