SueBee Arts

Ever since moving to Kansas in late 2021, I’ve been fascinated by the giant green tennis balls scattered beneath some fairly scraggly-looking trees. I’d never seen anything like them. Upon researching, I’ve learned the tree, per Wikipedia, “Maclura pomifera, commonly known as the Osage orange, is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, native to the south-central United States“. “American […]

I spent a lovely day in Wichita late last week and visited Botanica, of which I’m a proud member. The steadfast gardeners there have changed out many of the plantings with autumn in mind. One very interesting observation, though, was all the damage done to the giant lily pads by the hailstorm from the previous […]

What do you get when you fire the company who was mowing your backyard and then let nature take back over in some areas? The answer for me is ~50 new trees, enjoyment, a non-comparable sense of pride, an endless supply of work, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of growth, and […]

The question is redundant in my view… this plant is most definitely evil. It’s called a sandbur, but my name for it is the Velcro Weed. It sticks to everything, just like Velcro does. It can’t be killed, and the stickers (seed pods) hurt like a son-of-a-gun whether on the foot, finger, pants leg, shirt, […]

I found the variety of blooms on a single zinnia bush in my backyard garden just fascinating. These pictures were taken using my iPhone 12. Do you have a favorite? ~SueBee

I’m so impressed by the detail in this iPhone picture of a coneflower in my backyard! ~SueBee

I’ve been tickled pink, to use an old-time expression, with the giant poofballs growing in my backyard. The plant is actually yellow salsify, or tragopogon dubius, but I refer to them as poofballs. The past two years or so I’ve let nature reclaim my backyard, and have been thrilled with all the flowers, plants, grasses, […]

This is a poem I wrote on Thursday, the 27th, having been inspired by the activities in my backyard as I sat eating my breakfast and gazing out the window. ~SueBee (I apologize for the double spacing and lack of any sort of poetry formatting in the poem but WordPress doesn’t make it easy and […]

This past week has been quite the change from the previous snow-filled, very cold one. I decided to take a walk at Botanica, the beautiful gardens in Wichita and enjoyed myself thoroughly. ~SueBee

Wishful thinking? We had 7″ of snow fall on Tuesday. Luckily there wasn’t any ice on the ground for the fluffy white stuff to land on. With temperatures at -8 degrees F most the day, I chose to stay inside. Although, I did venture out in the morning to feed the birds and squirrels. It […]

We’ve had several days of snow and ice this past week, with people being homebound for much of that time, schools and many businesses closed. The forecast looks like the snow might be melted within the coming week, though. While the snow is very pretty to look at, I’ll be glad to get out and […]

My high school friend, now living in Texas, sent me some seeds from her huge moonflower plant. It didn’t take too long before sprouts started shooting up, and then flowers blooming. All blooms had been snow white until this one, a very dainty lavender. ~SueBee

I admire this beautiful tree each time I drive by. Although my son is convinced his backyard tree is the most perfect anywhere, I feel this one could stand well in second place! If ever that big empty lot is developed, I would hope this tree would be spared the wrecking ball. If not, I’d […]

…as far as the eye can see! This field of sunflowers along Highway 50 in Pleasantview, KS, caught my attention as they stood at attention. ~SueBee

Today’s Foto Fix was taken in the tiny town of Inman (population in 2020 of 1,341), about 8 miles north of my home in Hutchinson, Kansas, and features a beautiful, recently painted mural. For further information on the process and artist, click here. ~SueBee

I had a spontaneous walk through Botanica Gardens in Wichita, Kansas just the other day while in town for other reasons. Other than having completely soaked canvas shoes for my hour-long drive back home, I thoroughly enjoyed walking in the light rain. It’s generally so dry here in central Kansas that having rain is a […]

I’m so pleased with the two hibiscus bushes I planted last year, but I’m particularly fond of this white one. As you can see, if you look closely, a bumble bee is enjoying it, too. ~SueBee

The walk round my back yard this morning was a colorful one. Several of the flowers had popped up on their own, volunteer flowers as they’re called here. I’m ok with their volunteer work. Others are first blooms of bulbs or plants I put in and am happy to see survived the winter!~SueBee

Here’s a cheerful bloom from a volunteer sunflower in my backyard, most likely from the bird and squirrel seed I set out each morning. ~SueBee

With the snow and ice mostly melted, I decided to try a walk at Dillon Nature Center yesterday afternoon. I took my rubber yard boots along and changed into them before I set off. That was a smart decision because, while the cement path around the lake was fine, the path through the woods was […]