Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
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
Blue
World of Chaos
The globe thistle is a unique, flowering thistle and is garden friendly. It provides an appealing contrast of color and texture to the flower bed in mid summer.
I didn’t know these were called “Globe Thistles” until I looked them up to provide more info for this post. This photo was taken in one of the flowerbeds at our home.
According to Gardening Know How…
Echinops is the botanical name for globe thistle. They are stunning flowers with deep dark blue petals set in a spiky frame. The leaves are deeply notched, dark green on top and slightly silver underneath and slightly hairy. The plants are native to Asia and Europe and the name means hedgehog in Greek, which is appropriately referencing the prickly blooms. Globe thistle flowers make excellent dried displays and last for years as part of an everlasting flower display.
You can get a better, more detailed view 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.
Spring Coming On
The trees are starting to sprout leaves and the crops are sporting their spring-time green in this scenic view of rural northeast Wisconsin.
A couple of days ago I was grilling steaks in my driveway. I noticed the cool clouds filling the sky as the sun was slipping toward the horizon. I ran inside to grab my camera, flipped the steaks on the grill and hurried across the road to an adjacent farm field. I positioned myself to capture the sun behind a tree, standing in a field of oats. After snapping a couple of frames, I had to hurry back to those marvelous steaks on the grill.
If you look through my collection, you will find a number images featuring this same tree and the sunset. (The Wild Blue, Serene Sunset, Rural Sunset – to name a few)
You can view a larger version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, the image 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.
Burst of Elegance
The patterns and colors of fireworks bursts can create their own fine art that is beautiful, interesting and elegant.
I know I enjoy fireworks more than most – or at least, photos of fireworks. It’s the rich colors and unpredictable burst patterns, contrasting with the dark background, that I find very appealing. This is a good example of a fireworks image that captivates my attention. Am I the only one?
You can view a larger, more captivating 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.
Pure Algoma
The Algoma lighthouse and pier present a welcome sight to shore-side visitors and, more important, the watercraft entering and departing the small Lake Michigan harbor.
This image doesn’t contain the dramatic sunrise elements usually seen in my photos of the Algoma lighthouse. I was there at the break of dawn, hoping for a dramatic sunrise, but it never materialized. Still I like this photo for the clear, clean feel of the blue water and sky…with a hint of sunrise pink on the horizon.
You can get a larger view 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.
Out of the Blue
The deep red color of the Algoma lighthouse stands in sharp contrast to the deep blue of Lake Michigan and the early morning sky above.
I have taken a lot of photos of this lighthouse. On this trip, I was hoping for another nice sunrise. Unfortunately, the rising sun was concealed by a band of clouds on the horizon so a true sunrise photo wasn’t in the cards. I decided to catch a low angle view of the lighthouse across the Algoma harbor. To get this shot, I crawled down on the rocks near the mouth of the Ahnapee River, just off the marina parking lot, and held my camera just above the water.
I like this image for 1) the different perspective, 2) the reflection of the lighthouse, 3) the ripples in the water giving it depth and interest, and 4) the predominant blue color with contrasting red.
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.
Fully Charged
Lightning lit up the sky as a post script to the powerful storm that just rolled through our rural area of Kewaunee County in northeast Wisconsin.
A severe storm had just pushed through. On the horizon, the sky turned a wild, orangeish-red and the lightning continued to flash for awhile. I’m afraid I was a little late to the party. I should have gotten my camera out sooner. I was able to capture three shots with lightning – this, being the best one.
In the foreground you see the farm field, planted with corn in its early stages, soaked with water that reflects the brightness of the lightning. This shot was taken from a third-floor vantage point in the attic or our home. Very cool to watch.
This is one you’ll want to view in the larger version to see the fine detail in the lightning. You can do so 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 for digital purchase and licensing options.
Short-billed Dowitcher
The short-billed dowitcher is a medium-sized, stocky, shorebird in the sandpiper family (Scolopacidae). These birds are found in North America, Central America, and northern South America. This one was photographed along the western shore of Lake Michigan.
I captured this handsome character a couple of weeks ago, on an early morning excursion to Algoma, WI. I was there hoping to capture a nice sunrise alongside the lighthouse. The sunrise didn’t turn out to be the beauty I had hoped for. Thankfully, this little guy (or girl) showed up before I headed home and showed a willingness to be photographed. It’s been awhile since I last posted a bird photo.
You can get a better look at the detail in the plumage by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser window.
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.
A Wet Spring
These little beauties seem drunk on spring; a bit disheveled as they lounge, casually soaking up the moisture of an early morning rain.
These very tiny, delicate flowers are known as “Spring Beauty” and “Siberian Squill.” Their formal name is Scilla Siberic. They are the very first of the flowers in our yard to appear in the spring.
Scilla Siberic is native to southwestern Russia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Despite its name, it is not native to Siberia.
You can view a larger image of these tiny flowers by clicking on the photo.
Be Still My Soul
I find this to be a very therapeutic scene. It is the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse with the waves of Lake Michigan rolling and reflecting the sunrise in the foreground. To add and extra measure of calming grace, six Canada geese fly past the lighthouse. (If you look close, you’ll even see a sea gull above the geese, on the right side.)
This is one of my favorite images. I captured this at the end of last February – the same morning I captured, Morning Rolls In, posted March 1st. Look back and compare the two. This one was after the sun was up and into the clouds. Morning Rolls In was shot earlier, before the sun breached the horizon.
I like both, but I like this one more. The sun’s reflection among the waves and the near perfect timing of the geese flying by make this an easy favorite.
Do yourself a favor and view this image in it’s largest available format. It’s easy, just click on the photo and 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.
Violet in the Wild
These, very tiny, delicate beauties are common blue violets. I photographed this set while hiking along a woodland path in northeast Wisconsin.
According to my Audubon Wildflower Guide, common blue violets can be found in damp woods, moist meadows, roadsides and even lawns. The violet leaves are high in vitamins A and C and can be used in salads or cooked as greens. The flowers can be candied.
You can view more of the beautiful detail in this flower by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger 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.