This little patch of Purple Iris has been hosting a variety of insects, most notably the Mating Damselflies I’ve featured.
Seen from a bit further along the pond.
One of the reasons I’m reluctant to sit on the ground for long:
The Iris Patch
Category Archives: Landscape
Pink Azaleas, Long White Bridge
Not much I can say about this, nice to see the Long White Bridge paint job complete and the flowers blooming.
Garden Pond Scene
There were lots of reflections and a bit of color in the main garden pond at Magnolia Plantation last week. The Long White Bridge is to the left, and didn’t make much of a picture when I passed by this day.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 29, 2021
House Museum at Middleton Place
Seen through a Camellia hedge across the great lawn, the South Flanker at Middleton Place
March 24, 2021
Prior to the Civil War the main house was flanked by the North Flanker and the South Flanker, which was built in 1755 as gentlemen’s guest quarters and a business office.
From the Middleton Place website:
Both flankers, along with the main house, were burned by Union troops in February, 1865, just two months before the end of the Civil War. The South Flanker was the least damaged of the three buildings and repairs to it began in 1869 and included a new roof, Dutch gable ends and an entry hall leading from the Greensward. Thus strengthened, the South Flanker survived Charleston’s Great Earthquake in 1886 that brought down the gutted walls of the other residential buildings. By 1870 the Middletons had returned to live again at Middleton Place and the South Flanker continued to serve subsequent generations until becoming a House Museum in 1975.
middletonplace.org
Layers of Grey
The weather forecast promised a sunny day.
Not so much.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
February 17, 2021
Tucked in a Hummock
The big pond at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area is dotted with these little islands covered with clumps of marsh grasses. Maybe not quite technically hummocks, as I’m not sure the ground is in a mound or if the grass is just thriving in a clump.
It’s not uncommon to see Black-crowned Night-herons tucked into the grass, but on this cold day they were joined by a Great Egret and a Double-crested Cormorant was bobbing in the water. I couple other Night Herons came and went while I was watching.
Look closely and those little blurs are Swallows zipping through the air. By 11:30 AM it had warmed up enough for insects to be active at the water surface.
These Swallows are fast!
Update 5: Long White Bridge, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
I ended my last Long White Bridge update with:
Foot traffic was still not allowed on the bridge. I expect the sides will have a railing along the top and there will be caps on the posts, both in black.
Thursday this week was a sunny day and I went back to check on progress. The holiday decorations have been removed, the caps are in place, no black painting has been done, and visitors are still blocked from crossing the bridge.
I pretty quickly got distracted by a Great Blue Heron posing on the new railing.
A few minutes later a Little Blue Heron decided to check out the new view, too.
Surprisingly the Little Blue flew even closer to the GBH.
Even more surprisingly the LBH struck the same pose as the GBH, who never moved.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 28, 2021
The Long White Bridge at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens which was severely damaged by a falling maple tree on July 7, 2020.
My other photos of the Long White Bridge
Update 4: Long White Bridge, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
I returned to the Long White Bridge twice the first week in January to find that at the end of December the lattice side work had been completed and the bridge decorated with pine rope garland.
Foot traffic was still not allowed on the bridge. I expect the sides will have a railing along the top and there will be caps on the posts, both in black.
Wintertime Spanish Moss when there is no other color to reflect in the water makes a harsh image. I’m hoping any vegetation damaged by the falling tree and repair work will rebound as we move into spring.
The Great Blue Heron took flight, getting awfully close to the bridge before he lifted up and over.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 4, 2021
The Long White Bridge at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens which was severely damaged by a falling maple tree on July 7, 2020.
My other photos of the Long White Bridge
Little Blue Heron and Cherub
A Little Blue Heron sizing up a cherub statue …who can stand still longer?
The Little Blue Heron blinked.
A wider view of the Long White Bridge, the cherub reflecting underneath.
November 2020, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Charleston, SC
Update 4: Lattice Work
I returned to the Long White Bridge at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens on Monday to find the lattice work being attached.
Installation had been completed about three quarters of the way across on the front side of the bridge.
Two workmen were lining up and attaching supports for the next section of lattice.
The Cherub will be more difficult to photograph through the bridge when the other side of lattice is added.
This is a view from the back side of the bridge with three Alligators in the water in the lower right.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 21, 2020
My other photos of the Long White Bridge