Baby Fruits

The work and love I've been putting into my container garden are bearing fruit. Literally.

Triplet Tomatoes

Aren't they beautiful? But this mini bell pepper and all of its ilk are what I am looking forward to the most. It looks a little misshaped though.

Baby Bell

And I think they're going to be okay. I found aphids on my sunflowers, but not on a single one of my peppers. Last year, the full size bell peppers were eaten alive, but the mini bells seem not to be attracting them. Either way, I know what to look for this time and I know how to get rid of the buggers organically without burning my plants, like I did last year. Oh how I've learned! This year's growing season has been going so much better than last year by all measures.

Balloon Flowers Burst into Bloom

I love balloon flowers. I had never seen them before last summer, when I noticed them growing in the garden of the Ames Florida Stork House in Rockford, MN. Aren't they beautiful?

Purple Balloon Flower

So why are they called balloon flowers? Observe what the bud looks like before it blooms.

Closed Balloon Flower

Neat huh? I love the lavender hue of these flowers. This white variation is also delicate and bright, almost like a star!

White Balloon Flower

A Pair of Hummingbirds

I spotted a pair of hummingbirds in the garden of the Ames Florida Stork House today. At least I'm pretty sure they are paired. They looked so alike, the only difference was that one was brighter than the other.

Female Humming Bird #1

Female Humming Bird #2

Male Humming Bird #1

Male Humming Bird #2

These are not the most perfect photos of hummingbirds, but the pictures of the female are pretty good. If you click to view the larger size, you can see her furry little body. I think those two photos are the best I could hope for under the amateur-still-learning-my-camera circumstances. I'm okay with that, though, because I was just excited to have the chance to try to capture their image.

[Update: This has been identified as a Hummingbird clearwing moth. It is not a bird, but it's still cool! :) ]

My Photos... Out There...

Some of my photos have been used recently by local news organizations which I highly respect!

First, David Brauer at MinnPost published an article entitled Sid Hartman and the Statues of Downtown Minneapolis. In the article, Brauer considers the people who are honored with statues in downtown Minneapolis. Included is a photo I took of the Joe Mauer statue outside Target Field.

Second, the new Minnesota Today section of Minnesota Public Radio includes an area that highlights photographs taken of life in the state. A photo of performers from Ballet Minnesota dancing at the Taste of Minnesota was recently featured on the site as the photo of the day. Thanks to Rob from North Metro Photo for pointing it out to me! :)

Bell Pepper Blooms

The buds on my bell peppers have bloomed into flowers. Now these guys are really growing! Since I took this picture, the blooms have already fallen off and there are tiny, baby peppers starting to grow.

Bell Pepper Blooms

It seems like they're growing faster than last year. The seeds were from some miniature bell peppers, so maybe they're intended to grow more quickly.

Happy Fourth of July 2010

These photos were taken on Saturday. I spent the real 4th of July safe at home in my pajamas.

Bouncing Light

Squiggly Light

Green & Red

Red Fountain

The Freshest Raspberries

Saw these raspberries (and promptly ate them) at a friend's home. They were so much better than whatever you could buy at the grocery store.

Fresh Raspberries

I love fresh fruits and veggies, particularly berries. It doesn't get much more fresh than this!

Raspberry