Pretty Wild

Nature is incredible. It’s inspiring. it’s constantly changing, yet offers rock-solid predictability at times. There is no other place that rejuvenates my soul than to exist among the trees and grasses, clouds and wild flowers in my world.

While it can be ferociously cold, sweltering hot and burst into tornadic destruction without notice, Nature can also be the gentle cradle for new life of all kinds. It offers just the right nourishment for the creatures that exist on this planet, but there’s usually work involved in securing that resource. It often appears cruel and kind in the same moment. And, Nature can be strikingly beautiful in its own way, if not from the typical human level of scrutiny.

Here, I share with you moments in time that have caught my attention enough to turn my lens towards the subject. Reviewing these images makes me wonder how many other incredible scenes I have failed to recognize as I meander around my little world. I can only speculate I see just a tiny percentage of all Nature presents for our viewing pleasure.

The first image I want to share tells the story of how a failure can offer an unexpected gift. Clearly, in this photo I was attempting to focus on the small purple wild flowers in the foreground. Rather, what became the center of attention were some very unique plants that would normally go unnoticed. Most specifically, I ask you to look at the almost imperceptible, very fine sedge brown grasses. I find them incredibly beautiful in their refinement.

This purple wild flower almost seems like a fancy cultivar. Yet, it grows here and there around our acreage, but not in a large grouping. It’s always a pleasant surprise to encounter its beauty.

Here is that same plant in other stages of bloom, including one image showing a butterfly visitor.

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Here are some other purple wild flowers and leaves that I enjoy.

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Shifting from my favorite color of purple to another pretty color of pink, here are various presentations that Mother Nature offers in the feminine hue. Pink milkweed, red clover and a little grass plant show off their pink splendor.

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Cheerful yellow is splashed throughout the prairie on wild flowers, insects and birds.

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There’s also white, black, gray and brown which aren’t typically associated with the “wow factor,” but when you shed the training you may have endured when it comes to defining beauty, you might get a little spark of joy seeing these colors play out in my meadows.

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Green. Green. Green. From April until the end of September, my world is blanketed in hundreds of shades of green. Green is the color of nature. It soothes the soul and provides a deep feeling of tranquillity. With all that green around, it can be easy to overlook some of the most incredible aspects of the hue. Here is some green for you. I have to say that when I decided to look around for all the pretty, wild things that exist around me, I was overwhelmed by the complexity and forms that I found.

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Nature throws in a little red and orange here and there just to keep one’s eyes searching for all her beauty. At least that is what I think.

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While it may seem that I am creating a color-centric view of the natural world around me, that’s truly not my intention. Color was just one, very basic and easy way for me to organize these images. Pulling back away from the specific color of a flower pedal offers a grander view of the grandeur around me.

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I cannot fail to come back to the color which defines our planet. Blue sky and blue birds bring me amazing joy. Here are some images of Indigo Buntings, Eastern Bluebirds, Blue Grosbeaks and our Great Blue Heron.

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Let me end with a Blue sky butting up against a storm front. Nature – which includes weather – is a sight to behold, ever changing and always pretty wild.

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