Springtime Lagniappe

There's nothing like a ride in the country in the springtime. Everywhere you look, there's lagniappe. Like clover blowing in the wind ... And the buzzing of honey bees ... Happily flitting ... From one flower to the next ... This big black bumblebee seemed to prefer the nectar of the wildflowers. And not far away, this sweet little Jonquil was nodding in the breeze, as if to say, "Don't forget me — take my picture, too!" These tangled wild rose vines were growing just out of reach beside the road. Grass and wildflowers were knee-high, and there was a ditch filled with water from a recent April shower between me and the flowers, so I had to be content with these pictures taken with my zoom lens. I hope your weekend is filled with lots of springtime lagniappe. Go out and find it ... it's there, waiting for you.

A Beautiful Flower with an Ugly Name

I love wildflowers, and one of my all-time favorites is a beautiful little exotic-looking blue flower that has a very "un-beautiful," if not downright ugly, name ~~ Spiderwort. The name Spiderwort is presumed to come from the way the flowers hang like spiders from a web off the main stem, and "wort" is the Old English name for "plant."

During a drive down some country roads last week, I found a clump of Spiderworts growing in a ditch beside the road and stopped to capture them with my camera.

In this picture, you can see how its purple
center resembles a spider's tangled web ...

If you would like to see some pictures I captured of other wildflowers while on my "country roads adventure," you can click on the links below.

Honeysuckle and Wild Roses
Roadside Daisies
Buttercups Blowin' in the Wind

Also be sure and click on the "lagniappe" picture at the bottom of this post to see what I found nestled amongst a patch of pretty little lavender wildflowers.

Lagniappe

Honeysuckle and Wild Roses

Yesterday was a glorious day in Vicksburg, and a perfect day to take a drive in the country. The wildflowers are at their peak right now, and there were some in particular I was hoping to capture with my camera. I wasn't disappointed.

I don't know about you, but I love honeysuckle. It's delicate blooms are so elegant and, of course, it smells absolutely heavenly (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like).

I know honeysuckle can be invasive when it's growing in your yard, but there's just nothing prettier than its flower-covered tangle of vines growing wild on fences and fence posts along a country road.

I took the next three pictures last April on another "roadside photo shoot."

Even though it's just the first of May, our days have already been quite warm. Yesterday, I was trying to find some honeysuckle in a shady spot when I received a little lagniappe in the form of some gorgeous wild roses growing on the side of the road.

I slammed on my brakes and backed up (this was a deserted country road, thank goodness), and discovered that there was also honeysuckle growing amongst the roses. Honeysuckle, wild roses, and shade -- it just doesn't get much better than that, folks!

The roses were pretty from a distance, but even more beautiful up close.

In the days to come, when I look at these pictures, I will recall the day I took them and remember that magical place in the shade, heavy with the scents of honeysuckle and wild roses mingling in the air around me. I'm so thankful that I was able to capture that memory forever in my pictures.

In the next few days, I will be sharing more pictures from my drive in the country, and hope you will join me.