WALNEY POND - LAST POST UNTIL THE NEXT VISIT

I am always drawn to the water lilies. There is a large carpet of them on the pond and you can see those photos here if you missed them.

I found this graphic online.

More facts can be found here at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC. We were here once and are way overdue for a visit. It's a marvelous place!

The next photo is called the Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). There is a lot of information here. It is one of the tallest and most beautiful eastern hardwoods, with a long, straight trunk, a narrow crown that spreads with age, and large showy flowers resembling tulips or lilies. It is a tall straight, deciduous tree that grows to 150 feet tall (sometimes taller), has a medium to narrow crown and distinctive, star-shaped foliage. The yellow-orange, tulip-like flowers are often missed because they are up to 50 ft. or higher in the tops of trees. Their cone-shaped seedheads remain after leaves have fallen.

The trees are native to eastern North America. Specifically their natural range extended from southern Ontario and possibly southern Quebec, south toe Florida and Louisiana, and west to Illinois and Michigan. They are a common sight in the eastern United States, thriving in various habitats like woodlands, protected by hillsides and wooded valleys.

Introduced into Europe from Virginia by the earliest colonists and grown also on the Pacific Coast. Very tall trees with massive trunks existed in the primeval forests but were cut for the valuable soft wood. Pioneers hollowed out a single log to make a long, lightweight canoe. One of the chief commercial hardwoods, Yellow Poplar is used for furniture, as well as for crates, toys, musical instruments, and pulpwood.

I was too late to see it blooming on this particular visit, but I went on a hunt through my old blog and found the following two photos taken in 2009.

I got the settings wrong on this photo as it was a bit washed out to look at. I tried to darken it a little but need an expert. I need to find the book! It's a Pickerel Weed and I go into more detail at this post if you scroll down.

Shared before but wanted to include this pretty pink Swamp Rose. This link will give more info where I go into more detail.

I first shared the photo (taken at Walney) and the quote here, but felt it worthy of doing so again

We have been coming to Walney Pond for many years, and if you want to see those posts you can click here. Much too many to see in one sitting but you may enjoy one or two.

Thanks so much for visiting, and a thank you to all those who comment. I hope everyone has a great day!

I WAS OUT AND ABOUT YESTERDAY...

 at one of my favorite ponds. The Swamp rose was blooming and I thought I would make a post about them today. Its botanical name is Rosa palustris. 'Rosa' is latin for rose and 'palustris' translates to 'of the marsh’. It is very hardy and can be found in swampy, wetland areas. It flourishes in these conditions and has a robust root system that allows it to thrive in standing water, which you won't see in many flowering plants.

The Swamp rose is non-toxic to humans and pets and supports a variety of wildlife with its fruits. Its dense and thorny habitat provides excellent shelter and nesting sites for small animals. Its bright red hips serve as a critical food source in the fall and winter when food is scarce. Many bird species, including thrushes and waxwings, rely on these fruits. You will find plenty of bees and butterflies frequenting this pretty rose, as well as other pollinators.

Traditionally the Swamp rose has been used for medicinal purposes; treating colds and boosting immune systems with its Vitamin C-rich hips, which are also eaten and spread by birds.

The Swamp rose is native to the eastern United States and eastern Canada, ranging from Nova Scotia to Minnesota, south to Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. It likes full sun and those pink blooms are very fragrant, lasting for six to eight weeks in midseason, generally June and July. 

That's a little bit of info about this pretty flower. I loved seeing it again and is one of my many favorites around this time of the year.

Thanks for looking and have a great Friday!