Greater Celandine

Truth

is hard as adamant...

...and tender as a blossom.

- Gandhi

Wild Columbine

"Other common names include: American Columbine, Canada Columbine, Eastern Columbine, Meetinghouses, Rock Bells, Honeysuckle, Rock Lily, Cluckies, Jack-in-Trousers, Wild Honeysuckle, Granny's Bonnets, Dancing Fairies, Ancolie du Canada..."
Flora, Fauna, Earth and Sky

This is one of the natural hummingbird feeders.

I think this flower is far lovelier than any of the altered varieties that we see in gardens.

Normally, I prefer to take pictures in the natural light, but sometimes the light levels are so low, the automatic flash on the camera fires. And I often get some great effects, accidentally. This time the flash bounced off my hat (upper right corner) - not sure where the red glow comes from...could it be from the flower?

Solomon's Seal

"In the winter when the leaf stalk dies back and becomes completely removed from the rhizome, a scar remains which is said to resemble the Seal of King Solomon, who reined [sic] as King of Israel from 961 - 931 BC. The seal is a hexagram composed of two overlapping triangles to create a six pointed star, commonly called the Star of David after King David, father of Solomon."
Wild Flowers and Plants of North Carolina

"The legend of King Solomon's Seal, of the wondrous signet ring which he received from heaven, is common to Judaism, to Christianity and to Islam. King Solomon's Seal, whose base is on the ground and whose tip reaches heaven, symbolizes a harmony of opposites, whose significance is manifold as much as it is multi-cultural. It reflects the cosmic order, the skies, the movement of the stars in their spheres, and the perpetual flow between heaven and earth, between the elements of air and fire. The Seal, therefore, symbolizes super-human wisdom and rule by divine grace."
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs


WeHug

Comfort

This reminds me of Henry Moore's sculptures.

"At his home in Much Hadham, Moore built up a collection of natural objects; skulls, driftwood, pebbles and shells, which he would use to provide inspiration for organic forms."
Wikipedia

We tend to think of "organic" as anything living and "inorganic" as anything that isn't or never was alive. "The original definition of "organic" chemistry came from the misperception that ... compounds [consisting primarily of carbon and hydrogen] were always related to life processes, but it has been shown that this is not the case... Moreover, it is known that life also depends heavily on inorganic chemistry..."
Wikipedia

Using the terminology incorrectly, this is an organic-looking form formed from inorganic material.

Mossy Rock

This formation looks as if it was created by a huge, heavy object dropping on the middle of it and splintering it. It's what a piece of glass would look like if a rock were to fall on it.

However, according to the way I understand rock is formed, it's more likely that it used to be a mound of compacted mud which sank and split as the water seeped out and evaporated from it. It looks like it's sitting in a shallow well.

Moss can grow on rock because it doesn't have any actual roots. It has filament-like rhizomes which can just spread out on top of the rock and absorb moisture from its surface.

Water Images

The Effects of:

Water on Rock

- thousands of years

Rocks on Water
- a fraction of a second

Light on Water

Wind on Water

Colour on Water

Dusk on Water

Cold on Water

Heat on Water

Gravity on Water

Water Haiku

Moving water
Running smoothly
Over stone




Clouds in water
Still as air
Fluffy glass

Water in Literature

The Mirror of Galadriel

"With water from the stream, Galadriel filled the basin to the brim, and breathed on it, and when the water was still again she spoke. ...'Many things I can command the mirror to reveal...and to some I can show what they desire to see. But the mirror will also show things unbidden,... For it shows things that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be. But which it is that he sees, even the wisest cannot always tell.'"

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

"Morag read Pique's letter again, made coffee, and sat looking out at the river, which was moving quietly, its surface wrinkled by the breeze, each crease of water outlined by the sun."

- Margaret Laurence, The Diviners

Noisy - Quiet
Ruffled - Smooth
Solid - Liquid - Vapour
Forever changing form
Impervious to time