I’m certifiably coneflower crazy.
And more than a little daylily crazy.
But if we were holding some sort of contest, coneflowers would win. Daylily blooms, true to their name, last a mere day and then they’re gone. Gorgeous, especially the one pictured above, but fleeting. Coneflowers are beautiful, grow taller and taller each year and last for most of the summer. Then when winter comes around they provide food for the birds. And they spread. I mean, how can you not love these guys?
The three of us – Don, Scout and me – are enjoying a couple of days together before Don returns to Williamstown tomorrow. I know from experience that, after being away a few weeks, it’s a bit jarring to suddenly be back in your cozy permanent home for a couple of days after having lived in your not-so-cozy temporary home. When Don got home he kept saying, “It’s so colorful here. There’s so much color!” After living in the white-walled, stark rooms of his ‘dorm’ he was struck by all of the color that I take for granted here. Half of the time I don’t even see it because I’m so used to it.
But it’s a good reminder how powerful color can be. And you know that I love color; not for me the all white and neutrals look. Here we have splashes of red and turquoise and green and yellow and cream. Pottery is everywhere, some of it in sherberty McCoy colors, some it in the deeper blues and greens of Roseville. There’s a vintage laundry basket full of colorful yarn in the den. We balance it all out with the golden tones of our pine floors and oak coffee table, the darker finishes on the piano, sideboard and music cabinet and the creamy colors of some of the painted furniture. And that’s just the main floor.
Don’s been living in a dorm with a common room. No decorations, nothing on the walls, no air conditioning in this never-ending stretch of high humidity and high temperatures. Then suddenly, he’s back in our cottage, air conditioner whirring, color everywhere. A bit overwhelming, I think. I will be living in a neutral environment when I head back to Hartford. I understand. I, however, always pack pops of color that I can add to the rooms I’m living in. Don doesn’t. He’s a guy.
Changing the subject, yesterday I stood in front of the hanging plant on the porch and snapped dozens of pictures, all the while trying to capture the elusive hummingbird moth. He darted so quickly from flower to flower that I could barely keep up with him. This is the best of the bunch.
And I heard a little tapping way up in the catalpa tree and saw this beauty.
A downy woodpecker. Thank goodness I have my old camera, which has a telephoto option on its single lens. I keep it on the kitchen table just for opportunities like this one. This guy was way up in the tree.
A telephoto lens for my newer camera is on my wish list, but in the meantime, this does very nicely.
I’m also camera crazy.
Coneflower, day lily, color and camera crazy. That’s enough for today.
Happy Monday.
I love taking pictures..then I have to find something to say about them..Good catch with the Woodpecker..
Timing is everything, Missy!
As always, your photos are stunning ! I love your cottage, the fresh colors, the bright happiness that is apparent in your posts. Our home decor is more suited to Autumn and Winter. Sometimes I wish I could repaint and refurnish, but today, I will admire your colors and your flowers and be happy to have a warm sunny day here in North Dakota :)
Enjoy your sunny day, Lori!
I have never heard of a hummingbird moth, let alone SEEN one! Thank you Claudia.
I have a post from last summer showing another hummingbird moth – I’ll try to remember to include the link on tomorrow’s post.
The hummingbird moth is a treat to see in the garden. Lovely photos. Valerie
Thank you, Valerie!
Claudia I love Coneflowers!! I see them around here sometimes and keep thinking I’m going to plant some. Now that i’ve moved I’ll have to see what I can do next year. Your photos always make me smile. I realized when you were speaking of the pops of color that I must get some of my things unpacked to bring back the color to my living room. It’s bland as can be….Yikes, so not me!
hugs,
Linda
Soon you’ll have all your colorful things around you, Linda.
I’ve never heard of a hummingbird moth! We had a huge moth last year in the early fall…when the nights were getting dark early and it was still warm enough to not need a sweater. I kept seeing this huge moth…but it was evening, your’s is in the day.
I never looked it up. But now, I’m curious if it is the same thing I had here. Yesterday, I woke to something buzzing around in the computer room (it has an outside access door leading to the side porch) I had to find it and see what it was. It was a Cicada! In my house! I went and found a large butter tub and lid and captured it to release outside. I’ve no idea how long it had been in here. It appeared happy to be let out.
Have a great colorful day.
Pat
So good of you to release that cicada, Pat! Hummingbird moths look like hummingbirds when you first see them. I was rather shocked the first time I saw one and I had to look it up online. I’d never seen one until I moved here.
We have hummingbirds…but no moth hummers…never heard of those! Your flowers are pretty….I love summer for the flowers…and only the flowers. Enjoy your day with Don! ;)
I love, love flowers and though it is endlessly hot and humid here, I’ll put up with it to have my garden and my flowers.
Hello, Claudia
Your photo of the coneflower is beautiful. I have one that has opened, but it doesn’t have its usual rich colour; it’s rather enemic looking. I hope its other flowers have a bit more zip to them. For some reason, I have more colour in the garden than I do in my home. I’ll have to think about why that is the case.
-Karen
Some of my coneflowers are a really intense shade and others (under the shade of the maple) are much paler.
Gardening and birds. I go crazy for those too. And my purple and yellow daylilies are blooming. Found this variety a couple states away from ours.
I bet they are beautiful, Harvee!
Yeah, that kinda sounds like my list too. :-) And to think there are people in the world who don’t notice wildflowers or downy woodpeckers or insects at a flower. There is so much life and beauty all around us. What a gracious God!
I remember being very young and not noticing any of the things I notice today. Thank goodness for growing older and wiser!
What is funny is that I have a daylily with that apricot shade blooming right now next to my coneflowers! :) It just came into bloom today ( the other daylilies bloom earlier ) though I was mowing grass when I noticed it
Didn’t know there was such a thing as a hummingbird moth…beautiful!
They are beautiful. I’ll put a link up tomorrow from a post I wrote about them last year.
Great pictures. I have also been busy with my camera. Just bought a new one. It has a 50x zoom, so cool! I was even able to get some pictures of bees in flight!!!! At least I can see that they are actually fluing now! I have never been able to do that before! I have most of them up on my blog. I hope you, Don and Scout are making the most of your days together. You must be so happy to be in one place again.
Enjoy your new camera, Teresa! I bet you’re having a lot of fun.
My pink coneflower is blooming and so pretty. I only have daylilies that have migrated from my neighbors yard to mine! Glad the 3 of you had time together in your cheerful cottage!
We’re enjoying our time together – it’s back to MA for Don tomorrow.
Your pictures are fabulous. I imagine it is a shock to come from stark surroundings to your colorful world. Think how dull and monotonous it would be… if we never experienced color. Joe’s kids have a beautiful house. They decorated it in beiges, off white, and touches of black. I wish that they would add a pop of color. To me, it looks like a model home.
Oh, well…to each his own…for me, color.
Balisha
I know what you mean about the ‘model home’ look. Too bland for me.
I planted a few cone flowers last year, as I love them too. But they didn’t come back this year. And I’m not buying any flowers at all this year. I do love my zoom lens. I use it more than the lens the camera came with.
Brenda
Maybe coneflowers aren’t perennials there?
WOW! I have never heard of a humming bird moth. …I have never seen one. Beautiful pictures Claudia!
Blessings, Joanne
Thank you, Joanne!
Hi crazy Claudia (and I mean that in the nicest way, lol) ~ I love your photos, especially the one of the hummingbird moth. I love purple coneflowers too, and have a huge plant in my butterfly garden, but it hasn’t bloomed yet. Another thing we have in common – I don’t care for all-white or neutral decor either. Gotta have color!
xoxo
Your (also crazy) friend, Melanie
Color, color, color!
I love the woodpecker, and the cone flower and the………….. :)
Hug,
Laura
Have a great day, Laura!
You should make Don a lightweight colorful quilt to take along with him on his trips. How cozy to snuggle up in bed at night and dream of you.
Unfortunately, my husband, though a wonderful guy, sometimes loses things like that……so maybe not!
Hi Claudia, I was at a pond today and I was lucky to see 2 blue Herons. Just beautiful birds!! Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera. I finished reading The Execution of Noa P. Singleton and I enjoyed it. Thanks for the recomendation. Take care, Doris from Ct
It is sad that the Daylillies come and go so quickly..but I enjoy the huge plot of them here beside the house..I have a beautiful little Red Headed Woodpecker here..I see quite often but I hear him pecking away in the woods even more..You are right about not noticing all of the beauty around us when we are younger..it is good to be older and wiser about these things..to stop and look closer..Speaking of nature..we had a most terrible severe thunderstorm here yesterday afternoon..Trees down all around including half of the one right beside our house..power lines down..we were without power since then until about two hours ago today..Misery in the heat and humidity without air..I went outside at the time and I was terrified as I thought it was a tornado..Things were blowing everywhere..Our umbrella and glass top table where we enjoy meals outside was blown over but thankfully didn’t break..So scary Claudia..I hope nothing like that storm comes up your way..Take care..
I definitely need color in my life. This country on a whole is very drab. When friends see the pictures I post, they are surprised that the photos are actually taken in Kuwait. We do have those little spots of beauty but you just have to zone in on them and crop the rest out. When I visit people here, especially the Arabs, I find that they decorate very simply and with little color. Some wouldn’t even consider wasting their time doing anything with the bathroom. I find that rather pleasant sometimes, but then when I come home to a riot of color and rooms with personality, I realize I couldn’t live any other way. And just so you know, when we went to Dubai, I took along candles and a few other things that would make the hotel room a little more homey. All inspired by you! :) Best wishes, Tammy