Thistles

It's thistle season!  If this were in my yard it would have been pulled up long ago.  But aren't they beautiful when they're not in your lawn?

Strange flower

This flowering vine really stood out on the Neuse river greenway.  It looks like an exotic tropical flower.  It turns out that it's not tropical, but native to North Carolina.  It is exotic however, it's called the Passion Flower, supposedly because Spanish explorers thought it reminded them of the passion of Christ.

Ready to fly

If this were in my garden, I'd be ripping it out as fast as I could so the invasive seeds didn't spread.  But here on the greenway, I can appreciate the plant with no judgement.

River

When I walk by the Neuse I imagine Huck Finn and Jim slowly rafting down the Mississippi.  I know that the Neuse is a lot smaller, and they'd probably get out and wade faster than they could drift, but it still has the feel of a big river to me.

Prehistoric fern?

There were tons of these ferns growing along the Neuse River Greenway.  They look like some type of prehistoric ferns. I could imagine a triceratops munching away.

Osprey

Raleigh has huge power lines running through many of the greenways.  This power pole sits over the Neuse river.  It has become a home for a nesting osprey.  

Turtle convention

It was sunny after a few days of clouds and it looked like all the turtles in the Neuse river came out to bask.

Gazebo

This gazebo deserves a band playing and a town picnic on the grass.  It reminds me of something from an old movie...Music Man?  Meet me in St Louis?

Rain, Rain go away...

It seems like whenever I plan to go somewhere, or have to drive on the freeways at night, we have rain.  Great for the garden and grass though.

Kangaroo Court?

Yes, Raleigh does have the most unique street names.  This one is the entrance to a large apartment complex.  Someone has a sense of humor.  But would you want to live on Kangaroo Court?

Edge of the Storm

Earlier this spring we had a day of torrential rains.  And then...the edge of the storm just moved out.

New Pig in town

There's a new pig in town.  At the NC museum of Art.  The sculpture is called  Sculpt. C  by Jaime Hayon.  It has stairs at the back and a slide out the side.  The sculptor says it encourages play and interaction.  The sign does say " do not climb on top."

A good Dad

We saw these two earlier this spring.  The cardinal dad and youngster were hopping on the lawn together.  Dad would pick up a seed and feed the "baby".  The baby made a fuss if he was a little slow on the feeding.

Old and New

Raleigh is a city of old and new.  Here in front is the American Institute of Architects building, with the Holy Trinity Church behind.

Lizard in the Holly bush

This little lizard has been hanging around the yard, now I found him in my garden.  He jumped from my peas to the holly bush behind.  He didn't seem to mind all of the prickles on the leaves.

Red Hat

Of course the RedHat building in downtown Raleigh would have to have a red hat!

Evening sky

It's sometimes hard to see the sunset with all of the trees that we have in Raleigh.  But sometimes the clouds are just right.

vertical garden

I haven't tried this yet, but I'm thinking about it.  Vertical gardens are an idea when you don't have a lot of room, or if you have a wall you want to fill with something alive.  This is an easy idea I saw at the arboretum.  2 liter soda bottles hanging from string. 

Rodin garden

A sculpture from the Rodin garden at the NC Museum of Art sculpture garden.  It's called the Three Shades.  Rodin created the statue to stand above the "Gates of Hell", another of his works.  I'll bet these "shades"  are much happier in the sculpture garden guarding a reflecting pond.

Ogromna

This very large sculpture called Ogromna by Ursula Rydingsvard sits outside the Rodin sculpture garden at the NC museum of Art.  I imagine a giant tree trunk but it could be anything.

Skyhouse detail

Detail on the side of the Skyhouse Luxury apartment building in downtown Raleigh.  They are in a prime location one block off Moore square.  Downtown Raleigh is becoming gentrified.

Tree Lizard???

Yet another garden sculpture.  It was a little bit creepy noticing it for the first time on the bark of the tree.  I know we have quite a few reptiles here in North Carolina, but this guy looks pretty big.

Fill in the blanks

What would a dog be saying if you could see her speech bubble?   Maybe I don't want to know, we made her take a walk on one of the hottest days and she wasn't too thrilled.

This is one half of a sculpture called Ruth and Ernest by Hank Willis Thomas.  The artist talks about this installation here.

John Deere 1942

This tractor looks small compared to the huge ones used today.  No air conditioned cab, no computer controls.  Just a two cycle engine, four wheels and a metal seat.  

Kudzu Jelly anyone?

You can find any kind of jelly you want here at the farmer's market.  Jalapeno Strawberry? or do you dare....Kudzu Jelly!

Big @ss Fan

Yes, it is a very big fan, in fact it is a Big Ass Fan.  And yes, that is the company name that makes these huge fans that cool very large areas.  These particular fans are in the long buildings at the State Farmer's Market.  

Lipstick on a pig

Who says lipstick doesn't make a pig beautiful?  Also pink hoof polish, blush and blue eye shadow?  She stands at the entrance to the Farmer's Market Restaurant, together with her husband, farmer Pig.

:And now the crepe myrtles

It seems like each flower takes it's turn and blooms in it's own time.  Now it's the Crepe Myrtle's turn.  The trees are turning fluffy white, pink and purple all over town.

Yucca

I didn't realize that yucca would grow in rainy North  Carolina, but obviously it does.  I don't think I've seen this much yucca blooming all at the same time, even in California.  

Nature

This month's theme is Nature.  So many of my pictures are about nature that it was hard to figure out what to post today.  But the Wilkerson Nature Preserve is one of the places that is dedicated to preserving and educating about nature.  This is one of the trails through the preserve.