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Saturday, May 15, 2021

Where Wildflowers Grow!


Thursday afternoon the drizzle had stopped long enough for me to grab a handful of the Muddy Creek Misfits and head out for a leg stretch to see what had grown in the past couple of weeks.

We all agreed - elevation and location make a huge difference when it comes to things like the very late arrival of spring in these parts.

Here we are at Mid-May and trees are just FINALLY getting their leaves.

100 miles away, they've been full blown for weeks.


But boy - when things get green, they get really green!



I love that these gals love wildflowers as much as I do.  we can take our time and really get up close!

The purple stuff I love so much?  The pretty flowers I was fighting to save when the hubster was out wielding his weed whacker?  We found they are called Dame's Rocket and they grow EVERYWHERE around here - 



Even in the yard of the Old Round House, next to the debris pile!

It was a hike of texture, and shape and color -



The flowers are gorgeous - but look at the texture of the leaves!


This is the little yellow flower that is EVERYWHERE - and they look like tiny daisies when you get up close and personal.

The Round House in the upper left corner is a goner I fear.  No protection happened for the roof this winter, and it has now fallen through in many places.  My heart hurts to see this unique abode fall.

In my mind I'm raising a fist at the guys who spent all of this time last year chopping down trees and taking care of the lot, but doing NOTHING for the house.


Up close - aren't they sweet?

They are EVERYWHERE.


Not sure what these are either - but pretty!

Love the salmon color.


This beautiful plant has no problem growing up a rock  face.

and the flowers look like babies breath - 



These leaves have a pretty ruffled edge, too.


Little buttercups blooming at ground level.


We were having such a great time that we walked a bit further than I normally do with a group - we made it all the way up to the old McMillan farm house, long abandoned.


Someone once gardened the rise from road to yard in front of the house.


Hello, gorgeous!

How long have your bulbs been planted here?


And yellow ones too!


Even on retreat, sometimes you've just got to break away from the machines and take a walk on the wildflower side!

And yes, that is a vine growing out of the top of the street sign like some kind of crazy topiary.  LOL!


Let's do this again! Always fun!


My solids are turning into a stack of blocks!

I am working my way through that bin of old solids.  When I have enough blocks, I'll play with settings and borders - but for now - just making blocks is enough!

This block is from my Addicted to Scraps Column in the May/June 2016 issue of Quiltmaker Magazine, and I called it Butterfly Kisses when it was shown in prints.  The block is from an antique quilt in my own collection, and I have always wanted to play with it.

Where it goes from here is anyone's guess!

Yesterday's introductory release of Basket Toss was off the charts!  I can't wait to see my newsfeed filled with all of your blocks in all of their varieties!

Did you enter to win our Gift-Away on Yesterday's Post? We will be drawing for THREE winners!


Two winners will be receiving a Basket Toss PDF pattern directly from me. 

Our Grand Prize winner will also receive a "This & That!" Fabric Roll from Cotton to Quilts!


Irene at Cotton to Quilts has chosen a wonderful array of fabrics perfectly suited for enhancing your own fabric pull while making Basket Toss.

Need more neutrals?  Be sure to check out the Notable Neutral Rolls while checking all of the fabric bundle offerings!

As promised, the introductory price for Basket Toss is already marked 25% off - no coupon needed!

This price drop is good through May 31st, and will revert to the full price of $12.00 on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.  Don't delay!

If this is your first time downloading digital patterns from my store to a computer click HERE.

If you intend to download to an iPhone/iPad click HERE.

Scrappy baskets twirl in a whirlwind of color! Fill your background areas with your favorite neutrals, and finish your border perfection with an easier than it looks gently scalloped border! Step-by-step directions with full color graphics and photos. A wonderful way to sew happily through your own scrap basket!

Quilt Size: 88’’ x 88’’

Are you ready to enter to win? Do it on Yesterday's Post!

This morning the sun is shining, and we are hoping for a continuance of that through the day as we have fire pit plans for tonight.

I've sewn all of the Butterfly Kisses blocks that I had cut the day previously - so more pressing and cutting is on the agenda for me today.

Any plans for your weekend ahead?  I hope you get some outside time as well as some sewing time this weekend!


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage Rolling Stone quilt found in Greensboro NC.


Whatever you think, your mind is going to reproduce and manifest. ⁣
Time to kick lingering negativity to the curb!

Have a lovely weekend - I'll see you back here on Monday!


 

38 comments:

  1. That salmon coloured flower is called Columbine. We have it wild here in Canada although it can be grown as a garden flower.

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    1. That's what I thought. But very small ones. Not like the ones we put in our gardens.

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    2. My columbine (Illinois) are about the size of the ones in the pic. They spread like crazy. I have several different colors of them.

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    3. We have it here in Iowa and call it wild Columbine. It is smaller than the ones we intentionally plant and is only in that salmon color. It is also different in that it spreads like crazy so pops up everywhere.

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    4. They also multiply like crazy!

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    5. that is the way wild columbine is, and beautiful it is!

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  2. Bonnie - my grandmother had the salmon colored flowers at the side of her porch -- she called them Japanese lanterns! Love them thanks for the memory

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    1. These Columbines that Bonnie was asking about are not the same as Japanese Lanterns, GOOGLE “Japanese Lanterns” and they have very good pictures.

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  3. I believe the salmon colored flowers your not sure about are columbine.

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  4. Lovely walk! I can help with 2 of the flowers - the salmon ones are Columbine and the purple/yellow are Iris.

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  5. So enjoyed the wildflower 'naming' tour so much.... wildflowers are the
    basics of every locale....and especially appreciated when a gardner new to an area manages to experience the 'black thumb' ----ask me how I know?!! wildflowers never let you down and they are as beautiful as cultivated flowers as well.... enjoyed your blog today and EVERY DAY!

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  6. We have columbine in Wisconsin as well. The purple single stem flowers are spirderwort. They usually grown around water.

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  7. Also knows as wild honeysuckle.

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  8. Why don't you try flower pounding? It is a lot of fun and even the leaves are fun to pound on. Just get some muslin and pound away with a flat faced hammer. Be careful of the juicy ones, though. African violet leaves will splatter you! Marilyn Marks

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  9. Hi Bonnie, in England we call the columbine flower Aquilegia or Grannie's Bonnet, they come tall and small and in wonderful colours. They were often included in English cottage gardens, I have them in my own garden but none of the beautiful salmon ones. How about you send me one over....?? Elaine

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    Replies
    1. They would start from the seed so she wouldn't have to send a whole flower! ;)

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  10. yes, the salmon colored flower is wild Columbine. When I was little we had it growing by the heating oil barrel beside the house. You can buy lots of different colored ones now. Have a great weekend

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  11. We in Waynesville NC are experiencing the same level of Spring . It’s terrific to see those same flowers along the roads. Love your walks.

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  12. Yes, the salmon colored flowers are columbine. It is the Colorado State flower. Usually we see them in blue but they come in various colors. Domestic ones are larger but the wild ones are precious and beautiful.

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  13. Acquilegia vulgaris aka Columbine and in the UK as Granny's bonnets

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  14. Yes another name for the salmon is dutchman's britches.

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  15. Yes, definitely Eastern Red Columbine. Golden Ragwort? virginiawildflowers.org

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  16. I love your hikes and adventures. Do you have any idea what the white flower is in one of today's photos? I found some growing in my yard and have no idea what is is. When I showed it to my son he told me he just pulled some out when he cut the grass down by the curb. I told him not to pull any more out that I will transplant it. Men they don't know what is pretty even if it might be a weed so what. Enjoy your spring even if it is late in coming.

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  17. The white-flowered plant with the textured leaves is a type of viburnum. So pretty! It reminds me of the texture of seersucker fabric.

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  18. Yes, those red/yellow flowers are wild columbine!! The yellow and purple irises are Siberian irises!! And, those cute little white ones with the fringy leaves are Mountain saxifrage! Yep, I am a flower lover and live just over the line in Tennessee! Happy quilting. I am working on ribbons for our guild challenge for our first in-person meeting in seventeen months in August. Yippee!

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  19. Love your flower walk. Very interesting the names of the flowers in different regions. Always remember the buttercups from when I was a child. First flower to bloom in the mountains where I lived at that time. Hope my post comes thru. Enjoy all your quilts.

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  20. I have an APP on my phone called Picture This and if you use it to take a pic of the flowers it will give you the information about the flowers. I love it. I was able to use it on your blog pics to give me their names.

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  21. So sad about the roundhouse! I was looking forward to seeing the restoration process vicariously through your camera lens. Spring in your mountains is beautiful!

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  22. If the house is abandoned, maybe you could transplant those gorgeous iris around your Retreat House???

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  23. The little yellow looking daisies I think are called Moonbeam. I have them in my flowerbed and have a hard time getting rid of them because they spread like dandelions.

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  24. We always called them Honeysuckle. You can bite off the tips that look like the tips of a bottle and suck gently and it tastes a little bit like honey.

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  25. Love seeing all the wildflowers, they're so beautiful! What a shame there are so many empty, old properties around. They would be stunning if they could be restored, they must hold so many memories and history :)

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  26. Was interested in your Dames Rocket...it looks a lot like what I think of as Flox in my garden...looked online and they are similar (thought my flox is not blooming yet)...the Dames Rocket flowers have 4 petals, and the Flox has 5 petals on the flowers. Have made a note to check when mine bloom! BTW, they called the Dames Rocket invasive. Wildflower walks are just the best! (:))

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  27. One of the flowers you weren't sure of, sure looks like a columbine from Colorado. It comes in a variety of colors. I am looking for part 4 of your Lazy Sunday quilt that was published in Quiltmaker. Any ideas where to find it?

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  28. Thank you so much for your lovely pictures! I love your quilts and really enjoy reading your blog every day. I wish I lived closer so I could come and attend one of your retreats. Roxy in Hudson, WI

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  29. Thank you for sharing the walk you all took. The pictures are so beautiful of the wild flowers. I love the pictures of the flowers of by gone years with the iris and ferns. The solid colors are so pretty, I love the blocks. Happy Quilting.

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  30. Hey Bonnie! Did you know that you can get an app for your phone that will identify plants and flowers and things. You always post such nice pictures of what you see on your adventures on foot and bike. The one I use is called Seek by iNaturalist, its a free app and is nice this time of year with so many things blooming to know what I'm looking at.

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  31. Love all the flowers, and I see below the yellow daisy like flowers what looks like a poison ivy leaf. Be careful out there in the wilds!

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