Saturday, May 09, 2026

Pic(k) of the Week: Poppy field

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

In early morning, wild red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) bloom in an urban meadow.

Seen along the Stone Mountain Trail — a 19-mile pedestrian trail, part sidewalk, part purpose built — here, on the Eastern Continental Divide, in the City of Clarkston, Georgia, USA. 13 April 2026.


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Saturday, May 02, 2026

Pic(k) of the Week: It's a hazy, hazy sunrise.

It's a hazy, hazy sunrise.
  Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Looking southeast from the summit of monadnock Arabia Mountain, one could see a noticeable (yet lovely) haze just after sunrise, produced by a combination of high humidity, 50% cloud cover, and air rife with pollen.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (8:06 am EDT).


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Saturday, April 25, 2026

Pic(k) of the Week: Diamorpha daybreak

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

Tiny crimson diamorpha wildflowers, blooming at sunrise, near the summit of Arabia Mountain monadnock *.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (7:37 am EDT).

Diamorpha smallii — commonly known as diamorpha, elf orpine, or Small's stonecrop — belongs to the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae), in the Sedum species of plants: succulents possessing thick, fleshy sections which retain water, allowing them to survive in drought conditions.

Diamorpha smalli is endemic to the southeastern United States, where the densest populations appear in Georgia, particularly in Panola Mountain State Park and the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. Two to four inches in height, Diamorpha smallii grows in areas with granite surfaces, appearing in vernal pools (seasonal puddles of water contained by rock or dirt) and solution pits (thin patches of dirt isolated on rock outcrops), adapted to survive in harsh conditions, including high temperatures and limited soil.

Hidden most of the year, Diamorpha smallii emerge in late winter, producing dense rosettes of tiny red succulent leaves. Then, in late March, the plants produce small white flowers (~ ¼ inch). As temperatures rise, the plants lose their bright red color, taking on the appearance of little brown stems sticking up from the ground, holding on to their seeds to forestall dessication during the hottest months of the year. The seeds drop and germinate in autumn.

Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance.
Scott Ranger's Nature Notes.
Wikipedia.

Fulsome blooming diamorpha


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Saturday, April 18, 2026

Pic(k) of the Week: Piedmont sandwort

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

Looking down at tiny Piedmont sandwort wildflowers, blooming in a sandy, dessicated solution pit.

This is a close-up. These tiny blossoms — about 3 millimeters wide, on stems about 4 centimeters long— appear much larger in the photograph than they did in 'real' life!

Geocarpon is a genus of flowering plants in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae). It includes seven species native to North America, including Geocarpon uniflorum — commonly known as Piedmont sandwort (or one-flower stitchwort).

Geocarpon uniflorum is native to the southeastern United States, where it is primarily found in the Piedmont. Its preferred habitat is sandy or granitic rock outcrops. Prior to 2022, the plant was known botanically as Minuartia uniflora.

Wikipedia.
Flora of North America.

On the summit of Arabia Mountain
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026.


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Saturday, April 11, 2026

Pic(k) of the Week: Tiny cinquefoils

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

You're just too marvelous,
Too marvelous for words,
Like glorious, glamorous
And that old standby amorous.

It's all too wonderful,
I'll never find the words,
That say enough, tell enough,
I mean they just aren't swell enough.

You're much too much, and just too very, very,
To ever be in Webster's Dictionary.
And so I'm borrowing a love song from the birds,
To tell you that you're marvelous, too marvelous for words.

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Tiny onslaught of spring! Yellow cinquefoil wildflowers blooming near the headwaters (i.e., a municipal storm drain) of Cecilia Creek.

East Decatur Greenway: City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
31 March 2026.


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Lester Young: Too Marvelous for Words
Album: Too Marvelous for Words
Label: Mercury (recorded: 1949 / released: 1950)

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