Camellias are evergreen shrubs native to south and eastern Asia. The most economically important species of camellia is Camellia sinensis, the tea plant. Dried leaves of this camelia are very familiar because of their use to brew tea. Two other species of camelia are common ornamental bushes in warmer regions of the United States. Camellia […]
Author Archives: jimr77
The seasons are changing again
Late October seems too soon for fall to transition into winter. Nevertheless, this is what 2020 has brought to north-central Minnesota. Beautiful, but couldn’t it have waited for a month?
Autumn Leaves
This post is simply to share fall scenery that we have been enjoying this year in north-central Minnesota. Its title, “Autumn Leaves” might seem familiar, it is a popular song from 1945 that has been covered by 100’s of artists and is considered a jazz standard. For anyone wanting to hear it, I’ve included a […]
Clear Water
We are fortunate to live beside a lake with very clear water. Effectively capturing its clarity in a photo is difficult. Real estate ads for properties on lakes in the area with clear water commonly include photos like this, taken looking down on the water from our dock. Plants on the lake bottom, under about […]
Signs of Fall
Maple Leaves Asters Strange Mushrooms
The seasons are changing
In early September the oncoming fall season is already evident in Northern Minnesota. In addition to clear crisp days there have been hazy days lately, reportedly caused by smoke from the terrible fires in the far west. Remarkable that the fires have such dramatic effects over 1000 miles away.
August 31
A beautiful sunset on this chilly August 31 evening is a good marker for the end of summer.
Attractive Fungi
What’s our first thought about fungi? Fungal infections? No doubt certain occurrences of fungus are unpleasant (athlete’s foot, black spot on roses). However fungi are critical to all life, particularly because over 90% of plant species benefit from a symbiotic relation with fungi termed mycorrhiza. Occasionally fungi in the form of mushrooms are attractive. Following […]
August Favorites
The slideshow below features photos of wildflowers seen in our area in late summer. The website Minnesota Wildflowers lists ten species of sunflowers within the genus Helianthus. The ‘Picture This’ app made the species identifications listed above.
Cygnets
Young swans are known as cygnets, a name derived from the swan genus Cygnus. These two were seen in a pond next to the Paul Bunyan trail in north-central Minnesota, their parents stayed at a distance. Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) are now fairly common in our area. However, in the 1930’s they were thought to be […]
