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
Macro
Delicate Folds
With its delicate petals and varied shading of soothing colors, it is easy to see why the rose if one of our most loved flowers.
I found this, and many other roses, at the West of the Lake Gardens in Two Rivers, WI. The greatest challenge with this shot was the bright daylight. Trying to capture the subtle shading amidst the brightly lit areas and the strongly shaded areas took some post processing software magic.
You can view a larger, full-screen 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.
Hiding In the Grass
This is a close up of one of several thirteen-lined ground squirrels that have made our yard their home.
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel, as the name suggests, is a burrowing animal who is active only during the daytime and hibernates during the winter. It is quite common in the grasslands and prairies of North America. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, squinney, and as the leopard-spermophile in Audubon’s day.
This photo opportunity was a surprise to both of us. I was rounding a corner of my house, on my way to fill a bird feeder, when I saw this guy a few feet away. We both froze. After a few moments of non-movement I took a step closer. He didn’t move a muscle. The only camera I had was my cellphone. I turned it on and moved closer. The critter stayed frozen. I inched closer. Still no movement. I continued to slowly move closer until my camera was within a few inches and I snapped a couple of shots. Still no movement from the ground squirrel. I slowly backed away and when I got about 10 feet away, he took off for the nearest burrow.
As I said, this was taken with my cellphone camera, so it’s not of the highest quality but, still, an acceptable shot. The value in this image is not the quality but the closeness.
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.
Pansies in Purple and Blue
The deep purple color of these pansies, highlighted by the luminescent blue, create a very royal floral feel.
If you have a good eye, you’ll notice the tiny bug on the left, top edge of the top pansy bloom. It’s small enough, I didn’t notice it when I snapped this image.
I found these, and many other beautiful flowers, blooming in small flower beds along the paved trail that runs between Memorial Drive (Highway 42) and the Lake Michigan shore in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Hats off to the volunteer gardeners who beautify their city.
You can view a larger, 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.
Cabana Boy
This tree frog seemed content to spend his summer just hanging out under a patio umbrella; the perfect place to showcase his engaging personality.
This was not the only tree frog that seemed to be living under this umbrella. There were two others, on this day, who were climbing among the supports of this patio umbrella. As you can see, it doesn’t look like they’ve missed many meals. The patio and umbrella was in the backyard of a rural northwest Missouri home.
You can get a closer, more detailed view by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen version of this 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.
How Sweet It Is
This is honeysuckle in bloom. There are about 180 different species of honeysuckle found around the world. This bloom was found in northwest Missouri.
Honeysuckles are a favorite garden plant. Their bright color and sweet nectar attracts hummingbirds. Their vining growth are also used to cover unsightly walls and outbuildings. They are prized for their profuse tubular flowers in summer and the intense fragrance.
You can get a larger, more detailed view of this image by simply clicking on it.
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.
The Start Of Something Big
This image gives you a close-up view of a sunflower just beginning to bloom. At this stage, I think they have a dangerous look to them; not nearly as inviting as they are when the flower is fully opened.
This is another shot taken from the farm field across the road of our rural Wisconsin home. All the blooms are open and “sunny” by now. I’ll post more sunflower photos as the season progresses.
You can get a larger, more detailed view of this photo 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.
Lotus Lovelies
These floral lovelies were found blooming on the edge of a pond in northwest Missouri.
I first thought these flowers were water-lilies. Then I saw online that the leaves of lotus flowers rise above the water level while water-lily leaves are found floating on the surface of the water. The same holds true for their flowers; lotus flowers bloom above the water and water-lily blooms float on the water. Clearly, these blooms were well above any water by a couple of feet or more. Whatever you call them, they are lovely.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this photo by clicking on it.
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.
Mr. Personality
I found this charming character lurking around the rocks of a waterfall in Marinette County, Wisconsin.
We took a trip to Marinette County a couple of years ago to tour some of the waterfalls in the area. While climbing along the rocks, trying to get a unique angle on the falls, I noticed Mr. Personality. He was moving in the gentle flow of water over and between some of the rocks I was climbing in. He was pretty good size.
If you’d like a better look at those dark, beady eyes, click on the photo and 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.
Avid Gardener
I found this monarch butterfly carefully tending the coneflowers in a Missouri flowerbed.
I seem to be seeing more monarchs this year. I recently learned the monarch is also called by a variety of other names – milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown.
You can get a better, larger view of this one 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.
Lunch Time
The dragonfly may seem like a dainty flying insect, but don’t let that fool you. Dragonflies are fierce predators. As you can see, this dragonfly is munching on a yellow bug he captured for lunch.
I found and photographed this dragonfly during an outing to pick blackberries in the middle of a Missouri prairie. Actually, I wasn’t picking, I was taking photos while the others picked.
I am always intrigued by the detail found in the transparent wings of dragonflies. If you want to get a better look of the detail, and of the bug being consumed, click on the photo and 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.