After The Rain

 

It rained and rained yesterday. Later in the afternoon things finally began to clear. I took most of these photos while the leaves were still clinging to the fresh droplets, trying to capture  a little freshness. Above, rhubarb and mushrooms, for a little funkiness. Below, two dogs who had been couped up all day and kept getting in my pictures, for a little friskiness.

Charlie strikes a pose.

Not to be ignored, Ana wants to be in the picture too.

I just love  copper beech leaves--these from this mature tree:

The birds unfortunately quickly harvest the berries from this tree (amelanchier, juneberry, serviceberry, shadblow, or whatever) when they are ready so its best to get a photo now, before the peckin' begins.

Lady's Mantle -Alchemilla Mollis

The leaves of Lady's Mantle hold the rain droplets in a very interesting way. If you are interested in more information on this feature and the meaning of the names of this plant see below.

Centaurea Montana Blue (Mountain Bluet) is a perennial cornflower-like plant that reseeds rather aggressively. It is the only thing in full bloom in this large garden right now and will have to be reduced a bit after flowering. Notice the fly enjoying a bit of sunlight after all the rain.

Guess who--getting ready for Sunday?

Alchemilla mollis or Lady's-mantle is also known as dewcup, alluding to the way raindrops and dew are captured by the soft hairs on its pleated leaves and the way water collects at the bottom of the leaf cups. The name alchemilla derives from the Arabic word for alchemy, "little magical one." Medieval alchemists used the water from this plant for their purposes, believing the droplets to have mystical properties. It was considered to be the purest form of water--celestial water. Also, the leaves of this herbal plant were purported to have healing properties, chiefly used for gynecological purposes, considered powerful enough by some to restore lost virginity! Lady's mantle refers to the scalloped edges of the leaf lobes, which were thought to resemble the mantle of the Virgin Mary. One source said that the drops that collect in the leaf cups are actually excreted by the plant in the early morning.