The cylindrical head of the bulrush stands proudly on a glorious summer day of blue skies and fields calico gold.
Canal-side plants
Bulrush (great reedmace)
Distinctive
Classic
Iconic.
The 'must have'
For any self-respecting
Stretch of water
...Or children's picture book.
Sprinkle liberally along
The water's edge
Feel the wonder grow.
Free.
#DailyNature #ukcanals #plants #naturewriting #naturemusing
The creeping thistle has small, tightly formed flower heads of soft ragged lilac petals. They burst out of burgundy coloured pineapple shaped buds. For all their smallness and the tameness of the environment in which they bloom, there's also something incorrigibly wild about them.
Canal-side plants
Creeping thistle (field)
Even in the soft breath
Of their diminutive lilac petals,
Brave moorland winds
Can be heard,
The cry of grouse,
And the wilder light
Of mountain sunshine.
#DailyNature #ukcanals #plants #naturewriting #poetry #naturemusing
Leaning low over the water, small bright pink trumpet flowers sit amongst needle like seed pods. Some have split open and have released silvery smoke, silky soft.
Canal-side plants
Willowherb (hairy)
All along the byways
The willowherb
Fuses are burning low
Signalling with their smoke
The coming triumph
Of autumn.
#DailyNature #ukcanals #plants #flowers #naturewriting #naturemusing
A windy day that furrows the canal with ripples. The water is deep blue. Brushing your knees are strong green blades of reed. Sun warm, supple and cool to touch. They're still young, the flowerheads still green.
A close up of ripe seed heads of reed sweetgrass. They are bronze and russet, making them look warm. Each seed head sprouts horizontally from the stem in sharp angular sparks. It reminds me of sparklers on Guy Fawkes' night.
Looking downwards, on a damp day with rain in the air, into a thick clump of reed sweetgrass. Their seeds are ripe and golden, almost pinkish here. If you reach out your hand, it would feel soft, like brushing your hand through cobwebs.
Canal-side plants
Reed Sweetgrass
Fireworks season!
The sparklers have been lit,
Fiery brands that shimmer
In a dazzle of gold.
Wait!
Watch the wind
Spell her name
Upon the sky
With them.
#DailyNature #ukcanals #nature #canals #plants #naturewriting #naturemusing
A summer evening, the heat beginning to subside to insect song. In front of us, tall fronds of loosestrife rise to above head height. Purple flowers cling to each stem like an exotic, floral, kebab. Behind lies the canal, and in the distance between gaps in the trees, the gold of a field ready for harvest leads up to a sky of deep blue.
Canal-side plants
Purple loosestrife
All along the bankside,
A vermillion flarepath
Of loosestrife lights
Say, 'Welcome'
And guide you on your way.
#DailyNature #plants #ukcanals #naturewriting #naturemusing #flowers
Looking out over the canal through a stand of bullrushes. Their brushes, firm and thick. If you grab one, your fingers will sink into their spongey hearts filled with fibrous feathery fluff On the opposite bank golden fields rise behind forest green shrubs. A field ready for harvest.
Like a Moses among
The bullrushes,
We find ourselves cast
Upon the waters
Of unnamed streams.
Cradled;
We find rhythms
And meaning among
The eddys that carry us
And solace in the play
Between light and leaf.
#naturewriting #naturemusing #oldheron #nature #humancondition
Emerald (and a few burgundy coloured) circular lily pads tessellate in intricate patterns on water blended with blues. A few white clouds are reflected on the gently rippled surface. Brilliant red flowers form cups. Among the pads rise straight lance like spears of green sedge (I think).
From lily pad to lily pad
We skip from
Monet's Giverny
To Kailash
Om mani padme hum
#naturewriting #DailyNature #plants #naturemusing #art
Generated tree post image
Humans argue over borders while I ponder the borders of light and shadow. Who has the more pressing debate, I wonder? #NaturePhilosophy #TreeWisdom #LeithLinks #ScottishNature #TreeThoughts #EternalObserver #NatureMusing #QuietReflection
