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
Macro
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.
Pretty In Pink
It’s good to keep your camera handy because you never know when or where you’re going to find a worthy subject. I spotted this collection of Dianthus blooms at a small wayside flower bed along Memorial Drive in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
According to Better Homes and Gardens, “The dianthus plant is the quintessential cottage flower. Dianthus pink is treasured for its grasslike, blue-green foliage and abundant starry flowers, which are often spicily fragrant. Depending on the type of dianthus pink, flowers appear in spring or summer and tend to be white, pink, red, rose, or lavender, but come in nearly all shades except true blue. Dianthus plants range from tiny creeping groundcovers to 30-inch-tall cut flowers, which are a favorite with florists. The “pink” part of their name has a two-fold meaning: Plants are often pink in color, and the petals have a fringed look as if someone took pinking shears to their edges.”
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.
Red-spotted Purple Admiral Butterfly
I found this butterfly resting on the ground. I searched the Internet to identify it and found it to be a “Red-spotted Purple Admiral.”
This was a pleasant find while biking on the Ahnapee State Trail near the Bruemmer Park Zoo northwest of Kewaunee. This was the second such butterfly I saw. This one was kind enough to allow me to get close enough to snap a portrait. I”m not sure how it got the name Red-spotted, since its spots seem mostly orange which seemed consistent with other images I found online.
You can see more of the detail in this image by viewing the full-screen version. 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.
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.
On The Hunt
Keep your eyes open. It’s snake season. This is a harmless, Western Fox Snake found slithering through the woodlands of northeast Wisconsin.
We were out on a springtime, family hike in search for morel mushrooms. My wife – an avid mushroom hunter – was the first one to spot this beauty. The snake was kind enough to rest quietly while I snapped a few shots.
As I said, these snakes are harmless to humans. They prefer to dine on mice and other small rodents. These snakes can seem fairly bold and don’t mind getting close to other animals and humans if undisturbed. When confronted, they will ‘rattle’ their tail to imitate a rattlesnake and attempt to scare away a perceived threat. They will also go into the S position and rapidly lunge in your direction. These are all defensive maneuvers in an effort to scare you off so they can escape.
One of the interesting details of this image is found on the lower lip of the snake. (That is, if snakes had lips.) You have to look closely, very closely, to see an ant going along for a ride. Zoom in as far as your monitor will let you and you may be able to see it. Not sure what the ant is doing there, but I thought it was interesting.
I’ve taken photos of this breed before, in my own yard. Get a real close-up view from my image, “Forked Tongue.”
To view a larger, more detailed version of this image, 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.
Voluptuous Iris
Look at this gorgeous, spring bloom! This exotic beauty is a bearded iris.
While driving along Miller street in Kewaunee, Wisconsin I noticed an area with several blooming flowers. There were several of these iris’ in the area but most were just beginning to open. This early bloomer was begging to be photographed.
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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.
Precious Reminder
Tiny in size but big on charm. The Forget Me Not blooms are some of my favorites. I don’t find them often, but when I do it’s a delight. I found these blooming in the shade at the small, Lincoln Park zoo in Manitowoc.
Forget Me Nots are part of the Myosotis genus. This unusual Greek name means mouse’s ear, which is a pretty literal description of the shape of the flower’s small petals.
You can view a larger 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.
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.
Sprig of Spring Beauty
These very tiny, delicate flowers are known as “Spring Beauty” and “Siberian Squill.” Their formal name is Scilla Siberic. They are some of the very first flowers to appear in the spring.
I often capture a view of these flowers from a small bunch that bloom in our flower bed at home. This year, I was slow on the trigger and missed our home bloom. The blooming only lasts a few days. I was fortunate to find this single plant at a local park.
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 version of this photo 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.