Millions of Americans witnessed yesterday’s solar eclipse, either through special glasses, livestreamed online or through pinhole devices. Where I live, we were predicted to have only 60% totality, so I wasn’t all that hyped. However, out of curiosity, I created a pinhole in a piece of paper and with it casting a shadow on another piece of paper, went outside from time to time to view the eclipse. Underwhelming, at best.
Inside, I worked on my laptop in between checking outside. Around the 2:45 p.m. peak, I glanced down and saw the above. My closed blinds created the perfect pinhole viewer!
I then went into my sunspace, which has a trellis with vines growing on it to reduce heat buildup, and saw in the shadows on the tiled floor many little crescents. I was delighted! Who needs those special glasses anyway?
Special thanks to Val for sharing Evolutionary Mystic’s post where I learned to look for these natural effects that occur during eclipses.
That is pretty funny – you had your own light show. 🙂
I did!
Interesting! I thought you were going to write that the flowers were going to be taking a nap!
Morning glories…but what is the orange plant?
Scarlet runner bean. These two are the fastest for coverage and really help on these hot, steamy days.
Wow, pretty much a perfect example of serendipity.
It really was! Thanks, David.
Very very cool! Thanks for those photos!
I had been going back & forth about whether or not to try to go somewhere to see the eclipse. Oregon maybe, since it’s in my timezone. But hotel rooms were running $850 for the equivalent of the Bates Motel. Add airfare, meals, petsitting, etc and I figured it’d be about $1000 per person to venture up there. So I checked out St Louis. No dice. Checked out RV rentals. No dice.
When I awoke on Eclipse Day, it was overcast here. I congratulated myself for not spending the $$$ to travel. I mean, what if it’s overcast wherever I decided to venture out to? From reading Gunta’s blog, her home is smack under the eclipse path, but the sky itself was eclipsed there due to smoke from forest fires.
So I’m glad I actually know someone who got to see something. And quite a something you saw!
Thank you! My thoughts ran the same way…it seemed crazy to spend that much for a couple hour event, where there were no guarantees it wouldn’t be clouded over. As it was, we had a few light clouds pass over at totality, but I managed to get these shots. I guess it works to keep ones expectations low. 😉
Nice, Scrooge
Thanks, Amelia 🙂
Wow, great captures! What a wonderful way to experience the eclipse!
Thank you, it really was delightful to see!
I really like those many tiny eclipses. We took a colander to make some. It was took cloudy and hazy to make any clear ones.
Thank you, Jim. A colander is a great idea. We’ll be better prepared if we make it to the next one in 2024. 🙂
Totally cool! Alison at Bonney Lassie (Washington state) shared some neat shadows too. Unimpressed with our pin-hole viewer, I took garden photos at the point of maximum coverage here (69% eclipse) but only picked up broad impressions of the impact, manifested in deep, sharp shadows, but nothing like those you and Alison picked up.
Thank you, Kris. It was a happy accident. 🙂
So delightful to see pics of the eclipse that are unusual!
Thank you, Denzil. It was a fun surprise.
I love those little crescent shadows and am glad you got some excitement from the eclipse in the end! We had a partial eclipse a couple of springs ago and nobody told us to look at shadows, but I did notice some of my tulips closed up!
Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
Thank you for reblogging!
Lovely post, Eliza… and I love your trellis! Such a brilliant idea!
Thank you! After many years of trial and error , we came up with a system that works. Once the weather cools, we remove the vines & store the trellis in the garage.
Fascinating
🙂 It really was!
Love this!! That’s how I watched the eclipse, too. I wasn’t particularly hyped either, but did enjoy the shadow play. 🙂
Thanks, Robin. I enjoyed your post where at least you had no clouds to make the contrast recognizable.
Cool. We watched the partial take place here as well and I wish I had enough sense to go out and look at the shadows. We were always out in the open!
Thanks, Frank. Next one is 2024…not too long a wait. 😉
Very cool! The best things in life are those little surprises!
Very true!
That is fascinating. Gardeners deserve their own light show.
Of course we do! 😉
It was underwhelming here as well (and we had something like 86% coverage) – I guess I’ll just have to go searching for the totality next time in the hopes I understand what everyone was so excited about.
😀 Not something I would personally spend hundreds of dollars to see.
So long as I did it as part of a larger vacation, I think it would be OK. But I wouldn’t want to go on a trip just to see it.
These are the most unique photos of the eclipse that I’ve seen 🙂
Thank you, Christy!
I love those little crescents. What I noticed (yes, the pinhole thing was underwhelming) was that the cicadas started singing. I guess they thought it was late afternoon…
Neat! The critters here didn’t seem to notice, but at 60% totality, there was still a lot of light. Thanks, Lisa.
Love the photos of the eclipse shadows and the trellis is beautiful.🙂
Thank you!
I found the shadows the most delightful part of the eclipse as well. Okay, the quality of the light was pretty interesting too. (95% here)
The quality of light really was interesting, so different – like someone put a lampshade over the sun!
Good Morning Eliza!!! Now that is cool:-) As always your paradise is beautiful.
Thank you, Robbie!
I don’t know what impresses me more, your light show or your sun space plantings!
🙂 Ha, thanks, Kathy!
I agree with Kathy above, are the Blue Flowers Morning Glory?
Thank you, Brian. Yes, morning glory, it is an heirloom named ‘Grandpa Ott.’
Wow – what a beautiful light/moon show!
Thank you, Fi. It was a fun surprise.
Fantastic and unique solar eclipse viewing, Eliza — really fun. I love shadow play….
Thank you, Jet!
How amazing those tiny eclipses in repeat. I like your sunscreen too.
Thank you, Carol.
Beautiful Pictures. I’ve got some questions for you. You did a guest post on HAPPINESS BETWEEN TAILS BY DA-AL and there was a picture of a bush with butterflies on it. Was it a Butterfly Bush? If it was, what is your secret to get it to grow? We have a Butterfly Bush but it’s not growing or doing well.
The photo I believe you are referring to was a Mexican pine with overwintering butterflies. Buddleias (Butterfly Bush) grow best in zones 5-9 in full sun and do not like wet soil. The first year planted, they must not be allowed to dry out until the roots become established. It is good to provide a variety of food for butterflies. This post lists several candidates: http://wp.me/p3O3z4-mo
BB info: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b760
Good luck!
Explains why ours didn’t grow. We get some sun and some rain. Our daisies over grew the Butterfly Bush so that’s why it probably didn’t grow. Thanks for the links.
You’re welcome!
🙂
You have such a creative mind—great idea with wonderful results, Eliza!
Thank you, Jane!