Pops Digital
Captivating Beauty
This rose may be one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever photographed. It is not perfect or without blemish, but there’s something about its soft blush of pink and the gentle furl of its delicate petals that captivates me; makes it difficult to look away. I snapped a lot of frames of this bloom over a couple of days. (Please excuse my gushing. I understand, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may not have the same effect on everyone.)
I found this beauty in, of all places, the small flowerbed of a motel in Branson, Missouri – the Yellow Rose Inn & Suites. They had a nice variety of blooming flowers around the property but, ironically, there were no yellow roses.
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Mayapples In the Rain
We call these plants Mayapples. (Also known by many other names, as you can see below.) I snapped this view on a hike thought the woods, during a very light rain.
In early spring, these lush green umbrella-like plants can fill patches of the forest floor.
Here’s some information available on Wikipedia…
Podophyllum peltatum, commonly called Mayapple, or May Apple, (or hogapple, Indian apple, mayflower, umbrella plant, wild lemon (flavor of the fruit), wild mandrake, American mandrake (shape of rhizomes) or “devil’s apple” (used for Solanum linnaeanum elsewhere)), is a herbaceous perennial plant in the Family Berberidaceae, native todeciduous forests in of eastern North America. Like many other spring ephemerals, it emerges from below ground before the canopy of the forest opens, and then slowly withers later in the summer; the foliage is, however, somewhat more long-lived than other spring emphemerals such as Trillium.
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Liberal Supply of Bleeding Hearts
The bleeding hearts were in top form last weekend when I snapped this shot in my wife’s flowerbed.
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Morning Whispers
The moment has arrived…the sun is just breaching the horizon and another day begins, full of promise and opportunity, whispering encouragement.
This incredible morning is brought to you the lighthouse and pier at Kewaunee, WI and the cooperation of Lake Michigan.
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Forked Tongue
I’m not a ophiologist, but I believe this is a Western Fox Snake – also commonly called a Pine Snake. This formidable looking serpent, measuring a bit longer than 4 feet, was spotted gliding across our lawn. My camera’s fast shutter speed stopped that quickly flicking tongue. My apologies to those who are creeped out by snakes.
Here’s a bit of info about this type of snake from a Wisconsin DNR publication…
Family: Colubridae Size: 36-56 in. Status: Common
The fox snake has many large reddish-brown, chocolate brown, or black mid-dorsal blotches along its back and other smaller blotches on its sides on a background color of yellow, tan or olive gray. The head of adults is usually a dark copper, rust or orange color. They live in a variety of open habitats including marshes, sedge meadows, prairies and old fields. Their diet consists primarily of rodents and ground-nesting birds. Young fox snakes will occasionally eat amphibians. This species is the most frequently encountered snake in people’s homes, especially if the house has an old rock foundation where the snake(s) may be hunting for food or hibernating in the basement. The fox snake is often mistaken for the venomous copperhead snake due to its head color, and subsequently is often killed. Copperheads do not live in or near Wisconsin. Fox snakes are also often mistaken for rattlesnakes, as they often ‘rattle” their tails in dry leaves, grasses or against objects when disturbed.
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Thriving Mist Daisy
I found this delightfully healthy bunch of daisies growing wild in a ditch near my home. I photographed them on a foggy morning, which provided the moisture.
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Singing for Supper
These young tree swallows are hungry and waiting for mom to serve up lunch. They are only about a week old, but growing fast. There are six in this nest box; one of several around our property.
Normally, when you open the nest box to look in our their progress, these young birds are very calm and sleep-like. I trick them to stretch and open their mouths my faking them out with a little whistle. When the mom returns with food, her motherly chirp will perk them up and they open up for the meal she’s brought. So, all it takes it is a little chirp of a whistle and they all bob up, mouths open, waiting. Don’t worry, they don’t stay hungry and wanting for long. Within in moments after close up the house, the parents are flying back in and out with food for them.
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Flying the Flag
Happy flag day, U.S.A!
The opening ceremony of the 2013 E.A.A. AirVenture air show included parachutists flying and delivering American flags. I’m patriotic enough to get sentimental over a sight like this.
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Stream of Joy
Dreamer’s Dawn
They sky was alive with exceptional color yesterday morning, as you can see from this photo taken from the beach in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
Lake Michigan was calm and the clouds seemed to direct our attention to the tiny lighthouse silhouette on the horizon. This was taken just before sunrise.
I don’t normally get out to capture sunrises during the work week, but when I first woke up and saw this developing, I made an exception and headed for the beach.
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