shirley - behind the lens: nature

Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Butterfly Dreams

>> Sunday, October 17, 2021 – butterflies, monarch butterfly, nature, orange, prairie, wildflowers

I don't ever recall a season filled with so many monarch butterflies. Maybe the orange wildflowers (Mexican Sunflowers) my husband serendipitously planted led them to our house. These wildflowers also attracted the elusive hummingbirds to our property so I say the random package of seeds thrown into the soil wins the MVP for this year's summer - fall. It feels good to attract these important pollinators to our back yards.

Perched on a cosmos, another wildflower sown from seed.

And then, in our neighborhood park, filled with prairie grasses and flowers, the bees and butterflies found ample food and pollen to collect. The monarchs sought shelter in this pear tree, a new sight for me to behold. I stumbled upon them by chance - walking through the park Sunday afternoon. At the time, I didn't have a camera / phone on me; I went back later to capture these photos with my Z6II.

Feeding on prairie asters

By the next day, this group of migrating monarchs had departed. Moments are fleeting, so be sure to capture what you can or observe the marvel unfold in front of your eyes.

July in Kentuckiana - Clifty Falls State Park

>> Friday, August 7, 2020 – hiking, Indiana, Madison, nature, travel, water

July flew by in a flash and we now find ourselves in an angst-ridden August, faced with the impending start of the school semester. Each day brings new cases of Covid-19, scrapped then re-vamped plans, vacillating between in person and online course instruction. We deal with the changes by going with the flow, being patient and knowing in our hearts things will all work out OK.

Last month we delivered our daughter to her new venture in Dallas. We traveled there during the height of the city's spike in cases but experienced responsible citizens wearing masks and adhering to social distancing guidelines. This weekend we will transport our son back to St Louis and once again have an empty nest.

Other than the short weekend trip to Dallas, I spent July in "Kentuckiana" (Kentucky and Indiana) for work. My company has a greenfield (brand new) facility in Kentucky and I was there to help with the commissioning and start up of the automation systems. Even though the long hours and days morphed together, starting up a brand new facility is a rare opportunity - I learned a lot from the experience.

On my first day off (I think I ended up with a total of 2 days off during my tenure), I ventured to Clifty Falls State Park in Madison Indiana, about a 40 minute drive from my hotel. Along the Ohio River, the park winds through lush greenery, along cliffs and boasts seven little water falls. At the bottom of the 300 foot deep canyon, the Little Clifty creek flows. I spent several hours traversing various hiking trails in complete solitude, a wonderful respite from my harried days at work.

Clifty Falls

Clifty Falls #littlewaterfall #cliftyfallsstatepark #trail7 #seenonmyhike

Tunnel Falls

I had such a nice time in the park I ended up going back three weeks later and I brought a couple of co workers with me. We hiked different trails on the southern end of the park and ended up in the Little Clifty Creek. The area experienced significant rainfall two days prior, so the creekbed flowed with rushing water.

I highly recommend visiting Clifty Falls State park. When you are done hiking, head over to the quaint town of Madison IN with its antique shops, restaurants and river walk. I'll share those photos next.

Wildflowers of the Forest

>> Sunday, April 26, 2020 – around town, bluebells, deer, forest preserve, Illinois, nature, wildflowers

Alternately, the photos I took during our failed hunt for morel mushrooms.

Apparently, morels have been spotted at the local forest preserve I frequent. Last weekend, I took a hike out there and spotted a heron, ducks, deer and an owl. Friend Janice called me Friday afternoon for a spur of the moment visit to hunt mushrooms. I thought, heck, why not.

While we didn't find any of the elusive fungi, the wildflowers continue to impress.

First up - delicate white wildflowers called "Spring Beauty".

Additional Photography note: I focus stacked three photos for the composite below:

The blue sea of Bluebells provided a distraction from the empty hunt.

The occasional Bluebell "rebel" in white:

Finally - we spotted some young deer in the thicket.

Being out in nature provides a salve for the soul - I hope you can get out where you are to enjoy.

Shades of Blue

>> Monday, February 27, 2017 – blue, flowers, hydrangea, nature

The weather this past week has been crazy - warm. Highs in the low 70's and lows in the 50's.

Really, too warm for mid-February. Too warm for March!

Now that we have warmer weather on the brain, here are some shades of Blue Hydrangeas.

Enjoy your Monday!

After The Storm

>> Tuesday, March 26, 2013 – nature, snow, texture

The spring blizzard of 2013 didn't disappoint - over a foot of snow here - I estimated around 13" - fitting for the year twenty - thirteen, don't you think?

The irony of it all - the kids were just about to return to school after a week long spring break - only to have their spring break extended due to a snow storm. Oh, we'll remember this one, just like the big snow we received in 2007. Even with all the snow, I know we are fortunate to have a warm roof over our heads to shelter us.

After the storm, it took me an hour to clear off half the driveway.

After the storm, the sun came out and the snow started to melt.

Because of the storm, I did what my inner voice told me to do - I baked limoncello cupcakes:

I think it's a nesting instinct - and my family didn't object.
Oh, I also baked pumpkin muffins today (no photo - sorry).

After the storm, I captured some pretty photos.

textures from ShadowHouse Creations

And as much as the snow is slowing the approach of spring and the rebirth of the earth, I know it will happen in time, and the dogwood will no longer be covered with snow, but with green leaves and white blossoms.

textures from Nancy Claeys

Linked to Tuesday Muse and Tuesdays Around the World.

Practically in the Backyard

>> Tuesday, December 27, 2011 – landscape, nature, prairie, The Hood

A really nice feature of our community is the Parks and Recreation department - they've done a wonderful job of creating green spaces all around the city, some close to the "urban" areas, some weaving through the neighborhoods, all designed to encourage interaction with the natural habitat of the prairie.

A new park is under construction, a mere half mile from our house. A year ago, it was just an open field, but now there are trails, a gazebo and pond area.

This looks like a fishing pier of some sorts.

Another view of the pond:

I've been running the park trails since I discovered them, about a month ago. Since then, the pier and bridge in the above pictures have gone in - perhaps they are targeting an official spring or summer opening.

It's nice to run here, along the water, especially on sunny mornings:

Not in a Rush This Morning

Time for Fall

>> Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – nature, seasons

After the "back to summer" photos I recently posted, I thought it would be appropriate to post something keeping with the current season.

Ah, the start of Fall. I'm loving the change of the season.

Eyes Watching Me

>> Friday, September 3, 2010 – bugs, flowers, nature

The sedum plant is getting a lot of action these days, full of butterflies, moths and the occasional ant.

Plans for the weekend? I plan to FINISH up the last of my Italy pictures and post some here. Wish me luck!

Something Silky

>> Wednesday, May 5, 2010 – nature, white

Since the winds have picked up, these silky milkweed (I think) seeds are flying around.

Mosaic Monday - Earth Day Activities

>> Sunday, April 25, 2010 – grass, green, mosaic, nature, prairie, railcar, work

Our Earth Day activities included a site clean up at work, discovery of a new nest at home and new seedlings.

Mary at Little Red House hosts Mosaic Monday. Her mosaic this week features horses, a favorite animal around our house.

SOOC Saturday - Another Year, Another Nest

>> Saturday, April 24, 2010 – birds, nature, SOOC

I don't know what it is, but something draws the birds to our front door's basket arrangement. Each year, we open the door to the sound of fluttering wings and look inside the arrangement to find a bird's nest. I blogged about the mysterious eggs last year (two different eggs in one nest). This year, a mourning dove has nested in the arrangement and laid one creamy white egg.

We've been avoiding the front door now. Last year, the birds eventually abandoned the nest and eggs, so maybe we can prevent that from happening this year.

Busy at Work

>> Friday, April 16, 2010 – backlit, delicate, evening, nature

Hope you don't mind the spider picture. It was too cool for me to pass up.

POTD - Hawk

>> Saturday, December 26, 2009 – birds, nature, POTD

Thankful for a long lens with VR this morning. Shot at 300mm.

Pretty much SOOC except for the cropping and a slight lighten. It would be nice if he wasn't sitting with his back to the sun.

POTD - Pine Center

>> Saturday, October 17, 2009 – nature, seasons, trees

With the wind, it has been a challenge trying to capture decent pictures of the turning leaves. So I tried my hand at some pine bough centers. I figure if the stores have Christmas trees out for purchase already, I can take a picture of something that resembles a little bit of the impending holidays.

Best Shot Monday - The Original World Wide Web?

>> Monday, September 28, 2009 – best shot monday, nature, sunset

Or just the web between the rails of the bridge over the little slough that runs through our neighborhood.

Check out the other Best Shot Monday entries here. And share your best shot today!

POTD - An Unlikely Trio

>> Friday, September 11, 2009 – birds, nature, POTD

I only captured this trio of geese, but there were about 30 geese, all Canada geese except for the white one. We think he's a Snow goose and he sticks out like a large swath of white among the mainly black Canada geese.

POTD - Appaloosa, Brook and Colorado [ABCs]

>> Tuesday, August 18, 2009 – Colorado, horse, nature, POTD, trees, water

A is for Appaloosa.

Sampson was the first horse we saw as we drove into the Bar NI Ranch. He looks like he's got some "attitude", but he is the sweetest, gentlest horse. Brian rode him all week long and misses him now that we are back home.

B is for Babbling Brook.

Duling Stream winds through the mountain and down by the lodge, providing us with its musical babbling.

C is for Colorado.

Our first visit to Colorado.

POTD - Low Tide [local art]

>> Monday, July 20, 2009 – beach, nature, POTD, The Cape, water

Art so perfect because it was created by Mother Nature.

Taken in East Dennis, Cape Cod.

180/365 - New Growth

>> Friday, June 26, 2009 – 365, 365-2009, nature, plants

I'll admit it - I wasn't finding anything "inspiring" to photograph today. The continuation of the hot, humid, stay inside in the A/C because it feels like a sauna outside has made me a little cranky, even for a Friday.

All of the heat, copious rain and sun has resulted in the maturation of many plants, with summer flowers now coming into bloom. It's hard to remember those fragile little buds of spring, the promise of new growth - but that new growth can still be found if you look for it (or in my case, if you happen to walk by the maple tree in the backyard because you are bored).

Still some baby leaves, waiting to grow bigger. Just the little bit of inspiration I needed today.

158/365 - Fields of Corn

>> Thursday, June 4, 2009 – 365, 365-2009, farm, landscape, nature

Slowly emerging, delicate shoots of green appear from the soil. I like this time in the fields because you can definitively make out the rows that have been planted. Signs of the potential harvest to come. Just be patient and it will grow and mature. Hmmm, kind of like life.

A view of another field, close to where Erica rides.

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