Category Archives: Flora

01/28/16 ~ Susan

Sparkling New Year!

Frosted Berries

I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and a great start to the New Year! I sympathize with those who had to deal with harsh winter conditions and an avalanche of snow in the Northeast and beyond. Charleston certainly had its share of bad weather this year, but snow was not in the mix.

The truth is, I enjoy chilly weather and snow during the winter—it allows you to appreciate the sunny beautiful days even more.

More on the positive side:

❄ Everything seems cozier inside when it’s cold and snowy outside.
❄ There’s nothing like the smell of comfort food wafting from the kitchen.
❄ A peaceful quietude permeates the air when it’s snowing.
❄ When it’s chilly outside, everything sparkles a little brighter.

04/3/12 ~ Susan

April Showers

Couple under umbrella at Middleton Place

April Showers

Although it seldom rains around Charleston, there is a refreshing sense of renewal in the air when it does. Instead of rushing indoors, you want to press your face to the sky and feel the cool droplets splash on your skin.

Strolling around Middleton Place and dodging rain showers one April morning, I turned a corner to find a couple framed in azaleas and sharing an umbrella while live oaks formed a perfect canopy over their heads.

09/17/11 ~ Susan

Rugged Beauty

Clouds Illusions

I recently went on an adventure to Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve on Edisto Island and found an abundance of photographic opportunities and places to explore. That first trek through the park revealed an amazing trail of terrain and plant life, some of which was unfamiliar to me—live oaks wrapped in mossy garlands stretching their long arms out over the water while tiny crabs scurried about beneath them; seabirds swooping over the edge of the marshlands to scoop up their dinner and then soar back upwards to the sky; and tree skeletons lining the shore of the Boneyard like so many petrified soldiers unwilling to release their hold on this ever-changing landscape.

Some favorite photographs captured during this experience include the featured photograph in this posting, “Clouds Illusions”, of one of the marshes there. This series of photographs became one of my most popular with many customers having purchased a similar photograph of the marsh captured at a different time of day, “Wind-kissed Marsh”. Other cherished photographs captured around the same time are “Surreal Sunset” and “Surreal Sunset II“.

My hope for this ruggedly beautiful natural environment is that the strong tides and erosion will not erase it altogether, especially for the many species and endangered species who call it home.