Category: flowers

Turning Frowns Upside Down

August 13th, 2019

The dog days of summer are upon us, and I confess I have been feeling crabby. I’m sick of the heat and I am sick-to-death of bug bites. I itch all over. Bah!

I grumbled my various complaints to myself as I walked down Massachusetts Avenue the other day. The Capitol building was to my right, Union Station was to my left. There were too many cars about, and they were making loud noises and foul smells.

I was not happy, folks!

And then, to my surprise, I came upon a patch of Black-Eyed Susans. It was delightful and turned my frown upside down. To make matters even better, there were bees flitting this way and that, busily pollenating. I love black-eyed susans – this native flower is the best part of late summer. And I ADORE bees. I worry about bees a lot, so it was marvelous to see so many about.

Hector and I recently decided to practice expressing gratitude on a daily basis and so I stopped to say my thanks to the flowers and the insects.

“Thank you, black-eyed susans, for sharing your beauty with me. Thank you, bees, for pollenating so industriously – no one knows what we would do without you. And thank you, both of you, for cheering me up!”

XOXO,
Bernice
Flutter On

July 16th, 2019

My muses informed me that they LOVE BUTTERFLIES and so I will write about them again this week. I find it is best to keep one’s muses well-pleased.

I went to visit my Great-Aunt Mimi again. I am always welcome at her place. We decided to sit in her milkweed patch. Mimi has planted a lot of a type of milkweed called butterfly weed and it is in full bloom.

The plant has been put in the garden specifically for monarchs to eat during their caterpillar stage of life, but many types of butterflies are attracted to the beautiful blooms.

The day was sunny and hot and there were a lot of butterflies fluttering about. Most of them were Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, which I find particularly beautiful. I love the bit of blue on their lower backs – so fancy! I asked Mimi what she had planted to attract that specific insect to her garden.

“They’re here to drink the nectar from a lot of different flowers, but I think the tulip tree next door is probably a favorite egg-laying spot for them,” Mimi said, pointing to a large tree in her neighbor’s garden.

The butterflies flew from bloom to bloom, filling their tummies with good eats. Mimi and I admired their industriousness while we lazed away in the sun.
It’s Cherry Blossom Time!

April 2nd, 2019

My Dad, Mom, Louisa, Hector and I made our way to D.C.’s tidal basin to see the annual cherry blossom bloom. There are many places one can see cherry blossoms in D.C., but we feel the tidal basin is the most iconic and so we go there every year. The flowers, the water, the monuments, the big blue sky… what more can a girl ask for? It is simply beautiful!

We giraffes are too tall to walk under the canopy the trees make, but that is fine with us. The walk under the tree branches is mobbed with humans anyway.

Even though Washington D.C. is known for its cherry blossoms, the trees are not native to the area. The trees were a gift from the people of Japan to the people of the United States. Isn’t that interesting? The gift was given over 100 years ago so you might have thought they were always here, but that is not at all the case.

Do you have cherry blossom trees where you live? If not, what blooms in your neck of the woods each spring?
Hello Spring!

March 26th, 2019

Hector knows I love forsythia and suggested we go see Forsythia Dell at Dumbarton Oaks. I had somehow never even heard of it, even though I have lived in D.C. my whole life. I suppose the reason for that may be that D.C.’s famous cherry blossom extravaganza overshadows all other spring blooms.

The cherry blossoms are gorgeous and deserve to be well known, but if you have a chance, you must go see the forsythia at Dumbarton Oaks too. Two hillsides are covered in yellow blooms in early spring. It is spectacular!

I was so happy when I saw the plethora of yellow flowers that I gave Hector a big kiss on the cheek. That made him blush. It was so cute! But don’t tell him I said so.