Clear skies and cool breezes greet Cooper and me as we meander through burnt orange and golden hues of withered prairie vegetation. We find recent monsoonal rains have drenched a wide swath of New Mexico and have brought a revival of greenery. The mix of summer straw and emerald green creates a dreamscape. Aromas of wet soil, grasses, and sage permeate the morning air. The ambience relegates tedious summer months of heat and drought to fading memories. Human high plains dwellers embrace the upbeat mood. City folk let loose gleeful hip, hip, hoorays while cowboys chasing cattle below distant mesas echo their sentiments with hearty yippie ki-yays. Forces of autumn marshal to the north and portend crisp mornings, kaleidoscopes of foliage, and more tranquil rhythms of life.
Autumn gold surrounds my passage through the early morning prairie. The landscape invites my senses to feast on splashes of yellow flora. The hardy survivors of weather extremes insist on sharing their age old dances of celebration. I partake willingly. They flaunt their showy garb. Their beauty emulates the sun. My spirit rises on the distant song of a meadow lark into the azure, ethereal canopy of New Mexico sky. I am reborn.
© Ilija Lukić 2013
Autumn gold surrounds my passage through the early morning prairie. The landscape invites my senses to feast on splashes of yellow flora. The hardy survivors of weather extremes insist on sharing their age old dances of celebration. I partake willingly. They flaunt their showy garb. Their beauty emulates the sun. My spirit rises on the distant song of a meadow lark into the azure, ethereal canopy of New Mexico sky. I am reborn.
© Ilija Lukić 2013
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| Golden Crownbeard |
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| Forbidden Fruit (euphorbia heterophylla, aka Wild Poisettia, Toothed Spurge) |
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| Lemon Kisses (haplopappus ciliatus, aka Wax Goldenweed) |
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| Larger Than Life (Cooper) |
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| Sunflower Moth Larva On Wax Goldenweed (haplopappus ciliatus) |
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| Snakeweed Gold (gutierrezia sarothrae, aka Broom Snakeweed) |
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| Hairy False Golden Aster |
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| Ready For The Harvest (opuntia macrorhiza, aka Prickly Pear Cactus) |
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| Buffalo Gourd Beetle (diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi, aka Spotted Cucumber Beetle) |
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| Rocky Mountain Zinnia |
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| Corymbs (brickellia eupatorioides, aka False Boneset) |
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| Broomweed Autumn (guterriezia sarothrae) |
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| Wild At Heart (euphorbia heterophylla, aka Wild Poisettia) |
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| Nose-To-Nose With a Diabroticine Beetle |
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| Farewell To Drought (Cooper) |
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