A Valentines Poem

Struggle two cups of dust to be
a corporeal she and he.
It takes a long Eternity
to create a finite we

And then to fall in love
baffles Probability...
two spirits intersecting paths;
traversing two in infinities.

Our We is just a blink
of a universe's eye.
But what we see in just a wink
others could never share.

MG Morris

Inland Sea Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium

Inland Sea Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium

I gathered this at Osage State Park on a botanizing trip in 2004.  It was growing in a semi shaded area on the top of a wooded hill.  The image is 8.5x11 to give you a perspective of the size.  I really don't have the facilities for a herbarium and so keep these in a large, heavy book after drying.  I thrown many of them away because I don't have room but I keep them long enough to ID them and perhaps illustrate them.  As the main spring planting time approaches I'll have to put my winter projects aside and tend the garden.  But I can't resist botanizin'.  I can no longer go wading in the river to fish but I can botanize even with my walker or wheel chair.  You'd be surprised at how much botany there is to discover in your own yard, and especially if you own a garden.

Horticultural Oddities

Amatueraceae concoctio

Asteraceae octopi

I haven't done a watercolor in 45 years.  I bought a cheap set this November and tried my hand at it.  My technique definitely needs more work.  Both these flowers are a figment of my imagination, hence the peculiar nomenclature. :)  I'm going to keep at it in hopes of producing more colorful illustrations.  I did a lot of this sort of stuff in Biology and Zoology while in college but it was strictly with pen and colored pencil while viewing through a microscope.  I also have a little antique field microscope of 100X that focuses by sliding the lens assembly up or down a tube attached to the stand.  I wish I had binocular set with 10X-50X for more macro work.  

Botanical NOIDs ID

Noid 1 Legume?

This is a specimen I discovered in and antique Grays Botany book I purchased many years ago.  I have no idea what it could be.  My guess is that it is vetch....but?  If you have any idea please leave a comment.  BTW NOID means no ID.

Noid with scale

As you can see it is very small.  The pods are only 2cm long and are attached in pairs nearly opposite on the stems.  It appears that the stems are attached to the base of the plant in a whorl.  It fell out of the book and I don't know which page it went in and could not find a ghost of where it was placed.  It could have been in there for 100 yrs or more.

A horse in Shangri la

A new species has moved in

Equus ferus caballus

Guess what my neighbor brought home?  Yes, a horse.  Now I can add Equus ferus caballus to the group of mammals that we share our neighborhood with.  To name a few: squirrel, rabbit, dog, cat, goat, deer, (yes deer from the railroad tracks through the heart of the city), and mice.  The next day it started snowing and the wife made him put up a shelter for the poor thing.  We were all wondering why they were keeping the horse in the middle of town, (something that hasn't been done since the junk man and his horse drawn wagon roamed the streets of Tulsa in the 70s.  Anyway, a few days later Ole Point was gone.  We suppose it was a rescue operation or the city gave them a call.  Our granddaughter still asks where the horsey is.  I'm waiting for the camel to arrive. :)

Knapweed vs Bachelor Button in Winter Condition

Knapweed in winter condition

Here is a plant in my garden that looks similar to my bachelor buttons.  I don't know but I suspect it is spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa).  It is bigger than usual and does not have the silvery look to it.  The leaves, though, look exactly the same.  I wonder if it is a different variety of Bachelor Button.  Knapweed puts out toxins that deprive other plants around it of nutrients.  Two of these plants are growing in my iris seed bed and so they must go.  The other one I may let flower and pull it before it goes to seed just to see its flower in hopes for a positive ID.

Rose in Acrylic botanical illustration

This my first floral painting and first acrylic painting.  I attended the painting session taught by Rosemary at her class here in Tulsa.  Please visit Manic Pixie Studios from the links on Stickfigures home page.  I really enjoyed the class and her paintings.  She is going to do more flowers and I hope to be able to attend at least the one with an iris....my favorite flower.

Bloom Day at Shangri la

Speedwell in Winter Condition

Today is Bloom Day and the only thing blooming now is henbit & speedwell.  I love the speedwell in the lawn next to the sidewalk but try to keep it out of the garden as best I can.  Yes, I let weeds grow in my garden but try to keep them tame.  Worst of all was the morning glories.  I made the mistake of putting the spent plants in the compost pile and for about 4 years I was overwhelmed by them.  I found a place along the fence next to the sidewalk and they reseed themselves only in that spot.  The spent foliage and seed go right into the trash now. :)

Spring Planting Guide for Tulsa, OK

Spring Planting Guide for Tulsa, OK

This is my Spring Planting Guide for Shangri la, (Stickfigure Gardens).  If you use your own starts then sow them in flats 3 or 4 weeks before the planting date shown.  For example I start my broccoli in the middle of January and place them in a southern window.  Feel free to copy the guide or make one yourself using this format.  My guide was made up following the Oklahoma Agricultural Extension's pamphlet and then modified it a little for my particular garden.  You can do the same for your area.  This format is easier to follow and I made one up for the fall as well.

  I looked out my window and the cabbage moths are waiting for me. :)  I love to see them doing a ballet with my garden as a stage.  The only real damage they do is to cabbage that heads....I stopped growing them because the catapillars would turn them into swiss cheese.  The sparrows and wasps do forage for the catapillars and if you ever saw a wasp suck the life out of that poor creature you'd be glad your not one of them....the catapillar, I mean.

Cabbage moths are waiting for me

I looked out my window and a cabbage moth is waiting for me.  They sure do make the garden come alive when they do their ballet.  I also spotted an orange butterfly.  I hope to have my camera ready next time so I could try to ID them.

The buds are starting to swell on the magnolia tree, roses, flowering quince and lilac.  I noticed that not all the buds started up.  I wonder if this is a way of preventing the loss of all the flowers when the inevitable freeze comes.

The milkweed seeds have taken flight and are looking for a home.  Even though the pods and seeds are beautiful these plants have become pests and I have to weed them out of every bush on the place.

We used to have a flock of pigeons in our neighborhood but now there are only 3 left.  I wonder if the west Nile virus also effected the pigeon population as well and the chickadees.  Could be the red tailed hawk and eagles that have been hanging about had something to do with their demise.

Pink Oxallis

This is pink oxallis wintering over in one of my beds.  It came from my great grandmother's garden.  I remember it as a child and so I know it's been around for at least 60 years.  She would plant them in clumps that would dot her iris garden.  As you can see they can remain green in Oklahoma winters although I have seen them completely die back if it gets harsh enough.  The bulbs set almost like ducks on water and are easy to divide up in the early spring.  I also have a white variety but it is not as hardy as the pink and just before the first frost I bring in a potted clump for insurance.  They look very nice in the iris beds and bloom all season long.  

Wasp Houses

Here are my two Wasp Houses......no takers for 10 yrs.  Oh well, they still look nice in the garden.  My granddaughter and I painted them with acrylic paint last winter and they have held up pretty well.  They were given to me by my next door neighbor as bird houses but they are too small for that.  I think they are meant to accompany flower arrangements along with artificial birds.  I used to nail inverted 1 lb coffee cans to wood posts and have plenty of caterpillar eatin' wasps take up residence in them.  I was always afraid I would bump one and suffer a painful volley of stings.  So I didn't grow anything near enough to them for that to happen.  That was out in the country were I kept a 100x50 ft vegetable garden as a deer feeder. :)

Bachelor Buttons in Winter Condition

This is what bachelor buttons look like at the end of winter here in Tulsa.  I planted them from seed in 2001 and they reappear every season.  I collect and sow the seeds in the fall and keep some in the frig just in case something happens.  They stand about waist high and have light blue blooms.  The wood bees are especially found of them as are several other insects.

Blackeyed Susan in Winter Condition

Here is a photo of Blackeyed Susan as it winters over in my garden.  The seeds germinate in the fall and appear year after year in clumps.  I collected the seed from a pasture in Owasso in 1994 and have had them in my garden ever since.  I collect the seed every year and sow in the fall at their designated places.  The insects love the flowers and there is a special bee that collects pollen by going 'round n 'round the middle part of the flower.  I put a low cage made from hog fencing around the clump to keep them from falling over.  By the time real hot weather arrives they will have made seed that is ready to collect.

Sedum in Winter Condition

Sedum in winter condition.  These are planted in cement blocks and are completely covered by the plant

A cold front moved in today but didn't effect the high temps predicted.  When the wind died down I came out to enjoy the garden.  The sedum I have is a very nice winter plant to have here in Oklahoma.  This plant is from my great grandmother's garden.  She would plant several varieties in upturned cement or terracotta blocks and line her iris bed with them.  Among other plants in these folksy containers were Oxalis,  Blue-eyed Grass, Portulaca , & Grape Hyacinths.  Last year I took cuttings, (with some root still attached), in the spring rather than in the summer so they could take advantage of the wet part of the year to establish themselves.  The flowers are beautiful yellow at the end of tall stalks set up in the spring.  Skippers and other insects love them and my Korean sister-in-law told me they use it as salad food.  In real cold weather the ends of this plant turn reddish purple or just purple.  Other plants do the same in the garden and I've read articles where it is believed that the reddish tint (anthocyanin) is a way of protecting the plant from damaging sunlight and drought during the winter.

Mushrooms

Here is a page from my journal about mushrooms.  I copied the drawing from an old antique botany book I have.  Several years ago I took a Zoology class here at the local community college and drew many illustrations of microscopic creatures.  But somehow the notebook has been lost along with the drawings. I've always wanted to take Botany but so far it hasn't happened. Maybe I'll try this summer or fall.  We'll see.

Leonardo de Stickfigure's Studio

Here is a colored pencil drawing I did several years ago.  As you can see someone tilted the painting on the wall and the stool is turned around.  Wait a minute, where's Leon?

Winter Condition Botonizin'

Above are some drawings of plants in winter condition.  The one on the left is the magnolia (Tulip Tree) in my back yard taken from my sketchbook.  The one of the right is from my garden journal of a gumweed plant I collected near the OU campus here in Tulsa.  I collected several other plants but they were so fragile in their winter condition that they did not survive my handling them.  I love botanizing in the winter.  Here is a list of Plants that winter over in their green state in my garden:  Star of Bethlehem, Black-eyed Susans, Larkspurs, Groundsel, Henbit, Winter Onions, Garlic, Speedwell, Winter Rye, Honeysuckle, Bachelor Buttons, Sedum, Mosses, & Spider Lillies.  So there is plenty to see here in our part of the country during Jan & Feb.  There are also plenty of insects that show up on warm days, even in Jan.  And, of course, you can see me out in the garden during those times.  Also, if one digs under the mulch or into the compost pile you can see a whole community of little creatures to study.  I would be happy to post a link to your site for any winter botanizing or gardening you have blogged.

I finally found a book on winter botanizing.  This one is by Carol Levine, "Wildflowers in Winter" available from amazon.com.  Unless one has a wildflower garden, many of the plants will not be found in this book.  But many gardeners love to go out and visit natural places...even in winter.  You can preview this and similar books on the amazon site.

The henbit is blooming

Henbit on left, Speedwelll on right

The henbit is blooming along with the groundsel and another plant that looks like dead nettle but has blue and white flowers about 2.5 mm wide. (Turned out to be speedwell, veronica polita) The groundsel came in from some hay that I used for a scarecrow one year and completely covered two of the nearest beds the following year.  The advantage I have of getting rid of it is that it blooms in early, early spring and so sticks out well enough for me to weed it along with the henbit.  I don't let the henbit get too far along because it harbors powdery mildew.  All this means that I have to get out in early Febuary and weed.  Luckely we do have warm, sunny days with little wind during this time to play in the garden. Yestarday it was 80F with no wind and enough sun to get a sun tan.

The sparrows are pairing up and gathering nesting material already.  I put some water in the birdbath and in the time it took me to turn around it was full of little chirpers taking a bath.  Within about 10 min all was quite and I guess they  went off to preen themselves.

Seagulls in Tulsa, OK

I notice in the winter seagulls here in Tulsa, OK.  Here is a pencil drawing I did from a photograph of a gull while visiting Amsterdam in the 70s.

The birds around our garden are gathering up mates and building nests.  I put bird food out but all except the mocking bird and blue jay ignored it.  I guess they are too busy building nests and trying to claim a birdhouse.  I have 6 on the property, all are occupied by sparrows.  The mocking bird has taken over the magnolia tree from the cardinal and has lived there for the last 5 years.  They love to eat the poke berries from my espaliered poke plants.  The poke plant shown is tied to a metal post driven into the ground then pruned to one stalk to give it an espaliered look.  I leave it standing full of dried berries over the winter for the mocking bird and blue jays to feed on.

Flowering espaliered poke plant

Jonquils and Hiacynths are coming up

I did a little weeding in the iris beds and noticed the jonquils and hyacinths have started to emerge.  Early spring is here for us though we could still get pretty nasty weather.  Snow is welcome as it really helps condition the garden and protects the plants from dry freezing winds.  Also the water has a chance to really soak in.  Winter here is a dry season for us and the iris will remain dormant until the precip returns.  Above is a narcissis that I drew with colored pencils many years ago.  Unfortunately the paper is wood pulp and very acidic.  The coloring along the edges is not from sunlight but oxidation....actually a nice effect.  

Praying Mantis

Here is a drawing I did of a praying mantis.....one of my favorite garden friends.  Except when it eats my spiders.

Opel Thorpe Drawings

Opel Thrope's drawings.  One is a landscape in chalk on sandpaper, and the other is pencil.  Both were done while she was in art school in the 1920's at Oklahoma College for Women, (now the Univ of Sci and Arts of Okla).  She was the art teacher at Central High here in Tulsa while I was there.  I love the treatment of the tree in the pencil drawing.  I sure would love to see her other work.

pastel on sandpaper by Opel Thorpe

pencil drawing Opel Thorpe

Golden eagle, wishing well

I saw an eagle hoovering over today.  A couple of weeks ago we went to Keystone lake and spotted 3 golden eagles at the dam.  We also have bald eagles there but did not see any.  Even here in the city you can sometimes see them soar way above Tulsa and have to use binoculars to really get a good look-see.

I cleaned out the wishing well of cypress vines and cleaned out the bird house as well.  I added a 4 inch layer of compost and some 10-20-10 to revitalize it.  I plan on sowing marigolds there this spring.