Saturday, May 31, 2025

Pic(k) of the Week: Wild blue flag

Wild blue flag (02)
Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

A native blue flag iris wildflower blooms creekside in spring.

Trailhead Community Park of the East Decatur Greenway in the City of Decatur, Georgia, USA. 7 May 2025.

The large blue flag iris (Iris versicolor) —also known as Harlequin Blueflag, Large Blue Iris, Northern Blue Flag— is a perennial in the Iridaceae (iris) family native to Canada and the United States, spanning south from Nova Scotia into the middle and northeastern United States to Virginia. The specific epithet, 'versicolor,' is derived from this plant's ability to produce many-colored blooms while the common name, 'flag,' comes from an old English word (flagge) for reeds and refers to its natural preference to wetlands. In fact, it prefers to grow in rich, moist soils and thrives in full sun.

The sword shaped blue-green clumping leaves reach 2 to 2½ feet tall topped with a mass of blue lavender to white blooms. The blooms are formed of three upright inner standards and three distinctly marked sepals. The leaves are narrow and strap-like 1 inch wide and up to 24 inches long crossing at the base to be fan-like.
North Carolina Cooperative Extension

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McCoy Tyner: Love Surrounds Us
Album: Uptown Downtown (Milestone, 1989)

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Saturday, May 24, 2025

Pic(k) of the Week: Clarkston poppies

Clarkston poppies
Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Brilliant red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) bloom in an urban wildflower meadow planted along a CSX railroad track.

Stone Mountain Trail: City of Clarkston, Georgia, USA. 13 May 2025.


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Hank Mobley: This I Dig Of You
Album: Soul Station (Blue Note, 1960)

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Saturday, May 17, 2025

Pic(k) of the Week: Sextuplet brood

Sextuplet brood
Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

A mallard hen (Anas platyrhynchos) was swimming in a bog, right in front of me, just below the camera's angle. She noticed me and, not pleased, let out a stream of loud, agitated quacks. Her six ducklings, alerted to danger, quickly scattered for safety. I couldn't help but apologize to them all as I exited...but not before capturing a photo!

Frog Bog in Legacy Park: City of Decatur, Georgia, USA. 24 April 2025.


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Maurice Ravel: String Quartet (II. Assez vif – très rythmé)
Musicians: Auryn Quartet
Album: French String Quartets (Tacet 2003; Naxos 2020)

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Saturday, May 10, 2025

Pic(k) of the Week: 3-2-1 Sketch!

3-2-1 Sketch!

Pens down! In a 'sketch-off,' participants had only a short time to draw a portrait of the person sitting across from them.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park: Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 13 April 2025.


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Saturday, May 03, 2025

Pic(k) of the Week: Five Points ceiling

Five Points ceiling

Ceiling over subterranean rail station.

Five Points MARTA: Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 13 April 2025.


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John Coltrane: Giant Steps
Album: Giant Steps (Atlantic Records, 1960)

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