Nature's beauty, No. 23

After a couple days of thorns, I thought this next to last post in the nature's beauty series ought to reflect another aspect of the rose bush, the leaves.
 

Wide shot.
 

Close up, slightly to the right of the wide shot.

Nature's beauty, No. 22

--> Two close ups of the same part of a rose bush and several pointed reasons I felt lucky to be able to make my way around the garden without touching a single plant.
 

First, this one.



Now, this one.

Nature's beauty, No. 20

Looks like the spiderweb has just about completed the webbing for the insects' circus tent, doesn't it?

Nature's beauty, No. 19

Alongside the front windows on the east wing of the Albertina Kerr building is a trimmed hedge--I think it might be some sort of boxwood although I cannot say for sure. I squatted down for a closer look at this dewy little cloud of spiderweb with these tiny branches coming through it. I liked what I saw enough to take a photo and share it with you.

Nature's beauty, No. 16

In this photo, I especially like the juxtaposition of the delicately threaded spiderweb and the robust, fleshy flowers on this shrub. Do you know the Harlequin Glorybower? I'm serious--that is its name. I didn't know that an hour ago, but I used to be a librarian who still believes that research is big time fun. So, I looked and looked on the Internet trying all sorts of search word combos, finally having success at Google Images with this combo--shrub with pink flower blue berries. The sixth photo, top right corner, success! Next I Googled the name and found out all sorts of stuff, including a big surprise. What I thought was a flower is actually a fruit! Described as red calyxes adorned with the fruit, those exotically colored blue berries. I think you will enjoy this post about the Harlequin Glorybower I lucked out and found at a Portland, Oregon, blog titled Random Acts of Gardening.

Nature's beauty, No. 15

So special, the way this spiderweb drapes along the bottom. The scalloped edge makes me think of Belle's yellow ball gown in Beauty and the Beast. And if you'll look closely at the far left of the spiderweb, tell me if you see what I see, please.

A double web? I guess that is what you'd call it. I looked at the image at its largest size and see two distinct upward bound threads. And there's just a bit of a second spider web there, joined to the other one by a couple of threads going across, practically parallel with the ground. I wish I'd noticed this when I took the photo on Sunday, October 20, but by the time I got to taking these, I was so cold--I'd been out there for almost two hours, enjoying the foggy morning. Thankful for the fog, to tell you the truth, because I figure that it contributed greatly to the fog.

Nature's beauty, No. 14

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Fuchsia, alive, hanging from itself, some in front of the spiderweb, some behind it.
 

Fuchsia, past its prime, hanging by three threads of spiderweb. Can you see all three?

Nature's beauty, No. 13

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I left the rose beds at Albertina Kerr and walked onto their patio which is lined on three sides with beds of trees and shrubs. I looked for dew drops on some begonias, then turned back to look at the trees. Lo and behold, this spiderweb and spider were right there in front of me.

Nature's beauty, No. 11

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Almost all of this delicate rose, a bit past its optimum bloom.
 

A close-up. I like that these roses grow so tall because it makes for a unique perspective.

Nature's beauty, No. 10

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These dew drops make me think of mercury glass. If you don't know it, take a moment to Google Image "mercury glass balls" so you can see what I mean--please and thank you.



I can't decide which part of these dew drops I like the most--the ones on the spiderweb or the ones on the leaf stem.

Nature's beauty, No. 7

Tensile tenacity. Definitions from Merriam Webster Online: Tensile, relating to the amount that something (such as a wire) can stretch or be stretched without breaking. I amend. Such as a spiderweb. Such as a dew drop. Tenacity, the quality or state of being tenacious. Tenacious, not easily pulled apart--and--tending to adhere or cling to another substance. We all know that we humans have the capacity to shamelessly destroy all that I have photographed. I celebrate those who instead assertively cultivate the opposite, who celebrate nature's beauty so that all who see may hold fast the nurturing of our souls by said beauty.

Thank you to the gardeners at the Albertina Kerr Center in Northeast Portland.

Nature's beauty, No. 6

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An upward bound trio of rose buds, beautiful in front of the fog shrouded Albertina Kerr Center. It's such a good time to get to see sights like this and to then be able to get photos of said sights. Such a good time. I am certain owning a camera and living in a picturesque environment which is easy for me to experience plays a major role in keeping me sound, mentally and physically.
 

A closer shot.