During January, February, and the first week of March of last winter, I was surrounded by lovely people, tropical hummingbirds, butterflies, bright flowers, and the Caribbean Sea. A few days ago, when snow was falling all around Flower Hill Farm Retreat, I was not longing for the beauty and warmth of Treasure Beach, Jamaica. Being home is inspiring. The beauty of snow fog adds a mystical and mysterious element to being out in the gardens and landscape. The leafless trees and shrubs are like … [Read more...] about There Is No Place Like Home for the Winter
Beauties of the Night ~ Barred Owl
Barred Owls, Strix varia, may have been howling and hooting as year-round residents of this hillside in Western Massachusetts for more than 11,000 years. Fossils of their species, that many years old, have been uncovered in Florida, Tennessee and as far north as Ontario. These raptors of night are typically hidden in layers of darkness but do sometimes hunt during daytime hours. Looking out over the panoramic views of Flower Hill Farm Retreat, always stimulates the imagination. But last … [Read more...] about Beauties of the Night ~ Barred Owl
Flower Hill Farm Butterflies of 2012 ~ American Copper
The teeny tiny American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) packs a sizable palette for one so small. I was happy to find this little butterfly sunning in the south field back in May of 2012. Its wingspan is only 7/8 x 1 1/8 . . . a delicate, miniature, ephemeral painting belonging to the Gossamer-wings family . . . offering distinctive marks and textures that one can identify but never own. However, photos and happy memories are filed, of a late may day, walking in the south field along side a fragile, … [Read more...] about Flower Hill Farm Butterflies of 2012 ~ American Copper
Flower Hill Farm Butterflies of 2012 ~ American Copper
The teeny tiny American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) packs a sizable palette for one so small. I was happy to find this little butterfly sunning in the south field back in May of 2012. Its wingspan is only 7/8 x 1 1/8 . . . a delicate, miniature, ephemeral painting belonging to the Gossamer-wings family . . . offering distinctive marks and textures that one can identify but never own. However, photos and happy memories are filed, of a late may day, walking in the south field along side a … [Read more...] about Flower Hill Farm Butterflies of 2012 ~ American Copper
More Wintry Wonders: Fern Frost
Winter can be a remarkable painter and engraver too. January's frigid temperatures merging with just the right amount of moisture and 'surface texture' . . . I would not dare refer to smudged glass here . . . often creates crystalline forms on our simple farmhouse windowpanes, inspiring joy and awe for winter's icy mysteries. When outdoor degrees dip into the teens, single digits and minuses, these 'fern frost' etchings are more likely to be viewed from within a warm but not overly warm … [Read more...] about More Wintry Wonders: Fern Frost
