In all stages of bloom, a mass of purple iris line the edge of the path where the statue “Recovery” is installed.
The base of the statue consists of a tiered fountain and pool. No pictures of the statue this time, too many people around.
I do like the white striations in some of the darker purple iris varieties.
And this last one, with its very rich velvety purple was a stand out.
Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumter, SC
June 6, 2022
I was on a boardwalk over a swamp when this Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly perched on a leaf.
I was hoping for a view of the metallic blue-green color they are known for.
I never got that angle, but the wing opening and closing series was pretty interesting.
May 20, 2021
In addition to the cygnets being pretty cute as they learned to feed, watching the constant motion of the parents and the little ones was rather comical.
Bottoms up is the only way for the swans to get the grass in the deeper water, which also shows off their enormous feet.
The cygnets certainly swam a lot further during feeding than the parents, around and around.
Most of the time one adult had a head up and they all stayed pretty close together.
Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumpter SC
May 20, 2021
Hello world!
A Mute Swan cygnet poked his head out just as I was passing this nest, and was soon followed by a sibling.
They didn’t go very far.
The adult, presumably mother, based on swan behavior, was alert to the squirming around but never shifted her position.
She seemed to be prompting the pair to settle down; I don’t know if there were more young underneath or not.
Excursion over, time to tuck back in.
A staff person told me he thought this pair was about two weeks old.
May 20, 2021
These blooms were huge, easily 9 or 10 inches (22 -25 CM) across, and just gorgeous.
The color striations and dash of yellow invite you to look some more.
There was a light sheen of dew on the petals before the sun made it to this garden patch.
May 20, 2021
A pair of Black Australian Swan cygnets were learning the ropes of feeding from their parents.
Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumpter SC
May 20, 2021
Perched on a log a group of male Wood Ducks were just hanging around, doing some stretching.
At least three were lined up on this log and a few more were in the water behind this clump of trees.
Time for a swim, one by one they took to the water.
There is an open pond at the edge of the cypress swamp and this fellow was going off on his own.
I was intrigued by this old shed on the grounds of Swan Lake Iris Gardens when we visited in early February. The boards and vines made an interesting collage.
On last week’s visit I was delighted to see the shed covered in trumpet vine and looking somewhat like a Chia Pet, with an elephant trunk.
I’m not that familiar with Trumpet Vine and don’t know how the blooming process goes. There were just a few blooms fully trumpeting and I wonder if this shed will be covered with blossoms. Trumpet Vine is a favorite of humming birds but I didn’t see any.
If you aren’t familiar, “Chia Pets are American styled terracotta figurines used to sprout chia, where the chia sprouts grow within a couple of weeks to resemble the animal’s fur or hair.”
— Wikipedia.
What seemed like a fad, these do-it-yourself kits have been around since the 1970s. Everything from cats and dogs to political figures have been represented. The jingle is now rattling around in my head.
A Canada Goose family was wandering through the edge of the cypress swamp, with the goslings foraging for food under the watchful eyes of their parents.
It was a cloudy morning and there was a full canopy above us so the images had a very high ISO. I reduced the noise and clarity which gave the youngsters a soft look that I found appealing.
They stayed surprisingly close to the boardwalk even as we approached, but before long the adults steered their charges back into the water.
Click on any image for a larger view.
It was a dull day and my images of the Japanese Iris border at Swan Lake and Iris Gardens didn’t amount to much. The insect activity on the iris flowers was much more interesting.
Here a bee is backing out of the flower center after adding to his pollen cache.
He buzzed around the back of the flower and if you zoom in you can see one tiny leg sticking out from the right side of the stem under the petal stem. I didn’t see the second insect on the petal until I was developing the images.
A small spider crawled all over the petals of this delacately colored bloom.
Meanwhile a Skipper was touching all the parts of the next flower over.
This is a section of the Iris border that is on a pond. There is a dragonfly perched on a frond just left and below center–another one I spotted after I got home. I expect there was more insect activity that wasn’t as obvious.
