Sun in a Basket

Several dozen little heads and a few big ones, too.  These are going back to
the birds (and the squirrels, chipmunks, deer, ground squirrels and mice).

How much sun, sunshine, sunlight, does it take to make a sunflower? How many hours of powerful energy were absorbed in these many seed heads. From their tiny beginnings as seeds from heads like these, the sprouts became plants and grew from April to September. You do the arithmetic. I'll just stand in awe of the Divine Knowing that manifests here. As sunflowers. As sunshine in a basket.

I Spy a Bird Feeder

Brunnera with tiny pale blue flowers and seeds

Your job is to find it in these pictures. Watching the little brown bird (Song Sparrow) give me a big hint is one of the first Things I get to do today. 

My camera and I could not capture this sweet Song Sparrow as it
hopped up onto the flower stalks for an instant, plucking off the tiny
seed heads.  I had no idea this was a bird feeder.

I am always stunned at the details Nature reveals to anyone who stands still long enough. It takes only a few thoughtful moments to collect dozens of secrets throughout your day.  I'd love to hear about some of your special discoveries in stillness.

Blazing Berries

Fall is gosh-awesome gaudy.  No doubt about it.  Why in my yard alone there is enough color to make Tammy Faye Baker look pale.

Barberry

Knock-your-socks-off gorgeous in the far corner by the hen pen is barberry with it electrically sharp spines.  Bright, lipstick red leaves will bring the whole plant to center stage by Thanksgiving.

Harlequin Glory-bower or Clerodendrum

For now it is watched over by the Clerodendrum whose elegantly, old-fashioned-sweet summer blossoms somehow translate into crazy jester hats for Halloween and fall.

Porcelain Berry Vine

The summer preview for Porcelain Berry Vines is more about sound and honey.  The tiny, barely-noticeable clumps of flowers are honeybee magnets, causing the whole vine over our back patio to humm-m-m-m during daylight all summer long.  But fall pops out these purple, pink, blue and gray jewel "beads" that flickers find tasty.









Beauty berries are just natural show-offs.  A table center piece with orange-ripe persimmons and clumps of these near-fluorescent berries is stunning.  In January the bush is a banquet for migrating birds.




There are few words to paint adequately the portraits for these wonders so letting the pictures speak for themselves is one of the Things I get to do today.