Saturday, July 9, 2011

Why I ♥ Virginia

Woke about 8 a.m to a gorgeous morning.  I'd been wanting to take some photos of the roadside flowers so I got up, got dressed, grabbed my camera and headed out the door.  These wildflowers that grow along the roadside where I live are just one of the many reasons I love Virginia.   I work in the city about 40 miles away, but I can drive back to see this every single day.  No, I don't live in the country, but there are still small open spots of meadow where farms used to be.  And they let the wildflowers grow without mowing them down.  Let's go and see them together.




Aren't they beautiful?  The gorgeous blue flowers are Chicory (Cichorium intybus).  It's edible, and from what I've read, they use the roots to make a coffe-like drink.  It reminds me of my childhood where I grew up.  There loads of open fields where I grew up in upstate New York, and these gorgeous flowers were a sign of summer along with the milkweed plants that grew everywhere.  Here are some more photos I took.





And here is beautiful Queen Anne.  I love this wildflower.  If you look closely, you can see the little dark spot in the center.




Can you see the small red heart in the center of this beautiful umbel?


I heard a hawk somewhere overhead as I walked along the roadside and happened to see my friend the Redtail flying over, screeching.  





After I took these photos, I headed over to the farmer's market and bought some croissants for breakfast.  Yummm!!  I can't think of a better way to start the day than spending some time with nature and ending my morning with fresh-baked goodness.   I'm going to go back out tomorrow with my scissors and cut some of this free bounty and bring it home.  Hope your weekend was just as wonderful!




5 comments:

Louise said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful day. I love Virginia, and visit my Aunt in a nursing home in Woodbridge several times a year. Only thing wrong with it is that it's too hot in the Summer for a Winter lover like me.

Genny said...

Louise, thanks so much for stopping by to visit. I surfed over to read your blog and saw all of your wonder photos. I'm so envious that you are retired. Three more years for me and I think I'm going to call it quits too. I loved reading about the history of your home. I grew upmin upstate New York and have thought of moving back there, but the thought of being older and all that snow is a little intimidating, although I'm not a hot weather person either. Thank goodness for air conditioning in the summer!

Razzberry Corner said...

I love the flowers! I love Virginia, too! And you're right, there's nothing better than fresh-baked goodness!!! :)

Knatolee said...

Ah,some of my favourite wildflowers! And I love the hawk, too.

Croissants, yum!

Stephanie said...

Wild flowers are just as pretty as other flowers! and Love that hawk!