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May 21, 2014

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Photography, Poetry

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Honeysuckle

Wild Honeysuckle

Fair flower, that dost so comely grow, 
Hid in this silent, dull retreat, 
Untouched thy honied blossoms blow, 
Unseen thy little branches greet: 
  No roving foot shall crush thee here, 
  No busy hand provoke a tear. 

-- Philip Freneau

Honeysuckle

Hummingbirds hover, long beaks seeking
Trumpets of nectar in a wild blooming hedge.
Honeysuckle, so sweet and fragrant,
Small, shy flowers, perfuming the air.
What magic allows you to bloom early and long,
Leaves first to green and last to wither?

Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham

Reference: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/wild-honeysuckle

54 thoughts on “Honeysuckle”

    • Yes, honeysuckle is elusive, it’s hard to get a well-composed shot that doesn’t flatten. Ah well, I keep trying as well. Thanks for your supportive words. I saw a lot of techniques you use on your site, modifying your pictures, but I don’t usually modify mine aside from cropping. I’m not very good at it. 🙂 I’m glad to meet another kindred spirit. 🙂 I’ll look forward to reading more of your posts down the road. 🙂 Warmly, Brenda

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  4. Brenda, again a lovely picture, which reminded me as a kid we would suck the goodness from the flowers. Yes we were strange, but I do kinda remember a sweet taste. Take care, Bill

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  5. I think you’ve just transported me to your beautiful part of the world – gorgeous!! 😀 My head is swimming with hummingbirds and honeysuckle – and all the other blossom too. It’s been an enjoyable visit!!!

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  6. your words whisper of the beginnings of Spring, I love the elixir of honeysuckle…
    the olde fashion is the best one for the hummingbirds and bees, even if it is a bit unruly LOLs
    Wonderful photos Brenda, Thank you for sharing another great memory
    Take care…You Matter…
    )0(
    maryrose

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    • Native species are very important, but so is immigrant life, plant and human. We all matter, wherever we are from. We all contribute something unique to the world. I am going to let some milkweed grow this year, for the monarchs. 🙂

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    • The poem above the picture was a quote, and a sweet one. The poem under the picture was mine. I have this vague memory of reading about honeysuckle in a book when I was a kid. I thought it might have been a Louisa May Alcott, but I couldn’t figure it out. I found that poem instead. 🙂

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  13. Oh that thou doest know how lovely, captivating a poser doth dwell within your sweet sweet soul fair Brenda of Nottingham. My Pinkth Friend💗💓💘💖💕
    Hehe I love that! Our honeysuckle is yellow I love that yours is Pink💗💗

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      • Oh, you are a sweetie. You mean a lot to me, and I won’t let go either!! I’ll come by and see your site now. Then it’s nose to the grindstone!! LOL Hugs, Brenda

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        • Girl friend. I now it. I literally have a magazine to get out today only 28 pages but with Alex I’ve been distracted and I need to get my head together today and work my butt off. Have a super day. Hugs

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    • LOL You are funny!! I do seem to have an affinity for all things pink since my daughter came along. She is quite pink again this morning. I had to buy her blush to wear on stage for her ballet recital. I would apply some, it would disappear. I realized: she is already really rosy, naturally. She has such lucky coloring. I finally had to buy a pretty dark pink or it would not have shown up! I haven’t worn make up in years because I’m allergic to fragrance — red, itchy skin. I think I can manage to apply it, though. 🙂

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  14. How fortuitous – I have a plant in my back yard and wondered what it was. I think it is white honeysuckle growing through my front hedge and around the base of one of my silver maples. 🙂

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    • It should have a sweet fragrance! Apparently honeysuckle are hardy and kind of take over. I read a lot about invasive species, but not all are bad. 🙂

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      • I have some other crawly thing on the maple – I was told wasn’t ‘bad’. But regular ivy, well anything where you don’t want it can be called a weed.

        I’m not sure of the smell… but (and sorry I can’t show it to you at the moment) the photo I took looks very much the same. I thought it was some kind of wild pear tree. But the flowers look very similar to your photo. It is raining once again…so ‘smellavision’ will have to wait. 🙂

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        • Honeysuckle does come in a vine or a shrub, and I have heard that the vine can get out of control. Sounds likely to be the same. 🙂 I like that — smellavision.

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  15. Oh, so lovely Brenda! I remember the sweet fragrance of honeysuckle from Quito, Ecuador. We don’t have them in Norway, but in Quito they grew in abundance! 🙂 And what a lovely poem! Just as sweet as that fragrance of honeysuckle! 🙂

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