Blue Lupine in the Cascades

Blue Lupine, Washington State Wildflower

Blue Lupine in the Cascades © 2010 Bo Mackison

Mother Nature makes it really hard to drive on the back roads of Washington state. Every few yards along the sides of the roads are massive spreads of blue and purple lupine. When she wants to make it especially difficult to concentrate, she adds a few white or pink lupine into the mix. Occasionally there are yellow ones, too.

I finally pulled off the road to get my photography fix for the morning. We were driving from Seattle to Vancouver — shouldn’t have been all that difficult, seeing as it is only a two hour drive. But we were already a day behind our plans, since we had taken the turn off I-5 the morning before for a spontaneous detour through the North Cascades. But even being off schedule wasn’t a good enough reason to not stop. So stop we did.

The lupine were definitely worth the delay.

Flowers and Veggies

Another trip around the Capitol Square in Madison checking out the stalls at the Farmers’ Market.

Gaillardia in Focus

Gaillardia in Focus © 2008 Bo Mackison

Blanket-flowers (gaillardia) in a variety of colors – yellows, oranges, white and lavender. I picked up 8 of these annuals to fill in a space in my mostly perennial garden.

Onions for Sale

Onions for Sale © 2008 Bo Mackison

Even the onions are attractively displayed. I had to take a photo before I bought a bunch of green onions. A large population of Hmong farm and sell at the Dane County market, and the women vendors at this vegetable stall always have their produce arranged with an eye for an artistic presentation. Always a visit to satisfy many senses.

Plants for Sale

Plants for Sale © 2008 Bo Mackison

No flowers blooming yet, but the purple tags provided the color for this photograph, with lupine plants tucked in the background. More to plant – always.

Every Sunday is Green Thumb Sunday. Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers participate each Sunday; visit Green Thumb Sunday for more information.