Sunday, July 13, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 28

Boy, where does the time go? Seems like I just did a post on last week's photos and here we are again! After looking at this week's photos, I realized I did more black and white images than usual. Let's look at each photo and see if I can share a little detail on each.

Day 188-

Along the driveway, I have a couple of pieces of rusted front porch railing. I love the rust and have been trying to get a native wisteria to grow up the railing like a trellis. A couple years ago, I installed irrigation pipe and heads on this side of the driveway. I had installed irrigation on the other side years before and decided that if the wisteria was going to grow, it also needed water. Hoping next year to have blooms on the Wisteria frutescens 'Amethyst Falls'. 

Rust and Vine

Day 189-

Liebling is the champion of the rings! She likes chasing and catching these rubber rings. This photo may look like I am holding the ring high above her, to get her attention, but it is sailing through the air. She is focused! 

Queen of the Rings

Day 190- 

As I was looking at the garden up by the road, I noticed there was a Cicada exoskeleton on the Russian sage. Russian sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia, has been reclassified as Salvia yangii. I get frustrated when botanical names get changed. The Cicada is the annual one, opposed to the 13-year cycle brood that emerged earlier this year. At night, when I take the dogs out, it sounds like a jungle with all the insects singing their songs. Add in the frogs and toads singing, it can be quite loud! 

Cicada Time

Day 191- 

We drove to a political event this past week and took the backroads to get there. I noticed this rusted-out pickup truck and tractor on our way there. There was construction a little further down the road, and I wondered if we were going to take a different route home. I was glad when my husband took the same route home. I told him I wanted to get a picture for my photo of the day. The nice thing about driving backroads, you can drive slowly or even stop to take my photos. 

Hay bales and rust 

Day 192-

Wild morning glories, Ipomoea lacunosa, were blooming, and the white blooms really stood out in the shade of the trees along the road. In the photo with color, the white didn't "pop" so I tried some filters and decided the black and white was the best option. To get closer to the blooms for a photo, I had to watch out for a lot of poison ivy! 

Black and White

Day 193-

My Monarda fistulosa, Wild bergamot, is blooming and the bees are loving it! There have been some Skipper butterflies on it as well, but they fly off quickly when I approach with my cellphone camera. The bumblebees ignore me, so they are the stars of the photo. 

Bumbles and Monarda

Day 194-

When we first moved here, we planted a red crepe myrtle along the driveway. As it has grown, so have the pines around them. The crepe myrtle is quite tall, looks like it is leaning because it is reaching for a small amount of sunlight. This crepe myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica, is most likely 'Dynamite'. In addition to the lovely flowers, crepe myrtle has the most amazing exfoliated bark. 

Exfoliating bark

I thank you for stopping by again this week. This coming week, I will try not to do so many black and white photos. 


©Copyright 2025 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 27

Week 27 marks the halfway point of the year! Welcome back to another wrap-up for the week. 

Day 181-

My friend David Sullivan, from whom I accepted this challenge, said it was National Camera Day. I have a shelf of old cameras, so it was appropriate to get a photo of them to celebrate. A couple of the cameras came from my folks, and one from my husband's childhood. 

Yesterday was National Camera Day

Day 182-

Just outside our neighborhood, we have friends who have a gnome house. It was in an old tree stump. Over the years the stump deteriorated. Because there were so many tree stumps uprooted from Hurricane Helene, they were able to acquire a new stump. Many of us have been waiting to see the new reveal. It is as charming as ever! In the photo below, you can see a hammock and a swing on one side of the house. Around back there is a campfire where marshmallows are being toasted. I love the little window boxes. I am sure there will be more added over time. It is always fun to check out the gnomes.

New Stump Remodel

Day 183-

We have had a good number of Swallowtail butterflies this year. Some years, I only see a few, and they have tattered wings. This one is in beautiful shape and enjoying the Hyssop blooms. 

Swallowtail on Hyssop

Day 184-

While looking for a Yellow-billed Cuckoo high in the trees in my backyard, I found a nest. It took a long time to finally see a little head pop up. It is a female Summer Tanager sitting on her nest. It is pretty high up in the tree, so getting a better photo isn't possible. I will keep an eye out for more activity as time goes by. 

Summer Tanager nest

Day 185-

On the morning of the 4th of July, I looked out to the lake to see if there was a lot of traffic. We are on the northern end of the lake, so most of the boating in our backyard has someone teaching someone to water ski or taking some children on a tube. It is quieter and we like it that way!

Quiet on the Lake, Happy 4th

Day 186-

Every day, multiple times a day, we are outside playing. Fiona loves to play with the disc. Liebling likes the rubber rings. Fiona jumps pretty high to catch the disc. I used to play with a Frisbee with her, but the edges would get cut up and then cut up her gums. I like this fabric one, it sails nicely and is easy for her to catch.

Got it!

Day 187-

While looking for inspiration for today's photo, I noticed a dusky moth on the garage door. I think it is a Decorated Owlet. If it isn't one, I will correct the name.

Decorated Owlet

Like I said at the top, we have reached the halfway point of the year! More interesting photos to follow each day. Hope you keep coming back. 


©Copyright 2025 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 26


We are in the heat of summer, it seems like it came early this year. My garden is waning a bit, it will pick up again in the early fall. I shared a few photos of the blooms in this week's photo array.


Day 174-

I bought what I believed to be Allium 'Millennium', but after seeing other plants named Millennium, I am not so sure. Mine is shorter, and the blooms are smaller. Moving forward, it really doesn't matter. I like that the deer leave it alone, and the little pollinators love it.


Onion with bee


Day 175-

Our route to go to Greenville takes us past this building. Over the years it has gotten faded. This is the same road that the 'Fine Abode' from photo #120. In the spring the field beyond the building is filled with daffodils. For some reason, this year we missed the daffodils. 


Roadside signs

Day 176-

My Chrysanthemums are starting to bud up and bloom. We are in a warm enough climate that I plant the mums in the ground, most of them come back every year. I also have some Sheffield mums that are a pinkish apricot color. This rust color is not one of my favorites, but it is a reliable one!

Mum's the word


Day 177-

Fireworks are legal in South Carolina, much to the chagrin of our dogs. They do NOT like fireworks, or thunder, or gun shots, or, or, or...  In some of the past years, we have had thunderstorms come through quickly, which puts a damper on the fireworks.  

That Time of Year

Day 178-

I love having lavender growing in my garden. I find mine grows best along the driveway, where the lime from the concrete helps the lavender. I tried to get a photo of one of the many bumblebees on the flowers, but they make the stems sway with their weight on them. To zoom in on a bloom that is swaying back and forth makes it hard to get a photo. Do you remember the song 'Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, Lavender's green...' Here is a link to the old nursery rhyme.

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly

Day 179-

We like our music venues in the Upstate. This one is in an old store front in downtown Honea Path, SC. This week we went to see Jim Lauderdale with warm up act Mac Leaphart. We have seen Jim play there before as well as other venues in the Upstate. It was a hometown show as he is from this area, now he lives in Nashville. If you don't know Jim Lauderdale, Google him, he is an amazing Grammy winner songwriter and a down to earth person.  You probably have heard many of his songs. George Strait is one who records some of Jim's music. 

Fiddle and Bow

Day 180-

I love when a little wildflower pops up in my garden. This little bloom was just glowing in the sunlight. It is Leontodon tuberosus (I believe). I am glad I took a photo of it when I did, it closes up at night- or later afternoon. 


Sunny

If you haven't read my last post about the New Hope Urban Farm and Forest, flip back to read all about it. More Fling posts to come. In the meantime, enjoy the Photo-a-day wrapup.


©Copyright 2025 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.