a new beginning

It has been an absolutely amazing year, full of change, new perspectives, and new beginnings.

It's been a year of loss and love, extreme tragedy and awe, heartache and happiness.

If nothing else it's taught me to appreciate life in all of it's unpredictable glory.

It's a new beginning.

Beautiful Big Island

Chilling winds and frost added to the awe of this spectacular day on Big Island. Wooden breakwalls standing tall against the wind, lichen covered wooden posts standing strong in icy waters, and beauty everywhere just waiting to be discovered. Spring is just around the corner, although I can't quite feel it in the air on such a beautiful winter day. We are truly blessed.

Merry Christmas

As fall eroded into winter, a much needed blogging hiatus has proven to be very beneficial.
Looking back on the haunting images of fall, I'm reminded of just how beautiful every season can be.


Our daylily seed harvest kept us busy in the fall, dreaming of all the potential beauties in years to come:).

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season filled with health, joy, and happiness.

Warmest Regards,
Chey

Fuzzy Little Yellow Bear Caterpillar

A Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillar, Yellow Bear is an impressive furry orange fellow, soon to blend in perfectly with our autumn foliage.

The Colors Of Fall

This is what we found in our maple today! The colors are changing!! I think that we're in for a brilliant fall palette with the exceptional rains that we've had this summer.

The Last Hurrah

My mid September garden glows with the deepening hues caused by a few early morning frosts. The hydrangea have turned a blushing warm rose.
Daylily Baby Valentine is one of the last daylilies to bloom in the garden.
Liatris has mostly gone to seed with the exception of a few stray blooms.
The obedient plant has been frolicking in the wind today~ it was hard to get a shot in focus.
Weigela is reblooming although not as profusely as in the spring.
This white phlox has just begun to bloom.
Deep purple buds of Actaea simplex~ Hillside Black Beauty, add to the intense fall palette.
Wild aster always shows up in the garden.
The last of the sunflower bloom is an interesting sight with it's large geometric form.
Other sunflowers have yet to come into their prime.

Today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. If you'd like to participate, Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens. There you will find gardeners from all over the world posting what's currently growing in their gardens.

Grasshopper Eggs

She was cute sitting on a hosta leaf with her double striped self blending in with the foliage.
And she was cute sitting on a bright pink daylily with her little green body acting as a pleasing contrast.
She is not so cute laying eggs between my deck boards.
I wonder how many grasshoppers would come from this egg sack. I don't really want to be overwhelmed with a large population, therefore I'm afraid to say that the sack is probably compost bound.

Obedient Plant

Obedient Plant~ physostegia virginiana, is an ornamental perennial which sometimes may not be considered quite so obedient due to it's invasive tendencies in fertile soil.


Obedient Plant is also known as False Dragonhead due to it's similarity to Snapdragon. It also looks similar to foxglove in my opinion.
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Obedient plant is aptly named for a tendency to allow its tiny flowers to be pushed to one side or another and maintain that position for awhile. My kids enjoy this plant, and I've planted my clump near their play area.

Russian Sage~ Perovsia

Ah sunshine~ we had almost forgotten what it was like:). Russian sage was shining in the sun today. This plant freely self seeds in my garden.