This post will be the last One Square Yard entry, as Becky B’s Square Perspective Theme ends in two days. What fun to frame my photos with a square rather than  a rectangle, and to see which shape works best with which picture. Clif has always been an advocate for squaring a photo, so I wasn’t totally unfamiliar with that perspective. Still, keeping an eye out for pictures that would look good squared has been a delightful challenge.

We have a smattering of wild blueberries in the yard. Fun to find a daddy-longlegs resting on some berries.

Another little visitor, this time in the bee balm.

And a spill of needles caught on the edge of a Frances Williams hosta leaf.

Because this is the last week of the Square Theme, here is a bonus picture, a repeat of the gorgeous daylily Flore Pleno. Plenty of flower is right! I didn’t think anyone would mind seeing these beauties twice.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a month-long July photo challenge—SquarePerspectives hosted by BeckyB from her blog The Life of B. The challenge is exactly what it sounds like: Rather than post photos with the usual rectangular cropping, the challenge is to post photos cropped square. So each Wednesday in July, I will be presenting a series of square photos from my own yard, which nowadays is the farthest I usually go. Hence the title, One Square Yard.

This little butterfly is most obliging.  She poses patiently as I take picture after picture and doesn’t even mind being moved. The butterfly was a gift from my mother-in-law, who has been dead for 15 years, which means the butterfly has been gracing my gardens for at least 20 years. She’ll continue to do so as long as I’m gardening.

As a rule, daylilies do not do well in my shady front yard. Not enough sun in most spots. This one isn’t exactly loaded with blooms, but there are just enough to make a good showing every summer. Usually, I’m not a fan of double flowers, but this one has me hooked. Maybe it’s the orange. Wish I could tell you what the name is, but like the butterfly, this daylily has been here for many, many years, and the little stake that came with it is long gone.

I am absolutely smitten by the hosta below—the heart-shaped leaves and the large white border that brightens any spot in the garden. And do you notice many holes in the leaves, the munching assaults mounted by slugs and snails? No, neither do I. Slugs and snails are a fact of life when you live in the woods. I have tried various eradication methods over the years, from handpicking to beer in bowls to Sluggo. And still the slugs and snails come. Therefore I have pretty much given up. Although the slimy little blighters chew the leaves to ribbons, the plants are not destroyed, and each year the hostas return hopefully, fresh and green.

But this little beauty seems to be slug resistant. Do I know its name? I do not. I’m sure by now you’ve figured out that not knowing a plant’s name is one of my bad tricks, as my eldest daughter would put it.

But no matter. Beauty needs no name.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a month-long July photo challenge—SquarePerspectives hosted by BeckyB from her blog The Life of B. The challenge is exactly what it sounds like: Rather than post photos with the usual rectangular cropping, the challenge is to post photos cropped square. So each Wednesday in July, I will be presenting a series of square photos from my own yard, which nowadays is the farthest I usually go. Hence the title, One Square Yard.

Even in my mostly green and wooded yard, there are a few flowers to brighten the gardens. While they bloom, here they are in their square glory.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a month-long July photo challenge—SquarePerspectives hosted by BeckyB from her blog The Life of B. The challenge is exactly what it sounds like: Rather than post photos with the usual rectangular cropping, the challenge is to post photos cropped square. So each Wednesday in July, I will be presenting a series of square photos from my own yard, which nowadays is the farthest I usually go. Hence the title, One Square Yard.

One of the things I have noticed about a square perspective is how it makes the photos pop and brings the subject closer to the viewer. Not always what you want, of course. Sometimes the long view is best. But I am finding that almost any photo that features a close-up benefits from the square cropping.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a month-long July photo challenge—SquarePerspectives hosted by BeckyB from her blog The Life of B. The challenge is exactly what it sounds like: Rather than post photos with the usual rectangular cropping, the challenge is to post photos cropped square. So each Wednesday in July, I will be presenting a series of square photos from my own yard, which nowadays is the farthest I usually go. Hence the title, One Square Yard.

Perspective is a tricky thing. Some photos lend themselves to square cropping, others do not. But what fun to experiment with this perspective. Many thanks, Becky B!

To borrow the immortal words from Huey Lewis and the News, it’s hip to be square.

One Square Yard