Photo essay: Celebrating Independence Day with natural fireworks!

July 1, 2025  |  Topics: Events

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By Eddee Daniel

Happy Independence Day! Our country turns 249 on the Fourth of July this year as once again we celebrate the victorious fight against tyranny and for liberty and democracy. However, one of the traditional ways of celebrating is becoming less common: fireworks. You’ve probably heard by now that Milwaukee, and other cities and towns, have given up the traditional fireworks for synchronized drone displays. I’ve yet to see one live, but images of previous drone displays make then appear quite different than the tried and true explosions in the sky.

Let me be quick to say that I’ve always felt ambivalent about fireworks. Yes, they are exciting and beautiful. I’ve often watched them in awe. But I’ve also watched in dismay as the pall of sulfurous smoke drifts away following the cataclysmic finale. And as I’ve gotten older my ears have grown more sensitive to the loudness of the explosions and reverberations. (In fact, my grandchildren have never enjoyed fireworks for this reason and we stopped taking them years ago. Maybe they’ll like the drones!)

But here’s another idea: What if there were silent fireworks?

Have you ever noticed that some plants, especially certain flowers, can resemble fireworks? As you can see from the photographs, I have. Circular or oval arrangements, radial patterns and bright colors are especially suggestive of explosions. Then there are trees, which can appear to gesticulate wildly, effusively. Autumn colors can heighten the effect. Imagine, the only sounds being the wind in the leaves.

Clouds, of course, are capable of great drama. An otherwise unremarkable landscape is enlivened by clouds that can appear to be looming, swirling or swarming, often with explosive energy. And when the tumult of sky is matched by a tumult on the ground there is the potential for a tremendous display of fireworks! All nonpolluting, too.

It was fun combing through my archive of images looking for suitable ones to fit this theme. I could have included many more! It is also fun, as always, to find these exuberant expressions of nature’s energy in parks all over southeastern Wisconsin. This photo essay, like most that appear in The Natural Realm, is an excuse for me to share a little bit of the “wealth of nature” that we have in our urban region, hoping to entice you, dear reader, into visiting and enjoying—and supporting—them. The links in the captions will take you to the Find-a-Park pages for each park on our website for more information and more photos. In some cases links will take you to a story about the park.

So, enjoy the holiday! Let this Independence Day remind us all that liberty and democracy are worth fighting for. And whether or not you go to see a drone display or traditional fireworks, if you can find them, I invite you to enjoy these natural fireworks here now and in the year to come. You can see them, with a discerning eye, in parks and preserves near you all year round!

Related story:

Finding More Joy in Abstract Nature Photography!

Note: The featured photo at the top is of prairie clover flowers at Lakeshore State Park, Milwaukee. Remember, you can find many more places like these to explore on our Find-a-Park map.

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.

Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks.

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