Tag: nature photography

Image #220 – Flight pictures

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Frequent visitors by now will have figured out that I take many pictures and only a small percentage reach this blog. I try to be discriminating but sometimes, I think, I may apply too high a standard. The picture above is a case in point. This was captured about a week ago. I was at a nearby park and saw these pretty birds “working” the area around the fence. The markings on this bird are quite distinctive but my reference resources are limited so I don’t know what kind of bird it is. Please, anyone, feel free to help me out.

When I sorted the pictures that night I lingered on this photo for quite a while because it is so dramatic. Birds are such awesome creatures of agility and I love pictures that capture their moves. I was going to post it but then thought better of it because it wasn’t “good enough.”

And then a fellow blogger — Bird Canada — posted a blog about flight and said, “in fact, a good picture can reveal things that go [by]  too quickly if you are looking at it at normal speed (even after the fact on a video).”  I immediately thought about this photo.  Yes, it isn’t as sharp as I would like but it is a good picture because of what it reveals. It has caught this bird springing straight into the air from the fence, with his wings tucked and extended all at the same time.  In the next moment, which I and the camera completely missed, he dove straight down in fast pursuit of a tasty morsel.

So, thanks Pierre for  your wonderful photo-essay.  Photographing birds in flight is not easy but even the less than perfect picture can be pleasing. ❧

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Image #219 – Bachelor Button

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This is, I believe, a variant of the Bachelor Button.  At this time of the year they are scattered about Myakka River State Park, poking their heads through the brush. One amazing thing about these plants is the nautilus-like blossom crown which can be seen in the next picture. Another example of how patterns re-occur in nature. ❧

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Image #218 – The Swamp Iris has Bloomed

SAMSUNG CSCThe swamp iris have begun to bloom. Scattered throughout Myakka River State Park, they are a beautiful sign that spring is here … at last.  Their botanical name is Iris virginica Southern Blue Flag but I have always called them Swamp Iris. Frequent readers of this blog have seen them before but, honestly, you can never see enough of them.  ❧

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Image #215 – How are you lichen it?

SAMSUNG CSCLichen and mushrooms like to hang out together but they are different. Since I am without my reference books I can’t say definitively what all of those lovely colored beings are.  Mushrooms are the fruiting body of fungus while lichens are composite beings that have fungi and a photosynthetic partner growing together in a symbiotic relation. (Thank you Wikipedia.)  The pale green and the red & white growth are definitely lichen. But the tan colored growth has me stumped.  There are mushrooms that are similar to this so …. ?  This bark is on an old oak tree in the oak grove that I featured a couple of posts back (Oak Cathedral). ❧

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Image #214 – Found Some Mushrooms!

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Frequent visitors will know that I’ve had this “thing” about mushroom pictures this year. The North Carolina property had plenty of varieties so it wasn’t hard to get a good ‘shroom portfolio. Tango, as you can see, does his part. I could swear he is saying, “Hey mom! I found some mushrooms.” There were quite a few different kinds of mushrooms at Myakka Park yesterday. The Park has cleared out many of the feral pigs so the mushrooms at least have a chance. A couple of years ago you couldn’t find a mushroom in the Park.  Will post a couple of others in the next day or so. ❧

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Image #213 – Oak Cathedral

SAMSUNG CSCIt was really a beautiful  day here. Tango and I hiked to one of my favorite spots along the orange trail at Myakka, off Fox’s High Road. I call it Oak Cathedral.  Today it was particularly stunning with the new tree moss blooms shinning bright red in the sunlight, looking like stained glass windows.  It is so peaceful in this grove.  We lingered here for quite a while and many thoughts passed through my mind.  I have cousins and friends who are going through some difficult, grief-filled times. I wished I could transport them all to this spot. For the grieving soul there is no better place than nature. Long hikes are not required. It is as simple as sitting quietly in your yard or a nearby park. The comfort is there, waiting to be embraced. ❧

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Image #212 – Soft-shell Turtle Relocation

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Staying at Mary’s place is fun. We get to do interesting things like feed the cow, Bob, and take pictures of the geese.  Last Sunday a turtle wandered into the yard. I had already encountered a previous turtle and helped him into the pond but Mary said the turtles bother the geese and she would rather not have them in her pond. So I put this one into a tub and he went to Myakka River State Park with Kim and I. We released him into Clay Gully and wished him godspeed. ❧

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Image #211 – Good Geese!

Caesar

That’s Caesar in the white wings, feeling his oats I suspect. Caesar is Mary’s new male goose, recently acquired to replace the late and fondly remembered Doodle.  Caesar has been at Mary’s for about a month. I had the good fortune to observe his first dip in the pond.  The ladies were happy to join him.  They splash about and engage in reproductive as well as hygienic activities. Mary has wondered what the geese might look like who come from Caesar mating with the Toulouse geese.  Stay tuned . . . ❧

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Image #209 – Red Salvia

SAMSUNG CSCBlossom and buds on a red salvia plant that is destined to become a part of Mary’s butterfly garden. ❧

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Image #208 – I Wish I Knew

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I had a nice hike at Myakka River State Park on Sunday along with my friend Kim and, of course, Tango.  It was Kim who spotted the plant above.  At the time I was busy collecting my dog who had decided to go for a swim in the marshy area by the two-track path we were following. I didn’t really mind that he decided to go for a swim but his backpack contained my macro lens!  Thankfully no harm was done.  Tango did need a bath afterwards.

But I digress. This tiny gem is about 2″ in circumference and seems to favor marshy ground. We found numerous clusters near the marsh but none further on. Alas, all my reference books are in NC and I am in FL so I had to dig a bit on the web.  The “petals” as you can see, are spiked with a dewy substance on the tips.  The plant seemed carnivorous so I ran a search on Bing images but, as usual, there were pictures with no data.  I did locate one plant that was very similar and it had a name–Sundew.  So I proceeded with a search based on  “Sundew” plant and learned it was part of the Drosera family–there are more than 170 species.  So, Sundew is as good as it gets. They are small and easy to overlook–especially when you dog goes swimming with your macro lens. 🙂

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