Closeup of an African Violet

I’ve been playing with my new extension tubes for my closeup lens. The pollen trail on this flower caught my eye so I decided to include it for a Macro Monday shot.

Here’s a closeup of the plant’s leaves.

African Violet Leaves Closeup

Closeup of a bread seed poppy and pod capsule

Port Townsend is awash in poppies now. We’ve always had them but this year they seem to be taking over the city. This is a bread seed poppy also known as an opium poppy. They’re legal to grow but not process for drugs of any kind. Let the pods (capsules) dry and they contain about a half a teaspoon of seeds each, the kind you use in baking.

See more closeup photos at Lisa’s Chaos.

Starling about to land on a bird feeder

This starling was coming in for a landing on the suet feeder (just beyond the seed feeder).  Poor thing didn’t know that a new cage had been added that keeps birds its size out.

Weeding under the tree

With a lot of rain come a lot of weeds. Some people actually find pulling those weeds to be a pleasurable way to take advantage of our re-emerged sunshine.

Foxglove

This foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) volunteered in our backyard. Most of the natives are either white or a lighter purple than this. I do have to say that the overcast skies create nice lighting and a wonderful backdrop for photography. If the term digitalis sounds familiar, this plant is the source of the heart medication of the same name.

Hydrangea closeup

I hope you’re not getting tired of flower closeups. While my recovery from foot surgery is progressing faster than expected, I’m still limited in mobility. The dreary and wet weather isn’t helping my motivation.

Anyway, here’s a Mophead hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). It’s the hydrangea you’ll see in most northwest gardens.

Raindrops on Purple Smoke Bush

It’s been raining steadily for a couple of days. While the rain may not be appealing to the Memorial Day vacationers who have come to town, it has left the garden covered in millions of tiny round jewels. Here, they’re hanging from the buds of a Smoke Bush, (Cotinus coggygria ‘Purpurea’).

Make sure to visit Lisa’s Chaos for Macro Monday.