The Heron In Autumn

Great Blue Heron

Lagoon at Chinese Gardens,

Fort Worden State Park,

Port Townsend,

Washington, USA

Winter Approached Cold

Our winter this year came early and colder than expected. All the forecasts declared this would be a mild winter, but that wasn’t obvious over parts of late November and early December. This was after a series of unusually balmy days in October. Now, as last year, we are heading into a much earlier spring than normal with the fruit trees already blooming by the 15th of February. There is only a very light snowfall in the Olympic Mountains despite copious amounts of rain near the Puget Sound. It appears that we’ll be having a drought this summer and, hopefully, we won’t be experiencing a cold snap as the plants would all be hit very hard. There have been many beautiful days this season and there will probably be many more, but that gain in beauty could be signaling a loss in other areas.

I took this shot on one of the coldest mornings of the year. The roads were slick with ice and the sky was clear and sunny that morning. This fern frond was in the shade near a dilapidated wooden barn and a hedgerow of Nootka Roses and other brambling native plants.

One of the things I most love about living on the Olympic Peninsula is how beautiful winters can be. There are the deep greens of firs and other conifers, the brights reds and scarlets of dogwood branches, rose hips and hawthorn berries, the dusky purples of some wild grasses, the parchment golds of fading bracken ferns, the bright yellows of the earliest flowers and the intense white berries of the Snowberry bushes. All these native plants decorate the landscape with muted and brilliant color both.

I grew up in the Mother Lode country of California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A much drier and more Mediterranean climate than here in Jefferson County. Winters there were frequently foggy and the colors I appreciate here were absent from the landscape. The oak trees stood as silent grey sentinels of dormancy. I had no idea then that I would someday live in a place where winter was wet and misty yet brilliantly colored like what I had imagined it might be like to spend Christmas in parts of rural Britain.

I think the many trips to visit my Grandparents who lived in the redwoods near Arcata (Humboldt County), California, had a very deep influence on me. The redwoods rose above everything on the undeveloped part of their property. The ground was rich with plant litter that made a perfect base for many different ferns, huckleberries and other plants that thrive in moist and mostly shady conditions. I always thought the deep woods were magical and so unlike the oak and manzanita covered hills were I was a child.

It took me a few decades to finally realize that the wealth of nature had been missing from my life and I arrived here in April of 2000. I have never regretted coming here, though it isn’t the easiest place to make a living. I guess the “vow of poverty” is offset by the stunning scenery and the joy of interacting with nature in its most verdant and lush form. Life sings anew even in the depths of winter here and I love seeing how each day unfolds with blustery weather or sunshine and wondrous cloud formations. I feel privileged to be a part of this grand display of how incredible nature is and how I am able to interact with it so intensely and personally.

January Sunset

 

 

 

 

This was taken as I was heading into downtown Port Townsend to workout at the gym.
One thing I seldom experience here are sunsets. I can’t really see them without driving out to a location where there aren’t obstructions like buildings, hills and trees.
I see many more full moons and rainbows than vivid sunsets.
But how could I ever complain about that?

Boats and Water

 

 

Mystery Bay Marina, Marrowstone Island, Washington, USA

 

Copyright 2013 by G. W. German. All Rights Reserved.

One More

 

 

Photograph Copyright 2013 by G. W. German.

All Rights Reserved.

Bright Flowers and Florescent Leaves

First, a leftover from last Spring,  Narcissus.

Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’ in bloom.

E. g. ‘Fireglow’ in Autumn #1.

E. g. ‘Fireglow’ in Autumn #2.

Common red geranium fall bloom.

Lilium ‘Stargazer’ late Summer bloom.

 

Photographs Copyright 2013 by G. W. German.

All Rights Reserved.

Pollinator

 

 

I am always happy to find, bees, butterflies and frogs in my yard.

These days dependable denizens of the garden are disappearing fast because of things like heavy pesticide use and climate change.

What a sad world we will live in if they do disappear forever.

In the case of bees, we won’t just be sad but seriously deprived of the fruit and vegetables from food sources we heavily rely on.

I truly hope I never see the day when my small friends have vanished.

 

Photographs Copyright 2013 by G. W. German

All Rights Reserved

 

Here in Port Townsend we have a love/hate relationship with the Giant Spotted Sumatran Rats otherwise known as White-tailed Deer.

Our herd is protected, so there is no Bambi blasting within city limits. I have no doubt that, were this community to suddenly experience

a natural disaster of some sort, the herd would instantly become fair game. And deservedly so.

This privledged class of herbivore acts like the worst of the royals.

They are arrogant, aloof, and fearless in their quest to decimate every garden they can gain access to. They will devour just about anything green and juicy.

Even plants that are listed as “deer proof”. Last year they attacked my euphorbia; A plant that produces a highly toxic white sap. It didn’t phase them.

If it’s a plant you prize that will be the first item on their menu.

I don’t eat red meat but, after dealing with these ravenous pests, venison steaks sound incredibly appetizing.

Photographs Copyright 2103 by G. W. German

All Rights Reserved

At The Washington State Rhododendron Garden (Part One)

 

I may not appreciate the prospect of large Rhododendrons in my own small garden, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the beauty and splendor of their spring blossoms.

This past weekend I visited the Washington State Rhododendron Garden which, conveniently, is a very short drive from my house. The garden is immediately after the entrance to Fort Worden State Park. Right here in beautiful Port Townsend. Sunday was a “free day” for the state park system and, with my limited budget, I try to take advantage of such things as often as possible. As far as peak rhody bloom is concerned it would have been better to visit the garden in mid-May, but one does what one can. There is no free admittance to Fort Worden then.

I took almost a hundred photographs of about thirty different plants ranging in color from bright white to deep red, pale lavender and rich golds. It was an overcast day with a slight breeze that proved perfect for taking pictures of flowers.

If you ever get the chance to visit PT in Spring I highly recommend spending time at the State Rhododendron Garden.

Early Rhodie Dazzle

 

One of the most ubiquitous plants in Pacific Northwest gardens is the rhododendron. The native rhododendron is the Washington State flower.

As a fan of lengthy periods of bloom standard large-blossomed rhododendrons leave a lot to be desired by me. 50 weeks of green leaves and 2 weeks of spectacular bloom is almost too little finery for the work involved. But as a foundation shrub they make an outstanding dense evergreen backdrop for other plants such as Japanese maples that produce outstanding leaf color.

However, dwarf and species rhododendrons can offer more than just gorgeous flowers. With a little study you can find plants that have foliage that is every bit as exciting as their bloom. In autumn, some types produce leaf color so striking it is hard to believe they are related to the dull green behemoths that occupy so much space in the gardens of old houses and public parks. Still others have flowers that are scented like lilies and there are varieties that will bloom at Christmas, while some will color the yard on the 4th of July.

The rhododendron pictured above, a PJM hybrid, produces buds in March and is in its full magenta glory right now. But the thing that makes this plant an outstanding specimen is its bold after-bloom leaf color of deep mahogany. Later this summer it will provide a striking contrast to the watermelon and gold colored day lilies planted directly in front of it.

If you are interested in rhododendrons, please take the time to learn about lesser-used varieties, as well as their cousins the azaleas that can make valuable specimens for any gardener’s four or three season garden. Rhodies have much more to offer when you explore the large selection of smaller plants now available at nurseries and online.

 

Photograph copyright 2013 by G. W. German. All Rights Reserved.