#pink honeysuckle bush

[crudlynaturephotos]

[xiljy]

Honeysuckle flowers

[liliavanrougelover]

What kind of flowers would they give you?

Summary: What flower they would give you and why

Characters: All NRC students (Ortho is platonic)

Warning: none

Riddle Rosehearts:

Red roses. He knows the language of flowers. It may be classic, but there’s a reason for that. Red roses symbolize love, romance, admiration and passion, so it’s the perfect flower for him to give to you. It’s also helpful that he has a maze full of them. When he doesn’t have one on him, he’ll pluck one off of the rose bushes.

Trey Clover:

Pink aster. Like Riddle, he knows the language of flowers. Aster symbolizes love, patience, loyalty, and awe. A pink aster adds the meaning of innocence and affection. Not only does Trey feel that the meaning matches how he feels about you, but he also thinks that they match your beauty exactly. He’d give you the flowers along with something he baked you.

Cater Diamond:

Red gardenia. Cater knows very little about the language of flowers, so he asked Trey and Riddle about it. Red gardenia’s symbolize passion, admiration and respect. They can also be a way of saying “I love you.” He found it fitting to give to you.

Ace Trappola:

Roses of any color. He doesn’t know the language of flowers and doesn’t really care. He just takes any color rose and gives it to you. Might even get you a bouquet of different colored roses. All he knows is that people like getting roses.

Deuce Spade:

Red hyacinth. He doesn’t know the language of flowers, so he asks his mom. Red hyacinth’s represent a light kind of love and playfulness. When he’s with you he feels lighter than ever and he loves horsing around with you (Only if you’re okay with it). So, red hyacinth’s are the perfect flower choice.

Leona Kingscholar:

Honeysuckle. Believe it or not, Leona knows about the language of flowers. Honeysuckles symbolize affection and everlasting love. He chose them because he loves you, and he’ll love you forever.

Ruggie Bucchi:

Dandelions. He doesn’t know the language of flowers and doesn’t know what dandelions mean. He gets them because he can find a lot around the school and they’re edible. He’s given them to you as the flowers and has used them to make food for you.

Jack Howl:

Primrose. Jack knows about the language of flowers. Primroses represent young love. He thinks it’s fitting seeing as you two are young and in love.

Azul Ashengrotto:

Forget-me-not. He knows the language of flowers and is very happy that he does now that he’s dating you. Forget-me-not’s as their name suggests are a way of saying that you’ll never forget someone and they also symbolize true love. He gives them to you as a way of saying that he’ll never forget you, and that his love for you is true.

Jade Leech:

Dahlia. Jade, of course, knows about the language of flowers. Dahlia’s symbolize beauty, eternal love, and standing out in a crowd. He thinks your beauty makes you stand out in a crowd, and he’ll love you eternally.

Floyd Leech:

Any and all. He doesn’t know about the language of flowers and doesn’t care. He only gives you flowers when he’s in a good mood. He’s just going to grab the first flower he sees and give it to you. He doesn’t care what it means. To him it’s a show of love and that’s all that matters.

Kalim Al-Asim:

Your favorite. He asks for your favorite flower and will buy you the biggest bouquet ever. He doesn’t know or care what they mean. They’re your favorite and that’s all he cares about. Before buying you flowers, he’ll ask if you have a new favorite. He just wants you to be happy and feel loved.

Jamil Viper:

Red salvia. Jamil knows about the language of flowers, because of course he does. Red salvia is meant to carry the message of “forever mine.” Jamil loves you and hopes you’ll be his forever.

Vil Schoenheit:

Pink hibiscus. Vil knows the language of flowers and makes sure to put it to good use. Pink hibiscuses represent beauty and young love. Vil considers you and himself beautiful and the young love part is self explanatory.

Rook Hunt:

Heliotrope. Rook knows about the language of flowers. Heliotropes symbolize eternal love and devotion. He’s devoted to you and will love you till the end of time.

Epel Felmier:

Any kind you want. He doesn’t know the language of flowers and doesn’t care. He just asks what kind of flower you want and he’ll get them for you. He’ll get whatever kind of flower you want. Just ask and he’ll get it.

Idia Shroud:

Plastic. He knows the language of flowers, but he’s not getting real ones. He’s not going out and getting flowers, and getting flowers shipped over could take who knows how long. He’ll just order a bouquet of plastic flowers. Any kind you want. Even better, they don’t die. You won’t have to throw them out because they’re wilting. You can just keep them forever.

Ortho Shroud (Platonic):

Chrysanthemums. Ortho knows the language of flowers, and even if he didn’t he could look it up in a matter of seconds. Chrysanthemums represent friendship. You’re his best friend so of course he’s going to give you flowers. And of course those flowers are going to represent your friendship.

Malleus Draconia:

Red roses. Of course THE Malleus Draconia knows the language of flowers. He will give you a big bouquet of them too. He’ll give you 50 at least. He will spare no expense for his beloved child of man.

Lilia Vanrouge:

Every one he comes across. Lilia knows the language of flowers, however that doesn’t mean he’ll make sure to get a certain flower. He’ll just make sure he doesn’t give you one that means something bad. Wherever he goes, if he sees a flower, he’ll pick it and make sure to give it to you later. Depending on how much he did that day, he might present you with one flower or 100.

Silver Vanrouge:

Daisy. Lilia taught Silver the language of flowers. Daisies symbolize innocence and loyal love. Silver is loyal to you and he loves you. His love for you can be seen as innocent and it is. Nothing and I mean NOTHING can make him not love you.

Sebek Zigvolt:

Red roses. He, like the rest of Diasomnia, knows the language of flowers. Red roses are fitting since they represent love. He wouldn’t give you any other flower. Nothing would be more fitting for how he feels about you.

[mulderscully]

tentoorose rec list 2022 edition

lost in the tentoorose sauce once again in 2022, and here is an updated fic rec list for those who have been asking. these are fics that are new to me in the about seven years that i stopped reading dw fic (tbh fic in general) and that i re-read at least twice since then. 

i decided to pick one fic from every author to save time, but for all of these i recommend going through all of their stuff bc it’s all brilliant. these also aren’t in any particular order.

you can check out my ancient fic rec lists here, here, here, here aaand here which i still fully stand by. if any links are broken lmk and i’ll try to fix them. 

and follow my new tentoorose blog here, if you want.

(and for the record, even all these years later, i will never recommend a fic where rose calls him anything other than “doctor.”)

*=nsfw

- pandora by @elialys (this fic is so what i truly believe happened that i felt like it was taken directly from my brain)

- cartography and ritual observation by @megabadbunny*

- the coming dawn by @lastbluetardis*

- marylebone to king's cross by @loupettes

- pink notes, pink cheeks by @gingerteaandsympathy

- spilling scotch and secrets by caedmon

- washed up together by @thirdeyeblue*

- the other side by @dreamcaught*

- the doctor, the happy drunk by rachel_lu

- a rocky mountain snow in by @blueboxesandtrafficcones*

and separate bc it’s not everyone’s jam, pregnancy and baby fics:

- his second heart by @naaer

- little heartbeat, let me tell you about the bush called honeysuckle by @nostradamus0

- 2:00 AM by @hanluvr

- street corner at two in the morning by @messierfourtytwo

this isn’t very long, but i hope it gets the reading juices flowing <3 enjoy!!

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Hemaris thysbe

The hummingbird clearwing moth is a part of the family Sphingidae or the hawkmoth family and was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. The name Hemaris Thysbe is thought to be a reference to Thisbe, one of the doomed lovers in Ovid's Metamorphoses, due to the color of Thisbe’s blood-stained scarf and the maroon color of the moth. Additionally, the name hummingbird clearwing is due to the humming noise created by the rapid flapping of the moth’s transparent wings.

Description The hummingbird clearwing moth typically has an olive green and maroon back with a white or yellow and maroon underside. It has pale legs and no stripes, which is how you tell this moth apart from other in its genus, Hemaris. Its wings are transparent with a maroon border. After hatching, the hummingbird clearwing’s wings are a fully opaque dark red to black. Then the wing’s scales fall off when the moth takes flight, resulting in a clear wing with maroon borders and visible veins. However, a moth’s color and wing patterning varies between individual moths. For example, moths born in the south or later in the mating season are darker in color, and different populations have varying wing border shapes.

Average wingspan of 4.75 cm (≈1.9 in)

Up to 70 wingbeats per second

Can fly up to 12 mph (≈19.3 kph)

Diet and Habitat When in their caterpillar stage, these moths eat the leaves of cherry trees, European cranberry bushes, hawthorns, dogbane, honeysuckle, and snowberry bushes. Adult hummingbird moths feed on the nectar from flowers such as the Wild Bergamot and beebalm, red clovers, lilacs, phloxs, snowberry, cranberry, blueberry, vetch and thistle. The hummingbird clearwing prefers purple and pink flowers. They use their long proboscis or feeding tube to collect nectar from the flowers while flying in front of it like a hummingbird.

The average proboscis is 20 mm (≈0.8 in)

These moths are the most common in southern Ontario and the eastern United States. Their habitat ranges from Alaska to Oregon in the west and from Newfoundland to Florida in the east. They migrate northward from April to August and southward in late spring and the fall. They inhabit forests, meadows, and suburban gardens.

Mating The hummingbird clearwing has two broods a year in the south, but only one in the north. Mating takes place in May and June as females attract males with pheromones produce from glands at the tip of the abdomen. Female hummingbird moths will lay 200 eggs that will hatch in only 6 to 8 days.

Predators Hummingbird moths and caterpillars in general are hunted by birds, mantids, spiders, bats. To help protect themselves, these types of moths resemble hummingbirds or bees to fool predators.

Fun Fact Adults hummingbird clearwing moths are most active during the hottest parts of the day and have no hearing abilities due to a lack of “hearing organs.”

(Source: Wikipedia, Life On CSG Pond, United States Department of Agriculture, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Beyond Pest Control)

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

Warrior Cats Prefixes- H

I had a WC Name Generator on Perchance that I made but I don't seem to have access anymore, so I'm remaking it here as just a simple list. The definitions used are the ones that Clan cats have for those things, and thus are the origins of the names. Definitions used are whatever I found when I googled it.

Haddock-: "[noun] a silvery-gray bottom-dwelling fish of North Atlantic coastal waters, related to the cod"

Hail-: "[noun] pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds"

Hare-: "[noun] a fast-running, long-eared mammal that resembles a large rabbit, having long hind legs and occurring typically in grassland or open woodland"

Harpy-: "[noun] a large crested eagle"

Harrier-: "[noun] any of the several species of diurnal hawks sometimes placed in the subfamily Circinae of the bird of prey family Accipitridae. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds"

Haven-: "[noun] harbor or port; [noun] a place of safety or refuge"

Hawk-: "[noun] a bird of prey with broad rounded wings and a long tail, typically taking prey by surprise with a short chase"

Hawthorn-: "[noun] a thorny shrub or tree of the rose family, with white, pink, or red blossoms and small dark red fruits (haws)"

Hay-: "[noun] grass that has been mown and dried for use as fodder"

Haze-: "[noun] a slight obscuration of the lower atmosphere, typically caused by fine suspended particles"

Hazel-: "[noun] a temperate shrub or small tree with broad leaves, bearing prominent male catkins in spring and round hard-shelled edible nuts in autumn; [noun] a reddish-brown or greenish-brown color"

Heath-: "[noun] an area of open uncultivated land, especially in Britain, with characteristic vegetation of heather, gorse, and coarse grasses; [noun] a dwarf shrub with small leathery leaves and small pink or purple bell-shaped flowers, characteristic of heathland and moorland"

Heather-: "[noun] a purple-flowered Eurasian heath that grows abundantly on moorland and heathland"

Heavy-: "[adj] of great weight; difficult to lift or move; [adj] of great density, thick or substantial"

Hedge-: "[noun] a fence or boundary formed by closely growing bushes or shrubs"

Hedgehog-: "[noun] a small nocturnal Old World mammal with a spiny coat and short legs, able to roll itself into a ball for defense"

Hemlock-: "[noun] a highly poisonous European plant of the parsley family, with a purple-spotted stem, fernlike leaves, small white flowers, and an unpleasant smell"

Hen-: "[noun] a female bird, especially of a domestic fowl"

Heron-: "[noun] a large fish-eating wading bird with long legs, a long S-shaped neck, and a long pointed bill"

Herring-: "[noun] a silvery fish that is most abundant in coastal waters"

Hibiscus-: "[noun] a plant of the mallow family, grown in warm climates for its large brightly colored flowers"

Hickory-: "[noun] a chiefly North American tree of the walnut family that yields useful timber and typically bears edible nuts"

Hidden-: "[adj] kept out of sight and concealed"

Hill-: "[noun] a naturally raised area of land, not as high or craggy as a mountain"

Hive-: "[noun] a container for housing honeybees; [noun] a colony of bees"

Hollow-: "[noun] a hole or depression in something; [adj] having a hole or empty space inside"

Holly-: "[noun] a widely distributed shrub, typically having prickly dark green leaves, small white flowers, and red berries"

Hollyhock-: "[noun] a tall Eurasian plant of the mallow family, widely cultivated for its large showy flowers"

Honey-: "[noun] a sticky yellowish-brown fluid made by bees and other insects from nectar collected from flowers"

Honeybee-: "[noun] a stinging winged insect that collects nectar and pollen, produces wax and honey, and lives in large communities"

Honeycomb-: "[noun] a structure of hexagonal cells of wax, made by bees to store honey and eggs"

Honeysuckle-: "[noun] a widely distributed climbing shrub with tubular flowers that are typically fragrant and of two colors or shades, opening in the evening for pollination by moths"

Hoot-: "[noun] a deep or medium-pitched musical sound, often wavering or interrupted, that is the typical call of many kinds of owl"

Hop-: "[noun] a hopping movement; [adj] (of a person) move by jumping on one foot"

Hope-: "[noun] a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen"

Hornet-: "[noun] a large stinging wasp that typically nests in hollow trees"

Horse-: "[noun] a large plant-eating domesticated mammal with solid hoofs and a flowing mane and tail"

Hound-: "[noun] a dog of a breed used for hunting, especially one able to track by scent"

Howl-: "[noun] a long, loud, doleful cry uttered by an animal such as a dog or wolf; [verb] make a howling sound"

Humming-: "[verb] make a low, steady continuous sound like that of a bee"

Hummingbird-: "[noun] a small nectar-feeding tropical American bird that is able to hover and fly backward, typically having colorful iridescent plumage"

Hurricane-: "[noun] a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean"

Hush-: "[noun] a silence"

Hyacinth-: "[noun] a bulbous plant of the lily family, with strap-like leaves and a compact spike of bell-shaped fragrant flowers"

[the-habitat-ring]

The (Real) Stardew Valley Farm

So a year and a half ago we bought a house, AKA the real life habitat ring. I swear the yard came with every single non-aquatic invasive plant we’ve got. Slowly but surely we’ve been murdering all the Japanese honeysuckle and poison hemlock, tearing up a truly inhumane amount of weed barrier and pea gravel, and adding truckloads of wood chips and other organic matter to start to repair the soil. Our goal is to replace everything with mostly native plants with an emphasis on food production.

But of course I needed more of a challenge. I love playing Stardew Valley. It’s really the only video game I play. And somewhere I got the idea, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to grow everything in Stardew Valley in our yard?” So here we are. Obviously I don’t live on some magical land with perfect weather, a giant greenhouse, and a second farm on a tropical island, so I have to make plenty of substitutions. I’m also trying to grow native plants whenever possible. Any suggestions are welcome!

2021

Amaranth - Native white amaranth (the birds love it!)

Grape - Native riverbank grapes (so many grapes) and some green cultivated variety from the neighbors

Dandelion - Obviously

Maple Tree - Native silver, red, and sugar maples (also an invasive Norway maple but we chopped it down)

Pine Tree - Not sure what kind of pines they are

Apple Tree - Not in great shape. I’d love an Enterprise apple tree at some point

Coffee Bean - Chicory (maybe that’s cheating, but it’s a naturalized plant commonly used as a coffee substitute)

Salmonberry - Not native to the Midwest, so we’re sticking with native black raspberries. We’ll likely add some pink/yellow raspberries later though

2022

Kale

Rhubarb

Strawberry - Both cultivated and native

Tulip

Radish

Tomato

Beet

Eggplant

Fairy Rose - Not a real thing so I substituted the native prairie rose

Cranberries - Native cranberry viburnum

Orange Tree -Native persimmons, which produce orange fruit

Daffodil

Spring Onion - Native nodding onions and also green onions indoors

Spice Berry - Native spicebushes

Wild Plum - Native

Hazelnut - Native

Crocus

Cherry Tree - Native black cherries and nonnative bush cherries

Tea Leaves - Native New Jersey Tea bush

Banana Tree - Native pawpaws, which are also known as Indiana bananas

Mango Tree - One of the pawpaws is a named variety called mango so I think that counts

Ginger - Attempted native wild ginger, which I don’t think survived, but am also growing ginger indoors

Green Bean

Sweet Gem Berry - Native Juneberry (Downy Serviceberry) which are a redish color

Planned for 2023

Blue Jazz - Not real so I went with the native Ozark Bluestar, which seems similar enough

Garlic

Parsnip

Apricot Tree - Native passionflower vine. Not a tree, but it is known as wild apricot

Blueberry

Sunflower - Both native and non-native sunflowers

Pineapple - Neither my spouse nor I like pineapples, so we’re going with white strawberries known as pineberries that are said to have a tropical taste

Pumpkin

Melon

Wild Horseradish - Except I’ll be growing it in a pot because it tends to get a little too wild for my tastes

Holly - Native winterberry holly

Oak Tree - Native dwarf chinquapin oak

Sweet Pea

Hot Pepper

Palm Tree - Obviosuly not going to work here but there is a native palm sedge that I’ll plant instead

Planned for 2024

Potato

Corn

Hops - Hoping to get a cutting from a native hops vine (if the local beer people don’t kill me)

Winter Root - I’m gonna go with native ground nuts because you can dig up the roots in winter

Poppy - Hopefully native wood poppy

Red Cabbage

Artichoke - Native Jerusalem artichokes

Cactus Fruit - Native prickly pear cactus

Yam

Bok Choy

Leek

Fiddlehead Fern

Blackberry

Crystal Fruit - I’m gonna go with honey berries, which produce fruit earlier than anything else

Ancient Fruit - Native Aronia berries are the only thing I can think of for this one. They’re blue(ish) and have lots of antioxidants so you live to be ancient

Figuring Out Substitutes

Rice

Wheat

Starfruit - Not really sure how to swing this one, so suggestions are welcome

Summer Spangle - Not real, so I’m open to suggestions of native plants. Possibly prairie lily? It has a similar-ish shape, is orange, and blooms in summer

Qi Fruit - Creepy little man

Taro Root - I would have to plant it in pots

Morel - I wish I could grow this

All the other mushrooms - I think I’ll just ignore any varieties and just try plugs or similar

Snow Yam

Cave Carrot - Trying to find a native carrot substitute

Coconut - I shouldn’t count this separately from palm trees, right?

Mahogany Tree

Peach Tree

Pomegranate Tree - There are Russian pomegranates that are hardy to zone 6, which just might work with climate change

[death-by-mercury]

Thank you for the tag @mrs-venus-beaufort ❣️

1.) place I went on my first date: out for a walk in the neighborhood (trust me, it’s less awkward than a restaurant)

2.) favourite colour: Green/Blue!

3.) Favourite flowers: Blue Hydrangeas are beautiful, classic red roses, pink or white peonies, and my fragrant Japanese honeysuckle bush!!

4.) My current crush: no one irl as usual, but long lasting is my love for Rory Gallagher and Thomas Anders <33 also think Jamie Dornan, Gerard Butler, and Clint Eastwood are stunning men ❤️‍🔥

5.) I have my little angel Oscar who is a little gentleman of a cat, and a goofy dog who could literally fit into a circus 😂💀

6. My favourite quote!! I love the quote: Simolicity is the Ultimate Sophistication (Da Vinci) - I absolutely agree with it all the way.

And “I speak to everyone the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university (Einstein) - just class this is! Respect as it should be!

Tagging @hammill-goes-fogwalking @shamanbluesss @greensleeves2107 @lonesomedreamer @lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar

[loquaciousquark]

Spring planting, part one! I'm only partially using this as an active distraction against a secondary new, even worse problem discovered with my new trees. At least with these it won't matter if they die in a few weeks!

This year I decided to go red, gold, and white over last year's purples and oranges. In the back box garden I planted white vista salvia, yellow African marigolds to complement the gold azalea, and French "strawberry blonde" marigolds in front, as they'll stay shorter. I also replaced the rosemary bush, which perished in the snap freeze we got last year along with so many others. :( The heritage hostas are already up and doing great, and the fig is finally putting out a new round of leaves after we had one last cold snap early April.

In the front brick garden I planted yellow and white lantana with red celosia as accents. My celosia last year went insane with joy, so I'm hoping to get a big overflow here this year too. No latent polka dots have come up yet, which means I might have finally torn them all out!

I also went into some bushes this year. In the front, I've planted a baby Chinese snowball viburnum to mark the gravesites of last year's ill-fated roses. In the backyard where the hickory was torn down last year, I've put in a Professor Sargent camellia which should do well in that sheltered area and hopefully won't mind the acidic soil too much. In the front in a very naked area I've wanted to fill out for years, I've put in a Confederate jasmine vine that should hopefully take over quite quickly, and a Hall's honeysuckle vine about twelve feet further down the same section of fence, which should have beautifully fragrant whitish blooms to match the jasmine. I look forward to discovering who'll win the scent war.

In one of my pots I planted pink pentas because they're just so stinking cute and they did beautifully last year. And a pair of red and white geraniums to match my seats on the back deck, just because I can.

[unnervinglyferal]

My current list of native plants that I should plant, I have no idea if these are already on the land

Which is why I need to survey it

And see if we have any other invasive plants, currently we have: the multi flora rose, the honeysuckle, and the stupid fucking mile-a-minute vine that I’m pulling tomorrow

I can’t remove the giant fields worth of multi flora roses or the giant honeysuckle bushes right now but I can get rid of that stupid fucking vine before it takes over the damn yard

Anyways here’s the list of surprisingly a lot of edible plants and wetland plants that are native and I should plant:

Rubus odoratus — flowering raspberry

Vitis riparia — river grape or Vitis labrusca — fox grape

Rubus recurvicaulis — arching blackberry

Viburnum opulus — highbush-cranberry

Aquilegia canadensis — red columbine

Impatiens capensis — jewelweed, spotted touch-me-not

Lobelia cardinalis — cardinal-flower, red lobelia

Comarum palustre — marsh-cinquefoil, purple marsh-locks

Ranunculus caricetorum — swamp buttercup, swamp crowfoot

Symphyotrichum ciliolatum — Lindley's American-aster

Adiantum pedatum — northern maidenhair fern

Thelypteris palustris — marsh fern

Woodsia glabella — smooth cliff fern

Dryopteris campyloptera — mountain wood fern

Calla palustris — water arum, wild calla

Erythronium americanum — American trout-lily

Lilium philadelphicum — wood lily

Cypripedium acaule — pink lady's-slipper

Juniperus communis — common juniper

Prunus serotina — black cherry

Rhododendron canadense — Canada rosebay, rhodora

Rhododendron groenlandicum — Labrador-tea

Ribes hirtellum — hairy-stemmed gooseberry

Morus rubra — red mulberry

Ribes triste — swamp red currant

Gaylussacia baccata — black huckleberry

Tilia americana — American linden

Vaccinium corymbosum — highbush blueberry

Sambucus nigra — black elderberry

Aralia nudicaulis — wild sarsaparilla

Matteuccia struthiopteris — fiddlehead fern, ostrich fern

Allium tricoccum — ramps, wild leek

Looks like you've got your work laid out for you, huh?

Try not to break your back and don't get burned in the sun.

[fourthage]

06 April 2024

New plants for the back! For the native pollinator section I got two more cardinal flowers (Starship Scarlett Bronze Leaf and Starship Blue) and another gaura (blush pink).

For annuals, I got a couple of nasturtiums for the oak barrel again, three dark purple heliotropes, and a lantana (bandana pink).

To fill in where the rose bush was: a lady’s mantle and a grace ward (lithodora) to spread out. And I pulled my pretty pink grass to the left of the oak barrel since it swallows everything else in the area late summer/fall and replaced it with another hibiscus (midnight marvel). I’m calling that my hummingbird section since I now have two hibiscus on either side of the honeysuckle.

And I’m trying one more time to grow a hollyhock. I spent a little more to get one that was bigger and more established this time to see if that helps.

Above, the hollyhock in the back left, beside the daffodils. The new cardinal flowers are in the darker dirt in the middle, and the new gaura is in the middle of the darker dirt in the middle right side of the picture.

Above, hibiscus in the top left, the three heliotropes in the front right, behind them the grace ward, and behind that and next to the rock, the lady’s mantle.

And finally, started filling in between the new flagstones. Doone Valley thyme in the front gap, blue star creeper in back gap.

Bonus picture! An early swallowtail visited the hyacinths while I was sitting on the steps typing up this post.

[lunapwrites]

It's summer.

You're standing in your parents kitchen, wearing your little brother's shorts and hoping no one says anything about it. (They don't even notice.) It's hot as hell, stuffy; windows open, since you've got the sort of parents that have air conditioning but don't like to use it. There's a little breeze that flutters the weird lacy half-curtains, wind chime ringing, but it dies halfway across the countertop. So there you are, bare feet and sticky linoleum floors. Everything's fucking Pepto Bismol pink.

Mom's fussing at the stove, smacking pots and pans and cussing under her breath (and over it too) and you can see the hair sticking to the back of her neck too. Stubborn. She smacks the pot down, grabs her purse, rifles around in it. Calls your name. Turns around to shove five dollar bills into your hand, run down to the store and grab a gallon of milk. You're, what, fourteen? Fifteen? So no car yet, but you've got a bike you like to ride down the hill at the end of the road - no hands, no pedaling. Just cool, easy breeze.

It's a shame the store's a mile in the other direction, on an incline.

Still, you could go for a ride. Beats sweating your ass off here.

You grab your backpack and your Diskman, headphones hooked round your ears, and set off at a good clip while still in sight of the house. (Slower once you get past the fuck off huge rhododendrons lining the drive. You're in no rush.) It's still hot, but you can lift your elbows a bit now, get a breeze flowing. Glide along the pavement a bit - you're not at the uphill bit yet. It's bright out, clouds making a valiant attempt but the sun's not fucking having it, not today. The sky's a faded sort of blue. Jeans that went through the wash half a dozen times too many, knees all worn out. There's honeysuckle thick on the air, twisting up and into the pines. Little white blooms dotted all along the deepest green. If you were walking, you'd grab one to chew on, sweet like red clover.

There's a low hum of life around you, loud enough to hear over the music blasting in your ears. A rattle and seethe of insects and frogs and birds, chirping and chattering in the woods as you ride by. They don't bother you. (The ticks won't either if you keep off the grass.) The only cars around are the ones parked in driveways, half-hidden by trees and bushes and custom mailboxes. Some of em have little signs with last names you don't recognize but your parents probably do. They know everyone.

You weave around the middle of the road, lazy like, one hand dropped to your side. It's quiet. Speed limit's 45, and no one's around to hit it. Certainly not you. There's horse shit on the side of the road, somewhat fresh, and a long-dead deer, less fresh - nothing but a few bones and a pile of fur melted into the dirt like mold. You wonder if that's where your dog got the ribcage from. He'd brought it home slung over his back like Santa Claus with a bag of toys, ho ho... ohhhh. Little shit was so proud of himself.

(You also wonder when your parents will put up a fence, but you know the answer to that already.)

After a while, you see the store up ahead, stuck in the middle of a criss-cross of intersections no one ever uses. There's a patch of dirt across one street that everyone calls a parking lot (it isn't.) The shop's the same color as your house, same pale yellow siding, but taller. The gas pumps are all gone now, though you don't know why - something about insurance, you can't remember. You were too young then and can't be bothered now. You swing your leg over the side of the bike and dismount while it's still moving - a little trick that always makes you feel fancy. Less so the kickstand that doesn't work. You lay your bike next to the rusty ice box, pause your music, and walk in.

The bells hung on top the door jingle as you walk in, metal-frame door slamming back into place as if to scold you for letting all the cold air out. You probably had.

The place is real dingy on the inside, like some relic of the fifties gone to shit. It's cramped, hardly bigger than your kitchen with shelves so low you can see over them, condensation dripping from every glass door. Dark wood panel walls and yellowy tile floors that were probably white once upon a time - the counters are clean, at least. The AC's on, but you wouldn't know it. There's one of those metal fans with the little ribbons on it perched behind the deli counter, and the owner's sat in front of it melting like a snow cone in his little folding chair. He's watching the world's smallest television from across the room. Local news or something. Looks sweatier than you feel. He grunts hello though, so you know he's not dead yet. That's good; he makes some damn good sandwiches, even if you always pick off everything but the meat and cheese (especially the tomatoes.) Not today's mission, but maybe next time.

You could walk that floor blind, making a bee-line to the fridge - ignoring the siren call of the Good Humor ice cream chest - and popping open the door. You wrap your hand around the cold, wet handle of a gallon of 2%. The sharp plastic seam bites into your knuckles like it always does, and you wince but carry on. You eye the Snapple case; pink lemonade sounds real good. You grab one of those too, and a Twix bar; call it a finder's fee. You take em to the counter, set em down and the owner heaves himself up and over to you. Rings you up on a register older than God while you debate on whether or not to add a pack of Bubble Tape (you decide against it this time.) He drops everything but the milk in a little plastic bag for you. No receipt; you both know you're not bringing anything back. The milk you stuff into your backpack and swing it up onto your shoulders, straps chafing hard against the bare skin there. For the first time, you regret the tank top.

Say hi to your dad for me. Sure thing.

The bells jingle again as you step back out into the sun.

Golden hour's almost over now, sun at your back, kissing the tree tops. You've got the plastic bag wrapped over the left handlebar, and the Snapple bottle keeps clinking against the head tube - glass on metal - so you hook your thumb around it to keep it steady while you're racing back home. The way back is faster, slightly downhill. A good thing, since the bag you're carrying is a little colder, a little wetter than you'd anticipated - you hope to every God you can name that you didn't pop the cap when it smacked against the small of your back. Fingers crossed.

The scenery's the same: still green, still blue. Only now a little darker, a little cooler, a little more crowded as a Ford whips past you going too fast in the other direction. Diesel. You know he's got until the store to slow his ass down to 25 unless he wants every cop in town - all two of them - on his tail. They're hungry out this way. Bored. You all are.

Takes two songs until your front tire hits the dirt of your driveway, crunch of pebbles and dust as you drive straight up to the garage, dismounting just like you did at the shop. Haul your spoils back into the house - still stuffy and eye-searingly pink. Screen door slams behind you. The backpack slips off your right shoulder, swinging onto your left hip as you open it, extracting the prize. One gallon of milk, delivered straight into the fridge, lid intact. Your mother doesn't ask for change; she knows better.

Dinner'll be ready in a bit.

Your shoulders are burning. You head back to your room and swap your CD from your Diskman to your stereo, and lie down on the worn, scratchy carpet. You can hear your brothers fighting in the basement, your mom ripping the door open to shriek full names down the stairs. She mixes them up; it ruins the effect.

You take a long sip of your Snapple - a little sour, a little cloyingly sweet. A little warmer now than you'd like.

It's too fucking hot for this shit.

[tipsycad147]

Rosehips Magic-Using Rosehips for Witchcraft

Finding Rosehips

Rosehips are commonly harvested during the Fall and Winter. They are small and bright red making them easy to forage and find. If you grow your own roses in your garden, don’t deadhead the flowers once they’ve died off. The base of the flower is what turns to a rosehip come Fall.

Rosehips are best gathered after the first frost especially if you are using them for food and medicine. But if it won’t get cold enough in your area for a while, don’t fret! You can simulate the frost by popping your rose hips into the freezer for 24 hours before using or drying them.

The rosehips you’ll want to gather are going to be bright red or red-orange in color. They should be soft but not mushy. Depending on the size of your bushes, most of the time rosehips are gathered one at a time. We have large wild roses that have to be maintained so we cut them off in bunches and sort the ripe and non-ripe ones out later.

If you can’t find rosehips in your area, places like Mountain Rose Herbs and Starwest Botanicals are good places to order already dried rosehips from.

Always make sure when gathering plants in the wild to a) pick them in areas not exposed to pesticides, chemicals and other toxic substances and b) leave some behind for the animals. Deer and birds especially love rosehips so leaving enough for the animals over the winter is the smart choice.

So now that you have your rosehips, what do you do with them?

(If you are interested in using them for food and medicine as well as how to dry them, check out our post from earlier this week. Find it here.)

Using Rosehips for Magic

Some of the things rosehips are good for magically include:

Luck

Good Fortune

Love

Health

Self-love

Beauty

Peace

Anti-Nightmare

Protection

Money

Prosperity

Confidence

Family and Friendship

Divination

Truth

Charms

This isn’t even the entirety of things you could use rosehips for but these are some of the most common uses. Most commonly the magic of rosehips is used for dreams, prosperity spells, self love ritual baths and potpourri pots. You can also make your own rosehip infused oil to use for anointing candles or spell jars.

Rosehips Magic: Spells and Rituals

Good Luck Jar or Sachet

Using Equal Parts combine any of the following herbs:

Chamomile

Dandelions

Honeysuckle

Mistletoe

Rosemary

Rosehips

Sandalwood

Thyme

Star Anise

Allspice

Vervain

Cinnamon

Basil

Lotus

Pine

Frankincense

Clover

Violets

Alfalfa

Mint

Nutmeg

If making a good luck jar, combine or layer your herbs, spices and any crystals you are using.Seal and bury by the right corner of your front door or porch. Dig up and redo once a year, best time is around Beltane.

You can also make sachets, small spell jars or use as a loose potpourri or incense as needed.

Rosehips for Love Magics

When doing any love spells( self love, friendship, attracting your perfect partner etc) using roses and rosehips are common herbs used to boost your spells and rituals.

Before a spell ritual or just as a stress reliever-Fill a mesh bag( or old nylon pantyhose) with crushed rose hips and rose petals. While in the bath, meditate all of your stress and negative energies away. Visualize them washing down the drain with the water when you are done.

Love spells(pre-ritual bathing)– Using mental visualization, envision red, pink or white light surrounding you. You are looking for your ideal partner to find you( don’t envision anyone in particular(IE a crush) just focus on your person finding you.)

If you are doing a self love ritual, use affirmations and positive mantras to build your confidence and positivity.

Rosehip Oil

Rosehips Magic-Medicinal/ Health

You can make your rosehips serve a double duty by infusing magical energy into your rosehips before using them for various ailments.

When using rosehips for magical medicinals, add rosehips to tea for a sore throat or upset stomach. Soak a cloth in cool rosehip tea and apply to the body for headaches, backaches, bruises or other sore spots.

Other uses for Rosehips in Magic

Protect yourself and ward away nightmares by putting dried rosehips under your pillow before bed.

Place dried rosehips in your wallet to attract prosperity and money.

Feeling Rosy yet?

Aren’t there so many interesting uses for rosehips! Would rosehips be something you add to your herbal supplies?

Feel free to save this info for your Grimoire or Book of Shadows for your spell-work.

[starsarefire824]

In honor of Mike’s birthday I present a little Miwi memory 😊. The arrival of Spring has had me thinking about them as children in the freedom of Summer:

Laying back and using his backpack as a pillow, he stretches out his legs, sighing at how tired he suddenly feels. He crosses his ankles and holds the spliff between two fingers to his lips, the lighter clicking the flame to life. He coaxes the end of it into a gentle burn, the enticing smell of weed with a hint of tobacco filling the darkened car and floating out the open windows. The breeze flows in and carries it away. Mike relaxes into his backpack, throwing one hand behind his head and staring up at the golden light cast upon the ceiling from the carnival. He takes a long smooth drag, and sucks in deep. Holding for a second before releasing. He blinks and takes another, then another, staring at the dirty fingerprints and scuff marks that litter the fuzzy fabric of the roof of his car, watching headlights flash and reflect off his mirrors, and listening to the giggling of passersby. The summer bugs are singing in the grass and along the edge of the woods, and he likes the way the trees rustle in the breeze.

It smells sweet and floral like honeysuckle and if he closes his eyes he can almost taste the perfume-honeyed bitterness of the nectar he used to lick from the inside of the flowers when he was little. He closes his eyes and Will’s standing there, so long ago now, in the fading sunlight of evening where his yard met the woods behind his house, the edges of him blurred as he smiled, a piece of his long hair caught on the corner of his mouth which was stained sticky sweet. Something they’d eaten at the barbecue his mother had that day. He giggled at him as he peeled back a petal from one of the yellow-white flowers he’d picked off a vine wrapped around the brambles and picker bushes. Mike watched closely as his tiny hands peeled back the petal and pulled the style, as thin as string, from the middle and dragged it along his tongue, gently sucking before letting it fall into the grass.

“Have you ever tried it?” he asked with a grin to which Mike shook his head.

Will reached for another white blossom and held it close to him, ducking his head so close Mike could feel the heat of his skin upon his cheek. He smelled like dirt and sugar. “Look,” he said, showing him what to do. “You peel this back and pull the middle out. And see?” He held it up to Mike’s mouth. “It’s sweet like honey.” Mike looked at it cross-eyed for a second, blushing and unsure until Will raised his eyebrows at him expectantly. “Go on,” he urged. “Try it.”

Mike leaned forward, taking hold of Will’s hand and gently sucking on the flower, grinning back at his friend when it was just as he’d said, deliciously syrupy with a hint of bitterness. “It’s good,” he giggled, the surprise plain in his voice. Mike remembers reaching up and brushing the tendril of hair caught on his skin back from his face. He remembers Will’s cheeks turning pink before he bit his lip and glanced up at him through his thick lashes. “Want more?” he asked excitedly, and took hold of his wrist and drug Mike further into the woods to collect as many honeysuckle blossoms as they could cradle in their food stained shirts.

Mike hums to himself. That was a good day. One of his favorite memories actually. And off course it revolved around him.

[omg-just-peachy]

just a summer thing | ed/stede

i'm trying to work my way through this list every day in june to make one cohesive little story by the end of the month!

stede moves to a new, small town, obsessed with the idea of having a huge garden to take care of. his beautiful next door neighbor is just a bonus — he probably won't even see him that much, right?

day one: fairytale | 506 words

****

The garden was something out of a fairytale. It’s one of the first things that had drawn Stede to the house in the first place, once he’d finally started his search in earnest. Then, a visit to the house with the realtor in tow had confirmed his gut feeling: this house was the one. 

He’s been working on that, listening to his gut more. People always talked about it, having a gut feeling about something, and it’d struck Stede recently that he hadn’t, as far as he could recall, ever been truly sure about what he wanted. 

Until now. And, well, now felt like as good a time as any. 

The garden was full to bursting with life: flowers in just about every color and variety, an enormous honeysuckle bush at that back so fragrant Stede wishes he could bottle it, and trees so old and tall he’d probably have to see about getting them looked at. The last thing he wants is a storm to run through and send a branch through his beautiful new home. The house itself has ivy crawling up and around it, in a way that looks straight out of a storybook, too. 

Another upside to this house: despite its age, the interior is every bit as lovely as the back garden, and Stede’s been told over the years that he can be quite fussy about that kind of thing. 

He’s alone, yes, but he’s also truly happy for the first time since the dissolution of his marriage six months ago, and that’s something to celebrate. Stede takes a sip from the glass of champagne he’d carried out to christen the space — the bottle a housewarming gift from his now ex-wife, Mary. 

The sun is setting, painting the sky in pinks and yellows, and all at once Stede can picture it, sitting out here at night, watching this very thing night after night, a book in his lap, maybe a hammock when he gets things sorted out. 

As Stede turns to make his way inside, all but floating on a champagne cloud, a light goes on in the house next door, illuminating what must be a kitchen, and the man inside it. He’s — well, he’s the definition of tall, dark, and handsome — like something out of a novel. His hair falls down around his shoulders and he’s got a close-cropped beard, and it’s about then that Stde realizes he’s staring, because the man raises his hand and offers a smile that’s really more of a smirk. 

Something fizzes straight through Stede, his face flushing almost immediately as he raises his hand in sheepish reply before hurrying back inside. 

So, that’s his neighbor. Stede would have to introduce himself properly, and soon.  Stede doesn’t know it, but in the quiet of the house next door, the man laughs quietly, reaching down to pet the gray and white cat at his feet. He’s humming to himself and murmuring interesting, as he feeds the cat, and himself, dinner, wondering all the while about the blonde man outside.

[dansnaturepictures]

Some of my favourite photos I took in July 2024 and month summary post 2 of 3: Flowers, mammals, other insects and other wildlife

The photos in this set are of; agrimony at Lakeside Country Park, self-heal and red bartsia at Martin Down, marsh woundwort beside the River Itchen, Stoats, mating Common Blue Damselflies and Southern Hawker dragonfly at Egleton, Rutland Water and Common Red Soldier beetles at Lakeside.

It was wonderful to see so many wildflowers this month again. Nettle-leaved bellflowers, upright hedge-parsley, marsh St. John’s-wort, marsh woundwort, some pyramidal orchids still, pale flax, longstalk crane’s-bill and meadowsweet have been among the top species I’ve seen. Hemp agrimony, great willowherb, purple loosestrife and water mint in areas near water brought July’s characteristic purple and pink shade. Other species I especially enjoyed seeing were common toadflax, agrimony, rosebay willowherb, herb-Robert, oxtongue, fox-and-cubs, tufted vetch, viper’s-bugloss, scabious, wild basil, marjoram, red bartsia, self-heal, restharrow, white deadnettle, scarlet pimpernel, hogweed, wild carrot, yarrow, wild parsnip, nightshade, broad-leaved enchanter’s nightshade, heath bedstraw, lady’s bedstraw, bird’s-foot trefoil, white clover, red clover, dock, montbretia, red valerian, ragwort, St. John’s-wort, fleabane, dark mullein, honeysuckle, common and musk mallow, melilot, plantain including hoary plantain, mugwort, gypsywort, meadow crane's-bill, bramble flower, teasel, woolly, spear and creeping thistle and knapweed. It was interesting to see berries out including rowan, guelder rose, blackberries, hawthorn, blackthorn sloes, wayfaring tree, nightshade and cuckoo-pint this month.

Seeing the Stoats at Rutland Water was a phenomenal moment in an amazing twelve moths I’d had for them and Weasels and seeing Water Vole at Lydon, Rutland Water making my mammal year list my highest ever was another magical moment. I’ve seen Grey Squirrels and Roe Deer nicely this month too. Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Emperor, Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker, a few Black-tailed Skimmers, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser and Ruddy Darter brought a summer sparkle to my month in the world of dragonflies and damselflies. Common Red Soldier beetles a key part of summer, the emergence of gorgeous Black-and-Yellow Longhorn beetles, Swollen-thighed beetle, ladybirds, ground beetle and oil beetle were nice to see in the world of beetles this month. Crickets and grasshoppers seen and heard including Roesel's bush cricket, bees, hoverflies, hornet, spiders including Harvestman and in wet weather frog and slugs whilst out and entertaining scenes of many snails on the balcony at home were other highlights this month.