6:18, 6:22, 6:27.

This morning on Lake Mendota:

Symplocarpus foetidus.

The view from the Skunk Cabbage Bridge:

 

There really is a Skunk Cabbage Bridge in the UW Arboretum. It traverses the Skunk Cabbage Wetland. 

 

I took those pictures yesterday.

The Latin name for skunk cabbage is Symplocarpus foetidus: 

Eastern skunk cabbage is notable for its ability to generate temperatures of up to 15–35 °C (27–63 °F) above air temperature by cyanide resistant cellular respiration in order to melt its way through frozen ground, placing it among a small group of thermogenic plants.... Some studies suggest that beyond allowing the plant to grow in icy soil, the heat it produces may help to spread its odor in the air. Carrion-feeding insects that are attracted by the scent may be doubly encouraged to enter the spathe because it is warmer than the surrounding air, fueling pollination....

6:07 a.m.

Bloodroot.

6:04 a.am.

 

Scarlet elf cups.

"Sarcoscypha coccinea, commonly known as the scarlet elf cup, scarlet elf cap, or the scarlet cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae of the order Pezizales."

 

 

We found them today in Blue Mound State Park, where we walked my favorite trail, the Over Lode.

AND: Here's the photo Meade took of me: 

Magnolia, scilla, fritillaria.

Flowers in Madison, this past week. The magnolia was in the arb, the frittilaria and the scilla on the Meadhouse property.

6:14 a.m.

 

Dreams dreamed, now the trick is to make it all happen — black nebula carrots and all.

FROM THE EMAIL: Sarah from VA writes:

Is it OK to try and do a cafe-type post via e-mail? Well, I'm going to try! 

I'm excited for your garden! I'm weirdly interested in the fact that you're planting wheat and barley. Are they going to be primarily ornamental grasses or are you actually planning on harvesting? Does Meade have grand plans for baking a loaf of bread Little-Red-Hen-style? 

I spent hours and hours this week putting in some raised beds in our yard. You'd think my kids had no toys or any kind of other entertainment, so great was the draw of the garden beds. A big pile of dirt, a shovel, a garden rake -- what else do you need? Of course I'm sure the interest will evaporate when it's time to start weeding.

Everything is ornamental, but the things that are edible, we plan to eat. Meade says, “It will be gruel on the bacon,” which meant “It will be icing on the cake.” 

Thursday sunrise.

6:27

6:29:

6:23 a.m.

It's the time of year to go to Governor Nelson State Park and see the Dutchman's breeches.

 

 

"Dutchman's breeches is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants, a process called myrmecochory. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes, and put the seeds in their nest debris, where they are protected until they germinate. They also get the added bonus of growing in a medium made richer by the ant nest debris." 

"Governor Nelson State Park is a 422-acre Wisconsin state park... on the north shore of Lake Mendota. It is named for former Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson [founder of Earth Day]... Away from the lake one can find restored prairie and savanna, effigy mounds, hiking trails and ski trails.... A portion of the site of the park originally hosted a boys' camp called Camp Indianola. Orson Welles was a camper at the camp in his youth."

Sunrise.

 

 

 

Pink and blue.

Magnolia.

 

 

Photographed in the arb yesterday, not long after acquiring an iPhone 12 Pro.

Pictures from the Arboretum.

 

 

Daffodils.

6:27 a.m.

Trout lilies.

Late afternoon sky.

Me, with my old iPhone, photographed by Meade with his new iPhone 12:

 

I love the ability to get the wide angle — though it makes me look bizarrely tall — and the color and detail in the clouds clearly surpasses what I got with my iPhone XS: