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
Sony A7III
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.
Hiking Cathedral Spires Trail
On our recent trip to Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, we did a lot of hiking. This was one of the trails we enjoyed – Cathedral Spires Trail. The “needles” rock formations were fun to explore.
The Cathedral Spires Trail is located inside an area of Custer State Park known as the Needles. As you might expect, it can be found on Needles Highway. The trail is approximately 1.5 miles one way.
This photo was taken with my fisheye lens. It provides a very wide view but also gives it that curving inward look. My hiking partner and beautiful wife is pictured on the trail ahead of me.
You can get 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.
Moment of Reflection
These common wasps seemed to be admiring themselves in the water’s reflection. Actually, they were getting a drink at the birdbath in our yard.
I happened to notice a few wasps at the birdbath one day and keep watching. I found a steady stream of wasps visiting the birdbath all day long. Shortly after, I discovered a steady stream of wasps flying up into a corner of our house. They obviously they had built a nest there.
I also found a couple of wasp nests in the ground of our yard. It must have been a good year for wasps in our area. On a good note, they were never bothersome to us; a little worrisome when one found its way into the house, but no stings. (Ironically, my wife was stung by one while hiking during our vacation in South Dakota.)
You can get a better, more detailed look at these 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.
Western Salsify
While hiking though the woods in South Dakota we came upon this blooming weed. It is western salsify. It is also known as goat’s beard. It has been described as a dandelion on steroids because it looks similar to a dandelion but the plant can grow to several fee tall and the bloom can span 4-5 inches.
You can view the very cool details 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.
It’s a Trap
When the flowers began to fade and summer was being pushed out by autumn; an opportunistic spider was taking one last shot at securing a store of food before winter.
As I’ve mentioned before, when people ask what kind of photographer I am (as in, Landscape, Wildlife, Portrait, etc.) I tell them I just capture whatever catches my eye. This is one of those photographs. I’m not sure if any will appreciate it but the more I look at it, the more I like it. I like the variety and depth of colors and the near-perfect symmetry of the web.
You are looking at a spider web that was prominently placed in a large flower pot. The flower pot occupies a corner of the cement pad in front of our garage. I captured this on an early morning walk around my yard, while the dew was still clinging to the web. The spider was nowhere to be found.
If you’d like to see a larger version of this image, 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.
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.
A Beautiful Capture
This is a panoramic view of Lakota Lake. This is a small lake in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
We stumbled upon this calm, out-of-the-way lake while driving though the park. This was one of my wife’s favorite spots at Custer State Park. She is the one on the shore taking photos of the beauty that she sent to her parents. This is a very wide image – a compilation of five individual photos taken.
According to the US Forest Service, “Lakota Lake is located southeast of Keystone, SD, on US Highway 16A (Iron Mountain Road), within the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve. It is a small, non-motorized lake and a popular destination for fishing and kayaking. A hitchrail is provided for horses, along with access to Iron Creek Trail #15. Several picnic tables offer a scenic view of the lake. Lakota Lake Road was upgraded in fall 2021.”
You can get a little better, larger 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.
The Wild Bunch
These guineafowl remind me of gang of miscreants looking for trouble. While out on a drive in our area of rural, northeast Wisconsin we turned around in a small farm yard at the end of a road and these birds were quick to check us out.
The guinea is a bird that emanated from Africa. I hear they make a good pheasant-like meal, but I’ve never attempted to eat one. We used to have a number of them on our small rural homestead in Missouri. We enjoyed them for the variety they added to our flock of fowl (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, etc.) and ease of care, because they pretty much take care of themselves. They are prized for eating ticks and other insects. They also make good “watch dogs” because of their tendency to make an annoyingly, loud racket when something or someone new is entering the yard.
You can get a better view of the beautiful polka dot plumage below the ugly heads 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.
South Falls at Silver Falls State Park
Last year I visited the Portland, Oregon area for a conference. While there I got to visit some of the area’s scenic treasures. Silver Falls State Park is a site with ten waterfalls within rainforest-like conditions. This is South Falls – a 177-foot (54 m) cascade. It is one of the most visited of the falls, probably because it is near a main entrance.
If you look closely, you can see a wooden fence about half way up. That is a trail that leads you under the falls. There is a lot of great hiking and beauty in this park. This is a panoramic photo – three individual photos joined together (vertically) to get the full, awesome view.
You can get a better, larger 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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.