Before and After

I'm still sorting through photos from June and early July, and I noticed that I seem to have a few before and after images of various plants around my place and Frank's, so I thought I'd make that the theme for this post.


Two clematis buds at different stages of opening. The outside of the petals are fuzzy and pale purple.




When in full bloom, the clematis blossom is a deep, rich purple.






And after they're done, even the dead heads look attractive to me.





By now, the milkweed have all turned to pods but when this image was taken in mid-June, the buds were just about to bloom.





Same day, different plant. The tiny pinkish-purple buds are beginning to open.





A couple of days later, the early evening sunlight gives the open flowers a vibrant hue.





Raspberries are long gone now but back in early June, the fruit was just emerging.





Two weeks later, their colour was beginning to deepen.






Almost ready to pick.





Thistle plants were in full bloom late in June. They attract butterflies and goldfinches.





The beautiful purple flower is so appealing to the eye despite the jagged spikes beneath.





By mid July, it has turned to seed - an explosion of feathery fairies take flight with the wind.





Once the wild roses have faded, the rose hip remains. Some stay green and others become a pretty coral colour. Last year I noticed a few that were quite different from the rest so I kept an eye out for those, this year and was not disappointed.





A few hips turn punk, and grow wild, spiky orange hair. Some time later, I observed what appeared to be bright orange powder on the walking path and nearby grass where many of the rose hips were. It would seem they popped open to share their flamboyance.


I hope you enjoyed these before and after photos. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever catch up to current photos. Probably not, but I'll have more for you in a few days.