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
Missouri
Baubles of Nature
A vibrant green leaf is adorned with multiple water droplets along its scalloped edges, creating a fresh and dewy appearance. I like the serene feeling the soft background lighting gives this image.
This is an image from one of my slow walks through the woods of northwest Missouri. The colors and simplicity of this image makes it one of my favorites. This was actually taken a few years back. I have plenty of nice shots I just haven’t gotten around to processing.
If you want to get a better view of the detail in that leaf, 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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
X-Wing Landed
A dragonfly with intricate wing patterns took a rest on the forest floor. The outstretched wings showcase the beauty and delicacy of its structure.
I was on a slow walk through northwest Missouri woods when this small dragonfly zipped by me. My eyes followed it’s movement until it landed. Then I crept slowly, taking photos as I approached and got remarkably close before it zipped away.
This was a small specimen – the body only about and inch and a half from head to tail. I was so impressed by the banding over the eyes that I included a larger crop for you to enjoy.
If you click on either photo, a larger version will open in a new browser tab. I encourage you to click on both to get closer…and even closer. Cool stuff!
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.
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.
Springing to Life
Rising from the dead leaves remaining from autumn, we find the crocus. This is one of the very first signs of spring. I photographed these welcome beauties sprouting in northwest Missouri at the beginning of March 2024.
According to Wikipedia… “Crocuses are low growing plants, whose flower stems remain underground, that bear relatively large white, yellow, orange or purple flowers and then become dormant after flowering. Many are cultivated for their flowers, appearing in autumn, winter, or spring. The flowers close at night and in overcast weather conditions. The crocus has been known throughout recorded history, mainly as the source of saffron. Saffron is obtained from the dried stigma of Crocus sativus, an autumn-blooming species. It is valued as a spice and dyestuff, and is one of the most expensive spices in the world.”
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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Phoebe and Fly
This small and feisty Phoebe seems proud to show off its next meal. This is a photo taken in Missouri during the busy month of July; while they are raising their young.
You can get a better look at this cutie by clicking the photo. When you do, a larger 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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
War Bonnet
The attention-grabbing, bold color and contrast on this small butterfly’s wings are clearly a work of God’s design and creativity.
Last month, during a trip to the Branson, Missouri area I spent a couple of hours at the Butterfly Palace. They have a variety of winged creatures flitting around their man-made tropical environment. When in the area, I try to make my way there because I’m always sure to get some worthwhile images.
The detail in this butterfly’s wings is amazing. You can get a better view 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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Four-eyes Needs a Shave
For those who hate spiders – relax. This is a teeny-tiny jumping spider. I had to greatly enlarge this photo to be able to see blacks of its eyes – all four of them. To give you an idea of how small this handsome devil is, he is posing on the top of a chain link fence post.
I just happened to spot some movement as I was watching for birds while in Missouri. He was pretty active, scurrying each inch of the rounded fence post top.
You can get a closer look at that irresistible smile 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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Phoebe Feast
This little bird was planning on a big lunch. This is an Eastern Phoebe that had captured a large flying bug and seemed intent on showing it off before taking it home to the family.
I’d been watching this little bird fly around the yard. It would often land on the chain-linked fence post not far from me. I decided to position myself as close as thought I could be without scaring the bird from landing again. Then I simply stood and waited with my camera focused on the top of that post. It took a little while, but it finally landed and, to my delight, had a huge bug in its beak. (In the near future, I’ll share a profile photo of this bird; where you can see the bug a bit better.)
On the website All About Songbirds, they share about the Eastern Phoebe – “The Eastern Phoebe is a plump songbird with a medium-length tail. It appears large-headed for a bird of its size. The head often appears flat on top, but phoebes sometimes raise the feathers up into a peak. Like most small flycatchers, they have short, thin bills used for catching insects. The Eastern Phoebe generally perches low in trees or on fencelines. Phoebes are very active, making short flights to capture insects and very often returning to the same perch. They make sharp “peep” calls in addition to their familiar “phoebe” vocalizations. When perched, Eastern Phoebes wag their tails down and up frequently.”
I snapped this in a shaded area and I was still far enough away it required quite a bit of cropping to get this view.
This is one image you’ll really want to view full-screen. 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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Over Purple Clover
Even the very simple and common can be a work of beauty. While walking through the woods in NW Missouri I came upon this solitary stalk of purple clover blooming. It was early spring and about the only thing blooming in the woods.
Purple Clover is also commonly called Red Clover. According to North Carolina State Extension…
The common name for Trifolium pratense, Red Clover, can be confusing as the flowers are more a pink to pink/purplish, not a true red. It is grown as a forage crop for pasturage and hay for livestock. It is a nitrogen-fixing plant and is often grown as a cover crop to improve soil fertility. Its native habitat includes fields, pastures, meadows, waste areas, and along roadsides. It can be found in grassy locations that are not regularly mowed.
It can be easily distinguished from other varieties of clover by the large pink flower heads as well as the chevrons that appear on the leaflets.
Its flowers have a honey-like fragrance. The foliage can produce a pleasant clover-like scent. The flowering heads and foliage are both edible, both raw or cooked. Its young leaves should be harvested before the plant flowers. They can be used in salads or soups or cooked similar to spinach. The flowering heads as well as the seed pods can be dried and used as a flour substitute. The young flower are also eaten raw in salads.
It has also been widely used for athlete’s foot, constipation, ulcers, corms, and menopause. Red clover contains isoflavones. The edible flowers taste sweet or like hay but they are not easily digestible. Do not eat the flowers if pregnant or nursing.
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.
Strange Life Form
Butterflies are such beautiful creatures with the colors and patterns of their wings. However, up close, they have the face only an alien mother could love. This photo is a stark reminder – though whimsical in flight and beautiful from a distance, they are still flying insects.
I believe this is a Blue Morpho butterfly. If you could see it with its wings open, you would see a spectacular, iridescent blue color. The Blue Morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world with wing spans from five to eight inches. Blue morphos live in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia.
On this photographic trip to the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri I tried, unsuccessfully, to capture one of them with their wings open. You can view their beautiful blue in a photo I captured on a previous trip here: Common Blue Morpho
This is one you may want to view in larger size to see more of the detail. (Or not…if bugs aren’t your thing.) 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.