June Roadside

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"June Roadside"

Spindle leggéd mowers
cruise the woodland
denuding the understory
but steer clear of roadside hedgerows
where orange lilies
like warning flags
wave at passing vehicles.

- Nancy Boudreau


This is a painted 4" x 6" view of a roadside in New Milford, Connecticut, in June. Orange daylilies bloom on the sunny side and are reflected in a muddy puddle left by a recent passing thundershower. These wild orange daylilies are one of the few flowers not eaten by deer. To celebrate that fact, I suggest we start referring to them as "deer lilies".


Text and images © 2016 Nancy A. Boudreau. All rights reserved. Permission required for publication. Images available for licensing.
nboudreau.com

Marsh Marigold

Earliest spring
when woods are still 
the color of deer
not gray, not brown,
when only the barberry dare to suggest
pinprick green.
Rivulets chortle through throats
of groggy skunk cabbage
and the detrius of glaciers gone.
Spring passes through lightly,
carelessly dropping her 
crown of gold and green 
at the edge of a vernal pond.

 - Nancy Boudreau


This is a quickly painted 4" x 6" view of the Silvermine area in New Canaan, Connecticut, in early spring. The marsh marigolds are "homebodies". They don't wander or spread far from where you might be lucky enough to find them. But they are enduring, returning every year to flourish for a brief time with gusto.

Text and images © 2016 Nancy A. Boudreau. All rights reserved. Permission required for publication. Images available for licensing. 

nboudreau.com