Between the Storms

Rain on Tuesday and more showers expected Thursday and Friday.

Let's take advantage of this break and go outside.

The Red Elderberry blooms and blooms and blooms this year.

I am hoping for fruit - I've never seen this tree with mature fruit in the fall.

Larkspur - such an intense color.

I only have a couple of photos of Monkeyflower to share as someone took an ATV 'mudding' through this area and tore it up something fierce.

Only two plants survived the onslaught. We now have it posed No Trespassing. 

Many of the Corn Lilies were also destroyed - these survived at the edges.  

The Bitter Cherries are ripening.  I've seen Robins and chipmunks gorging on the fruit.  I expect the Cedar Waxwings will also indulge.

The Ocean Spray is just beginning to come into its own. 

The cascading blooms do resemble starry ocean spray.

Nature's Bouquet for today.  Blackberries and wild roses. 

Vine Maple has such pretty bright red seeds. 

Here's my new wild flower.

I found it at the beginning of the Secret Path.

A cluster of white blooms on a tall thin stalk. 

The Flax is now in bloom.

The blackberries have set fruit, but continue to bloom.

Vetch tangles.

Wild honeysuckle.

Hazelnuts.  The chipmunks and jays will snag these as soon as they are ripe.

Oregon has a robust hazelnut industry.  I've been told that Oregon Hazelnuts are exported to Europe and used in candy and chocolates.  

I was really taken with this spray of ripening blackberries.

It looks like a Christmas decoration.

Very pretty.

Mustn't overlook the mundane daisies... 

...and Colt's Foot.

I admit I was not thrilled to find some Morning Glory creeping along in the grass.  It can be such a thug. 

I'll end our walk today by admiring the fat seed pods of the wild Iris.