On the Edges

My eyes always scan the edges – edges of the road, forest edges, water’s edge, ridge edges. Life seems richer and more alive along the edges.

Driving along a one-lane ridge road on Virginia’s highest elevation, Allegheny Mountain, you feel like you are on the top edge:

Top edge of Virginia

Here is another view:

View from Allegheny Mountain

The seed heads of spring flowers create interest along a roadside fence:

wild parsnip seedheads

Late summer is also my favorite time for tall, flashy wildflowers along the edges of country roads and un-mowed portions of pastures.

Joe Pye Weed and Ironweed paint breathtaking color canvasses along the road:

Plants themselves can be “edgy:” either because they are prickly or thorny (thistles, roses, burdock), or because they are toxic to humans and/or animals (poison ivy, poke weed, datura).

This teasel is quite prickly:

The Datura plant or Jimson Weed displays large, attractive blossoms but is a dangerous plant that can induce hallucinations (or worse).

I enjoyed watching these deer race up the hill to the top edge

And I accidentally ended up between this Mama bear and her twin cubs, a potentially very edgy situation. Luckily, I was in my car and had the luxury to take this picture before backing away.

This post was created in response to Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Edge.