What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 The weather was glorious this weekend -- temperatures in the mid-70's, low humidity, and lots of sunshine.   We went out both Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

These are scarlet lobelia or cardinal flower.  I've found them in only two forest preserves (here, Sedge Meadow Canoe Launch)  though surely they grow in others.  The red is really red!   

We've visited Volo Bog when we've had enough time for the 26 not-very-direct-mile-drive.  Today was one of those days.  I hiked the entire trail -- 2.75 miles -- which took so long that I didn't take the boardwalk through the bog ...

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 My mother loved gardens and flowers, whether hers or someone else's.  (1995 photo.)  

(I still have shelves of family albums in the front closet but now there is one fewer. I tore out pages with 'keeper' photos from this 1994-95 scrapbook and actually tossed the rest. Good for me!) 

I remember her telling me about a field trip to Volo Bog once upon a time.   We took advantage of the beautiful day yesterday for another visit.   It's 27 miles from where we live (30 miles from where she lived, but another direction).  

  

From the website  "Formed in an ...

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The eye of the bog

Yesterday we revisited Volo Bog.   It's at the western edge of the county, 28 miles from where we live.   

Pitcher plant, starflower, orchard grass, prairie groundsel, Canadian anemone, sensitive fern, water arum, vetch, cinnamon fern.  

From the website:  Volo Bog was originally a deep 50-acre lake, with steep banks and poor drainage. The lake began filling with vegetation approximately 6,000 years ago. A floating mat, consisting primarily of sphagnum moss formed around the outside edges among the cattails and sedges. As these plants died and decomposed, the peat mat thickened, forming a support ...

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 [I'm breaking the Weekly Update into two parts.]

It was warm when the week began and I pushed to get the vegetable garden planted.  I bought tomato, herb, and squash and cuke seedlings but planted seeds for beans and sugar snap peas.  Midweek we had a little rain (hardly enough) and a real cold snap -- we had to turn the furnace on!  

The poppies are popping one by one -- the flowers don't last very long.

The peonies have lots of buds but no blossoms yet.

Farther afield:

On Saturday afternoon we revisited Pine Dunes forest preserve. Wildflowers were ...

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