Columbine

We’re spending most of the weekend working in the yard, particularly in the garden. The recent rise in temperature has convinced me it’s now safe to plant the corn and other warm-weather vegetables.

However, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice an entre three day weekend of sunshine just to garden work. So we went to Theler Wetlands in Belfair early Sunday and had brunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant.

Birding was only so-so, and morning clouds meant that most of the bird pictures were rather average looking. Strangely enough, my favorite shots came from the Master Gardens where we always stop at the end of our walk. The Columbine, in various forms, dominated the garden, so I focused almost exclusively on them.

Here’s my favorite form, probably because it’s the form usually found in the Columbia Gorge, where I first saw them. This is the way you usually notice them because they’re not a very tall plant:

Top View of Pink Columbine

However, it’s not uncommon to see their bell shape from the side, like this,

Pink Columbine

because they often grow on banks.

If the bank is steep enough, you may even see them from a lower angle, like this,

Pink Columbine

but only a photographer who’s willing to lay down on the ground is likely to see them from this angle:

Pink Columbine

Luckily, they’re beautiful no matter how you look at them.