Sambucus nigra, 11June2010, 600meters above sea level, North facing slope, Berner Oberland, Switzerland.
Dig into this one. Elderberry ice cream. Elderberry cordial. Elderberry jam. And on it goes. Wait until ripe, if you haven’t already harvested the flowers. So light. Heavenly.
I love to see an agricultural community in transition. Everything counts. Nothing is wasted.
People still remember that everything counts and, for security, nothing is wasted.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, mid 1980s, tourist export
Silver, Gold, or? Death or date palms? Take your pick.
Found at approx 1600 meters above sea level in the
Swiss Alps, Bernese Highlands, Jungfrau Region
Gentiana acaulis
22May2018
Found in Swiss Alps, Bernese Highlands, Jungfrau Region
Gentiana verna
22May2018
Prunus laurocerasus has become very popular as a hedge to secure privacy for people in the small gardens around the houses of the Bernese Highlands.
This plant is evergreen, takes to trimming, makes a nice tall, thick hedge, and has a light but pleasant fragrance in flower. Bees like it and birds like it.
But I have observed a huge amount of pollen gather on Lake Brienz while this plant is at and past its peak flowering.
Interesting no? Comments please?
The past quickly becomes a dream at best and worst–Dubai Dreamland.
Well, while I was dreaming about walking distance green and blue in local parks…
How does that shopping work if you don’t want to get into your car every day?
And what if I have to be driving through a neighbourhood and need to shop?
Dubai urbanification–this is the Coastal Zone. In fact, it is the heart of a growing 200km long megalopolis connecting Ras al Kaimah in the north to Abu Dhabi in the south. And it was once…Empty Quarter.
The serviceable part of a lot of those hi-rise apartment neighbourhoods is that ground floor has retail space. I don’t want to turn this into some kind of planners manifesto; but if you must live in an apartment building, it is hugely practical to have retail on the ground floor of hi-rise–especially if your goal is to reduce numbers of local auto trips.
Swiss Alps spring pastures
At 600 meters above sea level, early May in the Bernese Highlands, grassland pastures are full with first wild flowers. Imagine in the air, the fragrance of fresh green pasture spring.
I like to share things about plants, gardens and landscape. Things that can enliven and inspire.
But this set of photos is only about sharing perception in what I think of as teaching.
Every day I have mountains in my face. These photos how some of them. In particular, these photos tell a story that is quite visually apparent in early spring.
Here are the stories or rather the lessons learned:
Notice the green grasses in the lower elevations. Compare it to the brown yellow grasses at the higher elevations.
Darker green forest trees are conifers. Spring green forests are deciduous.
Electric lime green spring foliage on a mixture of deciduous trees.
Or is it just having fun?
I had the joy of observing these two patches of flowers yesterday.
One is wild in the woods and the other is wild in the garden. Judging books by their covers, are we?
But someone has written that having a book in your pocket is like having a garden in your pocket. Then where do the wild flowers belong?
But anywhere you find them, they are a discovery pleasure of spring.
Wild in the garden
Wild in the woods
