Friday, February 04, 2011

Freaky Friday - Botanical Edition

This is the time of the year when it's hard to imagine that it'll ever be warm out again. So I thought I'd do a botanical edition of Freaky Friday, showing unusual plants that grow here in my neck of the woods. All pics are by me, natch.





This is a turk's cap lily:





The first turk's cap I ever saw was out in the middle of the nowhere. I imagine that there used to be a house there, long ago, and all that remained were the lilies someone planted by their doorstep. Now I grow turk's caps at my own doorstep, in homage to the ones I saw growing in the woods. Awwwwww.


Here are some jack-in-the-pulpits:




I like the stripes. Jack-in-the-pulpits are very picky about where they'll grow. I'm out in the woods all the time, all over the place, and I only see them in a few areas.


In the fall, long after they're done blooming, jack-in-the-pulpits form fruit:




Too cool, no?


Here's a spooky plant called an Indian Pipe:





I'm not sure if these are technically a plant or a fungus, but they're very ethereal-looking, aren't they?

This is a bluebead lily:




Bluebead lilies are small, only about four inches high. The blooms really are that shade of green, but the fruit is blue, hence "bluebead".



Finally, let's look at some ladyslippers:





Like jack-in-the-pulpits, ladyslippers are very particular about where they put down roots, growing in only a few remote areas locally. And like jack-in-the-pulpits, they bloom in spring, and are all done showing off by the time summer rolls around.


So! Thus concludes the tour of freaky plants. Spring is coming! I sure hope so, anyway.

4 comments:

~~Silk said...

Thank you. I fully appreciated this. It did make me feel better.

Badass Nature Girl said...

Wonderful pics, they were the color I've been looking for in these white days! I can't wait for more walks in the woods this Spring.

Fish Food said...

Lovely flowers and great photos too. That raises the spirits, doesn't it?

rockygrace said...

Fish! Good to see ya!