Pic(k) of the Week: Trout lily ephemeral

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

Ephemeral beauty on a winter forest floor: a native wildflower, the trout lily, blooms on Arabia Mountain.

After a 13-kilometer hike on the mountain, I was less than half a kilometer from my parked car when I stumbled upon this cluster of trout lilies blooming on the side of the Mile Rock Trail. To say that I was delighted AND surprised would be an understatement.

This is a close-up. The blossom appears larger in the image than it did in 'real life.'

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
28 February 2026.

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About the Dimpled Trout Lily

Erythronium umbilicatum — commonly known as the dimpled trout lily — is a species of perennial flowering plant in the lily family (Liliaceae), native to the southeastern United States, primarily in the piedmont and southern Appalachian areas. It is a spring ephemeral [i.e., short-lived] and its preferred habitat is forests.

Erythronium umbilicatum has green, mottled leaves that are up to 8 inches long (20 cm). The scape [i.e., long, leafless flowering stem] is up to 8 inches long (20 cm), bearing a single, nodding, lily-like flower on a 5 to 8-inch stalk (12-20 cm) with 6 petals, yellow on the inside and streaked brownish-purple on the outside, that recurve backward. The conspicuous stamens are brownish-purple in color. The flower blooms in late winter/early spring before the surrounding trees leaf out and cast shade.

— North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
— Wikipedia.

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Clifford Brown: Sandu
Album: Study in Brown (Label: EmArcy, 1955)

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Pic(k) of the Week: The Marksman

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The Marksman: Annchen (2009)

• constructed of PVC, Lycra, and Swarovski crystals.
• Artists: Viktor Horsting, Rolf Snoeren (Netherlands).

Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements, at...
The High Museum of Art
Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
7 February 2026.

Dutch fashion artists Viktor&Rolf originally created these costumes in 2009, for Robert Wilson's performance of a 19th-century opera, The Marksman (Der Freischütz). Wilson was a renowned American experimental-theater playwright and director.

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About Viktor&Rolf

For more than three decades, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren have explored the connections between the worlds of haute couture and art. The self-confessed fashion world outsiders call themselves fashion artists, blurring the boundaries between clothing and art through their unconventional work. Viktor&Rolf are acclaimed for their masterful technical skill; their surprising, thought-provoking approach to design; and their deep knowledge of fashion and history.

This is the first dedicated exhibition of their work in the United States, as well as the first project sponsored by the Lauren Amos Fashion Project at the High Museum of Art. It features more than one hundred of Viktor&Rolf’s most daring and avant-garde works, alongside videos, sketches, dolls, and photographs that bring their process to life.

Their collections often begin with an abstract idea, and from there, each step of conceptual and technical development considers the final presentation—the fashion show. Rather than straightforward catwalk presentations, their shows tend to be true performances in which they act as storytellers, directors, and often participants. Thinking outside of the box, combining unrelated elements, and pushing the boundaries of the imaginable—together, this is what makes Viktor&Rolf’s designs so unique.

— High Museum website

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About Robert Wilson and "The Marksman"

Robert Wilson (1941 – 2025) was an American director and playwright of experimental theater. He also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video artist, and sound and lighting designer. He is best known for his collaboration with Philip Glass and Lucinda Childs on Einstein on the Beach, and his frequent collaborations with Tom Waits.

— Wikipedia.

In May 2009, Robert Wilson collaborated with dramaturge Wolfgang Wiens, for his production of Carl Maria von Weber's opera, "Der Freischütz," at the Pentecost Festival in Baden-Baden, Germany. The "Freeshooter" was Robert Wilson's second collaboration with the fashion design duo Viktor & Rolf from Amsterdam. They first worked together on the dance piece 2Lips and Dancers and Space (Luxembourg, 2004). The opening in Baden-Baden was conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock.

— Robert Wilson.

Der Freischütz (the "Freeshooter" or "Marksman") is a 1821 German romantic opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on an old German folk tale in which a hapless huntsman enters a pact with the devil and, in exchange for bullets that never miss, pays a gruesome price.

— Wikipedia.

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Philip Glass (composer), Robert Wilson (librettist):
Einstein on the Beach
Album: Einstein on the Beach (Label: Tomato Records, 1978)

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Pic(k) of the Week: A duet requires careful coordination

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DeKalb Symphony Orchestra cellist Rachel Seong (with fellow cellist Andrew Choi) performs the Cello Duet 1, op. 22 of German composer Friedrich Kummer (1797 – 1879). Theirs was the only classical music performance throughout...

Oakhurst Porchfest
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
11 October 2025.

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About

First held in 2015, Oakhurst Porchfest is

a grassroots community music festival where front porches become stages, yards become venues, and radical generosity and goodwill rule the day.

Established in 1964, the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra

presents concerts of traditional and contemporary symphonic repertoire primarily in DeKalb County, Georgia, venues. The orchestra is composed of qualified volunteer musicians from the community as well as a cohort of paid professional musicians serving in principal roles. The orchestra is a member of the League of American Orchestras.

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Friedrich August Kummer:
Duet for 2 cellos, No. 1, Op.22 (3rd movement: Allegro Scherzoso)
Album: Friedrich Kummer: Cello Duets
(Label: Avie, 2007)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Light & shadow in the wood

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Eerie wraiths, deep in a winter woodland.

Mason Mill Park
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
12 February 2026.

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Eric Dolphy: Something Sweet, Something Tender
Album: Out To Lunch (Label: Blue Note, 1964)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Winter speedwell

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In deep winter, a tiny birdseye speedwell (Veronica persica) blooms during a 'false' (22 °C!) spring.

East Decatur Greenway
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
9 January 2026.

This is a close-up. The blossom — maybe 0.4 inches wide (1 cm) — appears much larger in the image than it did in 'real' life.

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Walter Piston:
The Incredible Flutist (Tango of the Merchant's Daughters)
Album:
Piston: Symphony No. 6, The Incredible Flutist, 3 New England Sketches
(Label: RCA Victor Red Seal, 1991)

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