Gilding the Lily

It was a day that felt like sudden, full-on summertime. It was hot and humid, and felt more like July or August than early June. I had some commitments on campus in the afternoon, and I parked by the Arboretum, as usual.

This gave me a quick walk through the Arboretum both before and after my meeting: brief interludes of pleasure, even on a work day. (This is one of my personal philosophies: do what you must do, of course, but do it with a glad heart, and try to fit in as much fun as possible around the edges!)

The pollen has been falling in thick, green sheets when the wind blows. Thunderstorms were predicted for later on, and it felt like it was building toward one as I made my way to and from my meeting.

The bad news is that there is construction all through campus, and "you can't get there from here" ought to be posted on nearly every street. The road behind the library has been closed; the bus stops have all been moved out to Park Ave.

The very good news is that campus is just packed with young and awesomely adorable creatures, some so cute they just might make your head explode:

At least a half-dozen baby cottontail rabbits, each with a tiny white spot on its forehead, enjoying nibbles in quiet, green, shady spots.

Several small turtles performing intricate turtle acrobatic maneuvers on the rock in the middle of the duck pond.

Lots and lots of ducklings, of many sizes, including a set of six that walked across a sidewalk near Old Main and then commenced tandem nommage in the fresh grass nearby, under their mother's watchful eye, of course.

It was a day of such beauties that I could hardly bear to pick a single image for this day - baby bunnies, turtle maneuvers, tandem duckling nommage - but in the end I finally did.

I will never grow tired of photographing one of my most beloved spots: the lily pond at the Arboretum. And so here is a photo of the lily pond in very late afternoon that I took on my way back to my car at end of day. The lilies have just recently come into bloom and the irises were bright purple and stunning in the afternoon light.

I took the shot in vivid mode, which bumps up the saturation till the colors look like candy: a world almost edible and so inviting. It felt like gilding the lily, but the treatment made the purples really shine, and I was quite happy with the way it turned out. With all those purples magnified and increased by their reflections, it seemed to me like the very picture of summer joy.

This song is for the lily pond, where I have taken so many of the pictures that appear in this photo blog: Stevie Nicks, Rock a Little (Go Ahead Lily).

P.S. A big thank you to all of you for sending yesterday's photo of the spider who dreamed of flying into the Spotlight pages! And here's an update on that story: I went out into the dandelion meadow this morning at dawn, and the dandelion was empty. No last little seed head, no tiny spider. So I can only presume they attained their goal of flight! And now they are aloft, having a grand adventure in the skies!

So if you see a tiny spider piloting a dandelion seed with white angel-floof on the top, please wave and give him my best. And tell him, please, for me, that I always knew he could do it if he put his mind to it. (Yes, my dears, dandelion dreams do come true . . . )