Final Flower for the Day - 10-25-18

The "frost is on the pumpkin and the fodders in the shod" and my flowers have succumbed.

Here are some of the last of my flower color.

Celosia - see the seeds at the base ready for next year?

Zinnias

And then it all ends.

I have enjoyed this years flowers and trust you did too.

Don Sessions Presents at the Lodge in Des Peres -Saturday 11-10-18 at 2:00PM

This is an invitation to a talk I am giving on November 10 at 2:00 PM in Des Peres MO. I hope you can come

Don Sessions will present "Exploring the Northwest Passage from Greenland to Nome" at The Lodge

DesPeres on Saturday November 10th at 2:00 PM.  The talk is sponsored by the International Travel Club St. Louis.

Don Sessions is a retired head and neck surgeon who has enjoyed gardening, photography and travel since his retirement some years ago. As the Flower Guy he photographs flowers in his gardens as they bloom and shares them in a blog that is sent to an extensive Flower List. Don has a lifetime interest in the arctic having participated in eight canoe expeditions to Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, many ending in the Arctic Ocean. This special adventure allowed him to traverse the Northwest Passage with its rich history of arctic exploration and  see The Land from the ocean - the other side.

Flower for the Day Night Blooming Cereus 10-13-18

Well tonight is the night. I grew up watching these bloom in the dark and late this afternoon it bloomed in the waning light. It is still a thrill and the pungent scent is still amazing and brings back all those childhood family memories.

I wish it lasted longer.

Tonight's the night

NIGHT BLOOMING CEREUS

Flower for the Day Dahlia 10-13-18

Several more dahlias have bloomed as the nights get longer and the temperature cools.

This is my favorite color this year.

Flower for the Day Poinsettia 10-12-18

Last spring I put several Christmas Poinsettia gifts in the ground outside in partial shade.

They look so good that I am bringing them in before the freeze. Mr. Google says to put them in total darkness 

for 12-16 hours each day and water lightly for 6+ weeks bringing them up before the holidays. We shall see.

Don's Blog "Toxic Masculinity" 10-11-18

Flower for the Day Dahlia 10-10-118

I have been planting dahlias and digging up the bulbs for many years. This year I put in about 12-15 mature bulb complexes from the basement. Only four or five leafed out and this week I finally got a few flowers. It was a combination of weather (very hot and dry) and me. I didn't thin enough celosia so the dahlias were shaded to death. Also there does seem to be an age where the bulbs just don't have enough oomph to do it. My flowers are mirroring my life. Aging is the king - like it or not.

Here are a few of the dahlias that have finally bloomed.

Flower for the Day Aster 10-8-18

We have been having asters in various forms since June but lately they have exploded.

This grouping in a field circle is a magnet for monarchs. 

These are more than 35 years old and keep coming back - some years better than others. They were a gift from my friend Abby. Most years they are way taller than I am. This year not so tall. They are succulent for our lepidoptera. 

Flower for the Day Ginger 10-5-18

Our ginger plant has had a baby. I think it was the change in temperature that nudged it along.
 

It is beautiful in its simplicity. There are many more buds coming along to join it.

Don's blog On Top of the World IV 10-4-18

There is no more peaceful feeling than being on Top of the World. The vistas are endless.

Despite the perfect weather its important to get off the exposed expanse. Storms and deadly lightning can arise quickly.

So we retrace our steps down the slope. The walking sticks are an important aid in the descent.

Back on the trail we turn left and complete the hike down to the Milner Pass parking lot.

The trail to the parking lot is incredibly steep and not made for those of us with short legs. My sincere thanks to Ken for taking Lee an I on this adventure.

Don's Blog On Top of the World III 10-4-18

We are now above timberline again and as we look northwest we see the Never Summer Range whose peaks are not living up to their name this year. Looking down at the base of the hill in the foreground the Milner Pass Parking lot can be seen.

We are on the peneplain that leads to Mount Ida and beyond.

Walking to the edgeof the peneplain we are on Top of the World.

I have known Ken for more than 67 years. We used to hike together as young teenagersand never got over it.

Don's Blog On Top of the World II 10-4-18

Still below timberline we go off the trail and up the hill. Mount Ida is to the far left.

We work our way through the trees on the spongy grass.

Across the valley is Specimen Mountain (12,494'). It is famous for having pitchstone a rare type of volcanic glass that is high in water content. Jasper has formed geodes partly or completely filled with agate, onyx, opal, and calcite. But this is just a tease because the park service has closed the trails to both Specimen Mountain and  Shipler Mountain and  its crater to year round hiking.

As you can see the day is perfect for walking back up to timberline. 
It is not easy to get away from the jet airplane contrails.

Don's Blog On Top of the World I 10-4-18

This is my last Colorado Blog which I have put into parts for successful downloading.  On a perfect August day my friend  Ken, and my son Lee and I hiked on the Top of the World. Starting at the Alpine Visitors Center on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park we hiked to the Mount Ida peneplain and on to Milner Pass on the Continental Divide.

I have always loved that Trail Ridge Road which is the continuation of US Route 34 that comes from Chicago on its way west and passes a few blocks from my childhood home on Dover Street in La Grange, Illinois.

From the parking lot we hiked down the trail at Fall River Pass which is one mile west of the highest point on 

Trail Ridge Road and four miles east of the Continental Divide at Milner Pass.

Two aspects of the trail which are noteworthy.  It starts a above timberline AND it goes downhill.

Since I am a tundra lover it is rare to be able to start a hike on the tundra. The trail follows the old Fall River Road as it heads for Grand Lake. There are several small lakes along the way. We are headed towards the hill beyond the lake in the picture below so we can reach the Mount Ida peneplain.

The spectacular vistas are quietly enthralling. You can see we are now below timberline with theNever Summer Range straight ahead of us.

We arrive at unheralded Forest Canyon Pass. Later last summer (2018) there was a wild fire in Forest Canyon down to our left. It was soon contained. We have descended almost 500 feet.

Flower for the Day Small Palafox 10-2-18

This rare wildflower came up several weeks ago. Small palafox (Palafoxia callis)  - who knew- grows only in the south central part of the country -MO,OK, ARK,TX, LA, & MISS. It is an annual herbaceous forb. Thanks again to Claire for the ID.

 

The small spherical flowers each on a single stem are delightful.

Flower for the Day Downy Skullcap 10-1-18

I love it when "new" (to me) flowers appear. This one was identified by my friend Clairewho never ceases to amaze me. Downy skullcap (Scutellaria incana) blooms in late summer and hangsaround for weeks. It is in the mint family.

The large heads of double-lipped purplish blue flowers are tubular. The lower lip has a showy white center and is divided into three lobes. The upper lip is like a skull cap. Downy hair describes the leaf surface.