Natural Fireworks! An Independence Day Celebration.
July 5, 2026 | Topics: Stories
By Eddee Daniel
I’m writing this on Independence Day, as the nation turns 250. Happy Birthday, USA! I went to the Wauwatosa parade this morning, as usual. I might even go to the reinstituted fireworks this evening, which, for a change, are being held within walking distance of my house. I guess the advent of drone displays—which made a big splash last year in anticipation, but which didn’t quite capture the public spirit in actuality—may have been short-lived. But natural fireworks are always a blessing! And a year-long treat.
Last year at this time I shared a selection of images that I felt captured the spirit of celebration as well as the visually suggestive joy and excitement of real fireworks. As I said then, these come with the bonus of silence (for those of us with sensitive ears) and absence of sulfurous air pollution. I received enough positive comments on that post to warrant a second installment. I’ve been collecting new images for it all year long. The most recent one, of common milkweed in bloom on the banner above and full-frame below, I shot just this morning on a walk around the detention basin on the Milwaukee County Grounds. I’ve always loved the spherical milkweed blossoms and they’ve always reminded me of tiny, arrested explosions.
I don’t actively seek out these images. It is a delightful surprise whenever I happen upon a flower, tree, tuft of grass—even this year a log full of fungi!—that fits the bill. The main criteria is what I consider an “energetic” composition. As you will see, that can come at any time of the year and in quite a variety of contexts. In fact, the locations come from all over Southeast Wisconsin and, as usual, whenever possible I provide links to the Find-a-Park pages of the specific places on our website so that you can learn more about them.
Enjoy the holiday and the spirit of Independence! Let it remind us that liberty and democracy are worth fighting for. But I invite you to enjoy these natural fireworks here now and in the year to come. It is a good practice to exercise your sense of wonder. With a discerning eye you can find them in parks and preserves near you all year round!
Related stories:
Celebrating Independence Day with natural fireworks!
Finding More Joy in Abstract Nature Photography!
Eddee Daniel, writer/photographer, is a board member of Preserve Our Parks, the Program Director of A Wealth of Nature, and editor of The Natural Realm blog. Read more or subscribe at awealthofnature.org. Also available by arrangement for group presentations and guided tours.
Mequon Nature Preserve, Milwaukee County Parks, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Restoring Lands, and Schlitz Audubon Nature Center—which are represented among the photos in this post—are all project partners of A Wealth of Nature.
The Natural Realm blog is part of A Wealth of Nature, which is a program of Preserve Our Parks.
About Preserve Our Parks
Preserve Our Parks, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of parks and green spaces. Our mission: To advocate for and promote Milwaukee area parks and open spaces and to strive to protect the tenets of Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine.
For more than 25 years, we have been a leader in advocating for the protection of Milwaukee County park lands, halting many proposals to develop, privatize, or sell local parkland and lakefront spaces. More information about POP, including past accomplishments, is available at www.preserveourparks.org.