#penstemon

Blue and violet wildflowers in-bloom in the first week of June

(from top-to-bottom, left-to-right: Penstemonsp.,Mertensia longiflora,Delphinium bicolor,Lupinus sericeus,Viola adunca,Linum lewisii,Mertensia paniculata)

Lolo National Forest, MT
June 2014, 2015, 2016
Robert Niese

I finally have an instagram with loads of not-so-sciencey nature and personal content! Feel free to drop by and peak into the life of a nerdy natural historian! www.instagram.com/robertniese/

Long time no see, internet friends! I’m returning to an old project just as I return to you. This unfinished Penstemon pseudospectabilis (desert penstemon) illustration is getting a revamp before inking. Good to be back at it! I sure do love a Penstemon. #Penstemon #Penstemonpseudospectabilis #Plantaginaceae #art #science #scientificillustration #botanicalillustration #illustration #plantart #WIP #wildflowers #nativeplants #botanize #botany #plants #nature

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7SM1DugL2o/?igshid=fzpap1gsv42x

IMG_4083 on Flickr.

紫之 根延横野之 春野庭 君乎懸管 鴬名雲
紫草の根延ふ横野の春野には君を懸けつつ鴬鳴くも
Murasaki no/nebapu yokono no/paru no ni pa/kimi wo kaketutu/ugupisu naku mo
In the spring fields of Yokono, where the roots of the purple gromwell flourish, a single warbler cries out—you on its mind.
(Man’yoshu 10-1825, Anonymous)

I realize this photo is not of an actual murasaki(gromwell) plant, but is rather the Penstemon margarita (I came to this conclusion based on some web searching for native California plants, but I may be wrong), but I liked the photo, and I love the poem, so… The image of a bird crying out for its mate in a field lush with vegetation, is deeply evocative and becomes somewhat standard for representing a woman left behind, crying for her mate in a place devoid of human life (i.e., the Fukakusa no sato story in Ise), but this is an interesting early example, coming from MYS, in that one would expect such a poem to feature darker imagery, but here we have a bright spring scene full of flourishing greens (whereas later we might expect a desolate autumn landscape and a chill wind). The brightness of the scene not only further reinforces the fact that “standard” imagery was not yet established in the time of the MYS, but also allows us to imagine that although she may be longing for her lover, he may possibly return, as a result of hearing her cries. There is some degree of hope here… the poet is the warbler, singing her song aloud, in hopes that it will be heard and he will return, and not just as a means of catharsis. One can imagine such a poem as being part of an exchange in its original incarnation.

Happy Easter
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#catalinastatepark #visittucson #arizona #azstateparks #azvistas #hikearizona #visitarizona #divine_deserts #flowers #aroundarizona #landscapephotography #capturearizona #igerstucson #explorearizona #wonderfulsouthwest #tucson #ig_southwest #instagramaz #thecityoftucson #penstemon #bestofgrandcanyonstate #capturearizona #morning #arizona_landscapes (at Catalina State Park)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccc6QNIrpl2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=