316: Praying with tall ironweed

Today is much like yesterday in terms of the weather.  Hot, humid, clouds floating around in the sky trying to look and keep cool.  The wind is supposed to shift sometime this afternoon, bringing up more heat and humidity from the south.  The dog days are here.

Cattails and Joe Pye Weed

I took another slow walk today as part of my outdoor commitment.  It’s amazing how much you see when you take the time to not just look but be present and aware in the moment rather than looking ahead, to the side, or behind.  All photos in this post were taken yesterday.  I left the camera at the house while I was out today so I could spend time in the walk rather than looking through the camera.

I’ve noticed that I approach and look at the evergreen trees on the property in a seasonal way.  I have virtually (and literally) ignored them throughout the warmer months, yet during the winter they become a source of focus for me.  I was reminded of that when I started sorting through the rest of the photos from yesterday.  I stopped by to see each one today, just to say hello.

I mentioned yesterday that the ironweed is blooming and dotting the fields and meadows with purple.  The particular species of ironweed we have growing on our property is Tall Ironweed.  It is a native of North America.  The plant likes to grow in meadows and pastures where the soil is fertile and conditions are moderately damp.  No wonder it does so well around here.

All of my chores are done for the day.  The house is ready for our next round of visitors.  It’s nice to have a little time in which I have nothing in particular to do other than get this blog post written up and published.

I haven’t been keeping up well with all of you.  My apologies for that.  I hope to make it up to you soon.  In the meantime, please accept the flowers and scenes from my walk as a small thank you to you all for visiting and keeping up with me.

Another interesting factoid about ironweed is that it is difficult to dig up with a shovel and its stem is tough.  Hence the name, Ironweed.  (Sounds like it should be a superhero of some kind, doesn’t it?  Tall Ironweed, mightier than Goldenrod.  Taller than Joe Pye Weed.  Able to leap, errr, stretch above tall cattails in a single bound… )

Now we get to the part of the post where the title fits in.  Look closely at the photo above.  Someone is praying in the ironweed blossoms.  (As always, you can click on the photo — any photo —  to see the slightly larger version.)

And now there are two who appear to be praying.  The Bumble Bee and the Praying Mantis.  I almost missed the mantid, thinking it was a dead leaf strung like a hammock across the flowers of the ironweed plant.  In the first photo he is looking behind and back, checking out the bumble bee.  In this one, he seems to be looking at me.

The aura of Queen Anne's Lace

That’s about it from the Bogs for today.  Posts for the next few days will be on the short side as I’ll be enjoying the company of my in-laws.  (Believe it or not, I mean that.  I really do enjoy their company.  In-laws get an often-undeserved bad rep.  Or I got lucky.  Probably some of both.)

Wishing you all a fun-filled and magical weekend!  🙂

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