Yellow Rose

Yellow Rose from Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee Wisconsin

Yellow Rose © 2010 Bo Mackison

And I’ll send a little humor to you on this Saturday morning, the start of a beautiful weekend. I found this quote while looking for a few words about roses, and just couldn’t pass it by. Especially considering the source…I think she was a wise, inspirational woman, but obviously she was a comedian, too!

I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall. ~~ Eleanor Roosevelt

On Watch – The Hidden Beauty of a Day Lily

Macro Photograph of Yellow Daylily

On Watch @ 2010 Bo Mackison

Macro-photograph of a yellow daylily, photographed at Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Little periscopes, hmm? Wonder what they see…

Yellow Lily – A Photo Visit in My Garden

Yellow Lily at Chicago Botanic Garden

Yellow Lily © 2010 Bo Mackison

It’s a cloudy day in Wisconsin, a good day to share this bright bit of yellow – a day lily photographed at the Chicago Botanic Gardens this past weekend.

I sooooo wanted to call this photograph “Lello Lily” in honor of my youngest who pronounced the word ‘yellow’ by substituting ‘l’ for the ‘y’ — and did so long after she could easily say the word ‘yellow’ correctly. She simply loved the way it sounded. Often another family member would call something ‘lello’ also — it always brought on the giggles.

She will so love the sound of these two words combined — ‘Lello Lilly’.

Visitor

Bee Pollinating Pink ZInnia

Visitor © 2010 Bo Mackison

Bee pollinating pink cosmos. Allen Centennial Gardens, Madison Wisconsin.

Ecstatic

White Peony with Pink Tear Drop Petal

Ecstacy © 2010 Bo Mackison

Our peony season in Madison has been over for a week, the victim of torrential downpours which soaked the flowers and sent them drooping onto the garden’s earth. So when we took a visit to Racine for a Frank Lloyd Wright Tour this weekend, I was happy to see peonies in full bloom. Lake effect. We were only a mile inland from Lake Michigan and spring was later in coming. The peonies were at their peak.

As we headed up a driveway to one of the homes on the tour, I noticed this peony plant. Each flower was pure white save for a tear-shaped streak of deep pink and a single petal with pink edging. I hadn’t planned on doing any macro photography – not on an architectural tour – but luckily my lenses were in the car. Sherpa was hurrying me more than usual, as the skies were graying and raindrops were splashing around us. But I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to capture this white peony with the unusual pink markings. So we went back to the car for the right equipment and I studied the peonies.

Fifty shots later, and we were back on the tour. But I’m glad I stopped to smell the roses…wait, wrong saying.

Glad I stopped to photograph the peony.