Anytime I am in my car my eyes are scanning the scenery and landscape. As I’ve been driving to work this past week I’ve been watching the foxtail barley grasses maturing. Because these grasses grow along the sides of the highways and roads and in the medians, there’s a small window of opportunity to photograph them. Once they get tall enough they are mowed down so as not to impair the sight lines of the drivers. This evening I was fortunate to beat the mowers and had a delightful (and eventful) time of photographing these soft and reflective grasses. What you don’t see in this photo is the state highway just on the horizon behind the foxtail barley. Evidently as someone was driving by they must have noticed me sitting on the ground and worried that something was amiss. The next thing I knew I heard sirens and an EMT was pulling up by the side of the road wanting to know if I was okay. After I assured them I was fine and explained that I was photographing they were on their way. It is nice to know that there are caring people here in Minnesota.
landscapes
Pasque flowers announcing spring
One of the first prairie flowers to bloom in the spring are the pasque flowers. They thrive in gravel prairies and are found in various areas throughout Minnesota. Yesterday I ventured south of the Twin Cities to a Minnesota Scientific and Natural Area. When I first arrived, the morning was cool and overcast, but I was thrilled to have found a wonderful slope dotted with these small pasque flowers. Standing only 4 to 5 inches tall, they are easily overlooked from a distance. As I walked along I found more and more of these little gems pushing their blooms up from under the brown grasses. I spent over an hour photographing, all the while accompanied by the sounds of Canada geese and mourning doves. As I stopped to take in the beauty of the landscape around me the skies slowly cleared and I was treated to a warm sun and beautiful pasque flowers against a blue sky — a delightful and wonderful welcome to spring.
Photographic exhibit now on display
I have a photographic exhibit now on display at the St. John’s Hospital Gallery of Art in Maplewood, Minnesota. The exhibit runs from January 6th through January 31, 2010. St. John’s Hospital is located just off Interstate 694 and Highway 61, at 1575 Beam Avenue. The exhibit includes 26 framed photographs, including this image of “Winter dusting.” All the images are available for sale, with a percentage of the price benefitting the Newman-Wicklund Teen Volunteer Scholarship Fund. For additional information please email me at Linda@LindaStaatsPhoto.com.
Snowshoeing
We ventured out today into the Minnesota winter wonderland. Like much of the country, we’ve had our share of snow, and yet there’s a beauty and peacefulness to being out in nature at this time of year. We snowshoed within the Hoglund Wildlife Management Area in Wright County. The air was crisp, the snow was falling, the deer were running, and there was a stillness that settles after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday. These are the times that I appreciate the beauty and power of winter.
Winter at Como Park
Snow has continued to fall this past week. We haven’t received the dumping that the East Coast is dealing with, but rather we have a beautiful coating that’s put everyone in the holiday spirit. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is located in Como Park in Saint Paul, and is a wonderful gem in the city. No matter how cold and wintry it is outside, it’s warm and tropical inside. It’s presently filled with poinsettias, begonias, and hibiscus — a wonderful burst of color during this season of white. As Christmas is fast approaching this week, I wish everyone a season of joy and wonder, family and friends.
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