Poppies and Irises

The end of May marked the end of the poppy season at one of the nearby flower parks and they allow parkgoers to pick as many poppies as they'd like before they close the field to plant sunflowers for the summer.

The last time I went to the park, it was mostly red poppies that were in bloom, and there were baby blue eyes planted on the other side of the park. This time, I saw a variety of white, pink, orange and red poppies. The park turned the flower picking into an event, and even sold kits with scissors, plastic bag, and gloves. I brought my own, but I should've brought newspaper to wrap the picked poppies in.

As we were picking the flowers, the maintenance crew was giving advice on what types of flowers to pick, the angle to place the cut, to cut the stems longer so the flowers will last longer. I thought the park would be more crowded with people coming to pick the poppies, but there were fewer people than the last time I was there.

After I gathered a good armful, I called it a day and took my bounty home. I gave the bouquet to a neighbor who volunteers to take care of the neighborhood roadside garden.

Before anybody asks, I got myself a lavender-flavored ice cream cone before I started picking flowers.

The following weekend, there was an open garden day where the entrance fee was free, entertainment offered, and a wide variety of Japanese irises were in bloom. It was the first time I've been to the garden during iris season.

The irises were stunning. They were mostly a variation of purple or white, with some yellow thrown in. There were women dressed up in a traditional rice planter's costume going down the rows plucking wilted flowers. These women are employed by the park, but I've read articles about cosplayers hogging spots to take photos, getting in the way of other parkgoers. I haven't seen any cosplayers that day, tho. There was a couple taking a bunch of photos where she was wearing a super cute outfit that was a hybrid of kimono and medieval skirt. It appears that she made the outfit on her own.

The observation deck didn't offer much of a view since the trees were overgrown, but the path lead from one side of the to the other. Along the way, there was a tree with a monster bee trap tied to it. It was a simple contraption, a big pet bottle with a hole cut at the top and something sticky and sweet at the bottom. And there was a monster bee trapped inside, trying desperately to get out. Seeing one stuck in a trap is better than seeing one hovering directly in front of you, which has happened to me before when I was out hiking. Not fun.

There were a lot of people out, but the park wasn't super packed, so I could take a leisurely stroll through the park and take pics without getting too many people in the background. It wasn't too stressful.

I saw people milling about enjoying ice cream. The park had a branch of the dairy farm I usually go to for ice cream, but the cones are much smaller. If I'm having ice cream, I'll go to the dairy farm, which I did after I got my fill of taking pics of the pretty flowers. The flavor du jour was yogurt and milk. It was so good!

 June 13  

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