Friday, August 08, 2008

Friday Flowers: Yellow Coneflowers


Last weekend we walked by a reservoir on the grounds of the local university looking for water birds. (At least that is what I was looking for). Yellow Coneflowers were blooming along the banks of the little lake and had grown so high and thick as to obliterate the foot path to the water's edge. My husband is not one to stand in a field of flowers but I couldn't resist this shot which looks like a scene from the movie Across the Universe. (We were never hippies or flower children but that was our generation)


Many grasshoppers and butterflies were flitting about, few staying still long enough for a picture. I have Purple Coneflowers in my garden but none of these lovely yellow cousins. (They may also be known as Sneezeweed but I did not analyze the leaves well enough to make a definite identification.)


We finally made it to the water's edge and found what we were looking for. Great Egrets are passing through again this year and a single bird stood gracefully in the shallow water watching for fish. Once again, wildflowers and birds won the day's prize for the image of beauty and serenity.


Have a beautiful and serene weekend!!

18 comments:

  1. Your pictures are so gorgeous, Ruth. Have you been using the Picnik website on these?

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  2. Thanks Ginger. I added a soft matte border to the first and last photos and increased the blue colour in the 3rd picture on Picnik. The second picture is untouched. The Egret picture was taken in the sun at noon so the colours are bright.

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  3. Anonymous7:46 am GMT-4

    Wild flowers are so lovely. I have noticed an abundance of the yellow coneflowers this year. But I do like the purple ones too.

    I'm so happy that you were able to see an Egert this year. Nice shot of him. Rather a gangling looking bird, but yet so beautiful.

    Have a great weekend!

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  4. Ruth--lovely photos help set the tone for what promises to be a lovely weekend here--temps in around 80 F. Not bad for August in central PA.

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  5. Anonymous9:01 am GMT-4

    That is a great shot of the Egret. Thanks for telling us how you did the effects on that one too. It really put the photo on another level.

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  6. Lovely photos. And such a beautiful field of flowers. Have a good weekend.

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  7. I so love the coneflower....they are so beautiful....I have just planted the pink in my garden but the drifts of sunshine yellow coneflowers took my breath away....that might be an idea for next year....

    Hope that you have a peaceful weekend to.....

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  8. There's a lot of Rudbeckia (I think that's the name in Latin) around here too, but nothing like that stand.

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  9. Oh my goodness..all those beautiful flowers. I bet there were little critters hopping all over there. And an egret...just beautiful....

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  10. I LOVE "Across the Universe", very bizarre but very beautiful. Funny my friends call me a hippy but I am not anything like those people.

    I love cornflowers. I need to get out on a trail and take some pictures of the few things that bloom in our dry August heat.

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  11. Nice pics. BTW Do you know where Homer Watson Park is? cuz thats where I'd like to go birding with you.

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  12. That's funny, when your post first opened, I thought "who's that flower child in that field?" What wonderful pictures; that egret is fabulous.

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  13. I think what would be so especially special about this field of coneflowers would be their lasting beauty as they stay in bloom for so long! I have the yellow in my garden, as well as the purple and white, and I find the yellow seems to be wanting to take over. Lovely egret capture We sometimes have them show up in our area also.

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  14. I love the field of coneflowers Ruth. And the egret is beautiful. Have a glorious weekend. :c)

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  15. I just love that picture of your husband among the flowers.

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  16. Ruth,

    Once again you have posted awesome flowers. The one of your husband standing in the field of yellow coneflowers is perfect. A moment in time, so to speak.

    The photo of the egret is a good shot. These birds are beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Hope you are drier in your part of the country than we are here. It is going for 3 pm and we are having thunderstorms once again.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  17. Gosh... what beautiful pics!

    I don't know of any fields of just one type of flower (rather than a mix of them, I mean), but the effect is lovely.

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  18. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment! Hope you had a good weekend. Ours was very, very wet...

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