242/365 There’s This Prairie Meadow Hiding In the Suburbs….
242/365
Blink and you’ll miss it. You’ll probably miss it anyway because you are focused on driving. I’m glad. That means I get it all to myself, because you won’t see it to stop, unless you’re looking for it, it’s that inconspicuous.
Daubenspeck Community Nature Park is a gem. It is prairie meadows, wetlands, and forest all hugged together on 22 acres. I go there to walk and to meditate and to enjoy the meadow. It is lovely and secluded even though it is surrounded by roads and cars and houses. But once in the park, you forget everything else.
Mounds of prairie wildflowers cluster together, rolling into the woods beyond.
Every now and then a pocket of color peaks through the green leaves and stalks.
The petals look wild and messy, not smooth like other petals. And, yet, they are structured. I do so love structured chaos!!
Pick ME! A single beauty.
Dotted throughout the landscape are these beautiful, dark, rich stalks. I tried to capture the contrast between their lovely darkness and the vibrant greens surrounding them but fell short. They add a subtle elegance to the wild colors of the rest of the meadow.
Coming in for a Landing! This was the first bee photo I took in the meadow that day. I took many others, but when I got home and saw this little guy coming in for a landing, I knew this was it. The flower is pretty, too.
On hot days, I like going into the woods to cool off until I’m ready to return to the meadow.
Nude Sun Bathers. The late evening sun bathes these nearly spent wildflowers.
I almost missed this. As I left, I looked back at the meadow and saw the late sun kissing the tops of just this patch of wild growth.
Pretty colours!
July 1, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Thank you! It was so hard wrangling the colors out of the camera. I don’t know why I can’t photograph what I see!!! Though, if I remember, you posted a question about whether or not one should photograph what is or what one sees. I see lots of colors and contrasts and delineations that I can’t make my camera see. So I do some post processing just to make the colors pop. I try to remain true to what I see, though. I love this little 22 acre of preserved nature. It is such a happy place.
July 1, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Looks like a lovely sanctuary
July 1, 2012 at 2:27 pm
It is. I go there to think. Not many people know about it, or perhaps are as enchanted by it as I am, so I tend to have it all to myself when I go.
July 1, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Awesome shots! U r my hero/heroine
July 8, 2012 at 10:02 am
Awww. Thanks!
July 9, 2012 at 6:28 am
Pingback: 253/365 More from the Meadow « deeper meanings
A Fortress of Solitude can take many forms, and it’s essential to be able to find one at least once in a while. You’re fortunate to have one so close!
August 14, 2012 at 4:17 pm