Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Arabia Mountain-Sundrops, Sparkleberry and Spiderwort!

 
Arabia Mountain on May 11, 2014. 
 The Tradescantia (spiderwort) is still blooming! The red diamorpha has now gone to a deep burgundy color and if left alone,  will fade to gray and will then seed themselves for another blooming for next year.  That is why it is so very important to NOT step into any of the solution pits on Arabia Mountain.  We want to see the red diamorpha again! 
Richard and I were very happy to see these flowers! They are called Southern Sundrops and they were blooming all over the mountain. Their botanical name is Oenotherea fruticosa.  (ee-NOTH-eh-ruh)   and they are simply gorgeous. (They are in the evening primrose family...so Richard and I really call them "evening primroses" when we see them!)  The buds are orange, but they bloom into this creamy yellow four petaled- loveliness! 

 
 


Look at the photo above.  Do you see how the flowers are similar yet it is a different flower?  Can anyone tell me about this? The stalk was much thicker and the flowers reminded me very much of a geranium. (Could it be some kind of hybrid?)  Oh! And before I forget to tell you this...Kristi from her blog,Kristi from the Western Reserve  told me that bees love blue flowers.  I looked this up and the amazing thing, they do love blue but also, they see yellow flowers as if they are blue!  Don't ask me how, I am just telling you what I read!  Now, don't forget, look at that flower just above and let me know what you think it is!

With all this beauty on the mountain, there were also the yellow flowers just beginning to bloom on the prickly pear cactus, some of the white flowers of the sandwort  and all over the mountain, the beautiful perfectly- named Sparkleberry was blooming!

These bushes look as if they are dead in the winter, but look how they come back to life!  These are even on the very top of Arabia Mountain.  The blooms are like small white bells and they have a wonderful sweet fragrance.
Just we were leaving the mountain, we saw another blooming tree...
We don't know the name...but it smelled so sweet.
No matter what it is called, I love it just as I love all the blooms on Arabia Mountain.

35 comments:

  1. Gee, the sparkleberry looks a bit like lily-of-the-valley. I love the southern sundrops - I think orange and yellow are just such cheerful colors. Oh, and my spiderwort is maybe two inches out of the ground. :<)))

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    1. The orange and yellow colors of the sundrops are amazing and guess what, the stems of this plant somehow turn bright red!
      Oh well, our spiderwort will be past blooming while yours will be in full bloom! :-)

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  2. A beautiful glimpse of Nature at its best. Thank you. :)

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    1. You are welcome! These photos were taken by my husband, he's good, isn't he? :-)

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  3. Those Southern sundrops are sure something to see. I can't remember encountering those before.

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    1. There are several different kinds of sundrops, and I spent an inordinate amount of time in research before I found just the ONE that is growing at Arabia Mountain!

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    1. Thanks, Linda! (Not my photos, really, but my husband's! He's one smart guy, he married me, LOL.)

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  5. Another great start of the day for me, looking at such beautiful pictures from a beautiful place. Of course you knew I was going to like the sundrops best :-)
    The white bells of the sparkleberry bush are so very pretty! I wish you could capture their scent with the camera as well, so that all your blog readers could have a noseful.

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    1. I knew you would love the sundrops!
      The amazing thing about the sparkleberry, it really does look like dead wood, you would never know that it is alive until it starts to green up again.
      I wish I could capture a scent and have it here for you, these sweet smells are wonderful, nothing strong or heavy, just a light sweet fragrance.

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  6. I really enjoy seeing flowers that don't grow here, the world has so many beautiful sights that blog friends allow me to see. Thank you.

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    1. I know, I love to see the photos from Australia and New Zealand too! Everything looks so different in that part of the world, I am grateful for all the photos that I can enjoy from all over this beautiful world!

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  7. If i lived near you, i'd have a hard time staying home, because i'd want to be climbing those mountains every day in spring and autumn!

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    1. You are correct! Now you know why my house is usually in such a mess!

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  8. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

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  9. I like the contrast of the orange and yellow flowers. Springtime is the happy season all round the world with new life exploding out the ground. Even dull overcast days are sunny and magical then.

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    1. We were surprised by the sundrops, we have seen them before but they were spectacular in bloom this year, must be all the rain and cooler weather this Spring. It was so cool today. On Monday, my car temp was 103 degrees and today it said 62! That's quite a difference!

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  10. Kay, I love all the beautiful flowers on your mountain. I know you enjoy them too. Blessings, xoxo,Susie

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    1. Yes, Susie, I am afraid I am a bit of a nutcase about the flowers on this mountain! Blessings to you too, my friend. xx

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  11. Spectacular - thanks for all your lovely flower shots. Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day. Best wishes, Mairéad

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    1. Thanks, Mairead! It was a lovely Mother's Day, I guess you can tell how much I enjoy ARabia Mountain, so that was my big trip of the day!

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  12. How beautiful. What an absolute treat it must be to walk there.

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    1. Arabia Mountain IS a very special place. For many years, it was quarried and then, was used as a dumping ground for garbage and used appliances, and then, it became a meeting place for wild and drunken parties. Now, it is becoming to be known as a place of great, natural beauty. (My blogging friends were the first to GET it!)

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  13. Beautiful flowers in this wonderful place. Great photo.
    Have a nice day.
    Best wishes from Brazil: Geraldo

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    1. Oh, thank you very much. I don't know that anyone has ever left me a comment from Brazil. Best wishes to you from Georgia, the USA!

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  14. Replies
    1. Spring is wonderful, it usually only lasts in Georgia for about five minutes, so this year has been nice.

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  15. Those flowers are so beautiful! I've never seen one that has two different colors.

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    1. Yes, don't you love the two colors! AND some of these stems on this same plant are a bright red! I could study and observe these flowers all day!

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  16. So beautiful! We have Missouri Sundrops, a little different, around here. They are more garden escapees than true wildflowers. I wish you could send fragrances with your blog! I'd love to breathe in the sweetness of your mystery plant.

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  17. I was really interested to see the sparkleberry flowers (I'd grow it just for the name!) as my blueberry is flowering for the first time and the flowers are very similar. Loved those sundrops too - a very apt name. x

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  18. OMG.....I am IN LOVE with those sparkleberries!!! So adorable. Yes, I agree with you, the perfect name....

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  19. ooooh - all your flowers are so wonderful. That yellow flower looks so much like the helianthemum that is blooming in my garden right now, but the evolving color of the blooms is more like some roses I saw last week, that were orange in the bud but soon after opening were light pink.

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  20. Love it- Kay! I live in Conyers, too, and I visit Arabia whenever I get a chance.
    Have you ever visited Big Haynes Creek in the Horse Park? It has some gorgeous trails and wildlife. If you haven't, please try to check it out- the great blue herons are spectacular!

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