Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Woodland
Morel Season Opener
This is the very first morel mushroom my wife found this season. If you know my wife, you know she was very excited. She loves mushroom hunting even more than she loves eating them.
This is the first. It is early in the season and so it is also very tiny. The smaller photo is the same mushroom with my wife’s finger beside it to give you a better perspective. 
This was found in the woodlands of northwest Missouri. We did not pick them – or the other two of similar stature found in the same area – because, well, they were just too small to bother. But just seeing them gets our hopes up for an abundant harvest this spring. We’ll see.
You can get a better look at a larger version by clicking on the image.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Slender Sunbather
While hiking a nature trail on the east end of Baird Creek in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I spotted this fellow sunning itself on the side of a small hill in the forest. The area was mostly shaded by the trees, but it found one area of sunlight. I’m not snake expert, but I believe this is a common gartersnake. It may have been two to three feet long. As I got closer with my camera, it quickly slithered away.
I know a lot of people don’t like snakes, but if you’d like to get a closer look at this harmless variety, simply click on the photo to view a more detailed, full-screen version of this photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Woodland Stemware
On a late summer hike through the woodlands of Tippecanoe River State Park in Indiana I spotted these unique mushrooms. At least I think their mushrooms. In a search of mushrooms I couldn’t find any that were cupped on long stems. They reminded me of long-stemmed wine glasses. Maybe some fungus fanatic can help identify them.
You can get a better, larger, more detailed view by clicking on the photo. When you do, it will open a full-screen version in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Tiny Toad on the Trail
This is a tiny toad that we almost missed while hiking the forest trails of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Not only did it blend in with with its surroundings, it was only about the size of my thumb. If he hadn’t moved while we were walking by, we wouldn’t have seen him. Quite colorful and bumpy when you take a closer look.
To take a closer look, simply click on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in another browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Descent to Vertigo
Going down! These steps are part of the arduous 303 step stairway to a scenic view at Roche-A-Cri State Park near Friendship, Wisconsin. It’s quite a climb to the top but worth the view and a welcome place to rest before beginning the descent.
I took a few photos of the stairway and thought this one was most interesting because of the turns and the angle of the shot. This was shot with a wide-angle lens (12mm). I processed this photo in both color and monochrome and asked my wife to pick the one she preferred. She liked the B&W best. So here it is.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Charmed
Every year I find wild geraniums blooming in the woodlands near our home in northeast Wisconsin. I think this is delightful wildflower which, I guess, explains the numerous images I have featuring them.
I titled this one, “Charmed,” because the stem with those hairy buds reminded me of a lady with a charm bracelet dangling from her wrist.
You can view a larger, more detailed, version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen image will open in another browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Fern of Fancy
This fern, found in the woodlands of northeast Wisconsin, was in the final stages of unfurling. In the spring these ferns sprout from the ground and go through the process of spreading their highly divided leaves.
The delicate curl you see at the ends of the fronds will soon straighten out. These ferns can quickly take over an area of forest floor when they are growing in favorable conditions.
You can view more of the detail in this macro image by viewing the larger versions. To do so, simply click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Two’s Company
The prize of every springtime mushroom hunter – the elusive morel. These morels were found in the woods of northeast Wisconsin.
We haven’t had much success in our search for morels this year. This is the best of what we did find. They are pretty small. With the hot, dry weather we’ve experienced recently, the window of opportunity may have closed. We’ll see.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on it. When you do, a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Thrice As Nice
Every spring I am drawn to the beauty and simplicity of trilliums in bloom. These were photographed on a recent hike through a wooded area of northeast Wisconsin.
If you like the trillium blooms, thank an ant. Ants are the ones who spread the seeds of the trillium plant. Ants gather the seeds and transport them away from the parent plant because they are attracted to the elaiosomes on the seeds. After learning this interesting fact I had to look up “elaiosomes.” Turns out, elaiosomes are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Fine Forest Dinnerware
These pheasant back mushrooms were growing out of a fallen tree. They reminded me of a decorative dinnerware setting.
We found these (as well as other fungi) on a recent hike. They grow out of dead trees and stumps. The intricate patterns and coloration are the source of its name. They are supposedly eatable, but I’ve never tried them and wouldn’t know how to prepare them.
The tree these were growing out of was horizontal, lying flat on the ground, so this view is looking straight down. On an upright tree or stump these fungi tend to grow in a horizontal position, resembling a small, round shelf attached to the trunk.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.