I could see from the window that the Purple Loosestrife was blooming profusely in the bog field. Every day as I ran out the door to complete my week’s work I held the image in my heart and waited for the opportunity. (Am not too bad at delayed gratification after all these years of practice) At last this morning I headed out after breakfast with the camera.
It was about 9AM and already too hot to bear. I stood for a long time under a Sycamore tree watching and waiting. The scent of the creamy Meadowsweet was intoxicating. The shade welcome and eventually I sat on my rucksack and succumbed to the silence.
Every most fabulous insect, danced in my face, but evaded my lens!
My photos were supposed to be of Butterflies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, but they just flitted and floated by. Every precious moment of their beauty and presence even more fleeting and impossible to capture than usual.
Instead I got tangled up in a evil briar. (Loud cursing!!) Why do the beautiful moments slip by impossible to hold onto while the clawing, gnawing of thorns is impossible to escape? Beauty is brief and frail, pain deep and unending……and so on, muttering to myself while the briar clung to me like a desperate man…..
Later on the beach while the country sweated in an uncanny 30 degrees, the superficial lacerations on my legs soaked in the salty sea water and I suffered a little less. When I came home and looked at the pictures I saw again a gentle reminder of the beauty of photography, capturing moments in time now gone. What is, is.
And so I label these pictures,”Purple Loosestrife on fire in the bog in the July heatwave of 2013″. It may be an invasive species in some countries but here kept in check by Irish beetles, it is stunning without doubt, purple which is always good in my book, and like the elusive butterfly, soon to be gone except here between ourselves, on our mutual internet cloud of colour…..
So so beautiful.
Beautiful photos!
That last image is a stunner. Thank God for your beetles because here in the Midwest of US it's terribly invasive and haven't seen it in a garden for over twenty years. Wish someone would breed a sterile variety because it laughs at heat. It must like your cooler weather because I've never seen a display like that last image.
Don't believe I've ever seen Purple Loosestrife. It looks really beautiful. Goes to show: a weed is a plant in the wrong place; see Rose Bay Willow herb for example.
(Linc korrektion: http://www.onehalfshuteye.blogspot.com/)
I love purple loosestrife even though it was declared "dangerous" in our wetlands. I love the beautiful fuschia colour. And I totally commiserate with the fact that all the photographable insects were too speedy for you to catch on film. That happens to me all the time 🙂
I adore purple loosestrife, truly adore … it is just the most stunning, amazing, colour!
such beautys. both plants and photos.
It's a really spectacular plant – the purple looks fabulous set against the green landscape.
Am enjoying One Half Shut Eye too.
Such a magnificent photos of the purple loosestrife. I know it can be invasive, but I allow it in my garden on a wet spot for it is just beautiful. By the way I had missed your 200th post, congratulations. I enjoyed reading your 10 blog lessons.
How very pretty, glad you found the time to go out with your camera.
Beautiful, I love the close up. Flowers are amazing examined close to as well as from a distance.
Beautiful picture, wonderful flowers, great colors 🙂 Regards
Lyrical photos! The magnificent images hold no clue to the briar patch!
Gorgeous photos! At first glance I thought they were foxgloves but of course they're not. Photography can be 'phrustrating'! So glad you shared your cloud of delicious purple colour with us.
The additional pictures made my heart flutter!!!
Oh my gosh, this is beautiful Catherine, the photo's, the words. You're writing is superb. Beautiful
Maybe you should change the name to "Loosestrife Studios" or maybe "Lose Strife Studios" would be better! You've captured nicely the incredible proliferation that's occurred this summer.