A cluster of hydrangea flowers, just opening.
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My wife and I took a trip to Catalonia a month ago. Most of my pictures are of the human-built landscape, but I did take a few with some nature in them. These are from a day trip to Montserrat, site of a well-known (and much-visited) Benedictine abbey. View from the cable car on the way up:
Looking back down…
The monastery (and associated hotel) in its setting. (Photographically, this is not good. Google made a hash of the panorama, which I’ve fixed up as well as I could, but don’t look too closely at some of the people.)
There are lots of little chapels and crosses around the area:
The view from higher up:
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A few more from Catalonia. A random poppy:
A couple of the cove at Sa Tuna(*) and nearby:
(*) I’ve been trying to figure out what the word ‘Sa’ means in a number of place names along the coast there (part of the Costa Brava). My best guess is that it’s the definite article, which makes sense if it come from the Balearic dialect of Catalan, as spoken in the Balearic Islands. My understanding is that it would be ‘La’ in the mainland dialect, and these sites are on the mainland, but they are on the coast of the Balearic Sea. If my guess is correct, then Sa Tuna is just The Tuna. Linguistic correction welcome.
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There is a veritable orgy of DNA sharing amongst organisms at the micro scale, where individuals acquire new characteristics wherever and whenever they can.
Denis Noble
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I immediately had a title for that image the moment I saw it:
“Get back here!”
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“In Balearic Catalan, es contrasts with el as an obviative article, but is often used in first instance.” es - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
“sa f (Balearic) nominative feminine singular of es”
sa - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
So it appears your understanding is correct!
I love Wiktionary haha.
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What’s not clear to me is whether that Balearic Catalan is or was spoken on the coast of the mainland.
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The Valencian dialect is also spoken on the Balearic islands. So I suppose that Balearic is also spoken on the coastal places that have much contact with the islands, and probably even share family bonds.
An ancient example would be Iconium. It was located in Lycanonia, close to the border with Phrygia. But Iconium was culturally Phrygian, so that’s why Luke doesn’t call Iconium a Lycaonian city. (Acts 14:1,6)
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Sumac is so scrappy and scrubby until the fall!
I noticed some, a smaller variety with fancier leaves, in the Japanese Garden at meijer Gardens last year, though. That was surprising! But the gardeners look with different eyes and used, placed and pruned them for their interesting structure. Which was perfect for the places.
I love the big stuff in the fall. Suddenly, pow! It’s no longer just green among green.
Sweet peas are just about my favorite color, so I love it when they bloom.
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Black cap raspberries, sand cherries, and blueberries…the sand cherries are pretty but I have heard are not edible or taste terrible
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Scytodes thoracica, a spitting spider!
They spit a mixture of venom and liquid spider silk on their prey. I’m happy they are not so large that they could hunt humans… 
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Heaven is on Lake Huron the Eastern shore of the state of Michigan. Just in case you were unaware.
We are stomping around some of our favorite places:
At Iargo Springs:
At the Lumberman’s Monument Park on the Au Sable )
The dune that had been used for a log roll, seen from across the river bend
The log roll dune from the top. Straight down 200’.
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Staghorn sumac is one of the best sources of fall color we have here.
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I like them, too!
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“Seek” app says this is a type of “lady fern;” also a “golden oyster” fungus, which was really quite startlingly cheery in the dark woods.
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Ok @Kendel, just to respond with a rival’s comment–East Michigan is beautiful, but I like West too!
It looks like a great place to vacation!
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Gorgeous. The foliage looks so good here. I just had a new for me flower open today and am delighted with it. I was gifted this Monkey Tail cactus back in May and it set the two flower buds you see on July 2.
Today, eight days later, when we came home from our walk I noticed they were both open.
I have to say the flowers individually are much more striking than those on my Rat Tail cactus though I appreciate then as well … or maybe I just have a primate bias?
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Fuchsia flowes on white monkey tails are such a surprise! Who knew?!
They ane your rat tail cactus flowers look surprisingly like Christmas cactus flowers.
Well, except for the barbs on therat tail cactus flowers.
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