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
Wisconsin
Red Sky at Night
When it comes to fireworks, my favorites are the big ones – the huge bursts of color that fill the sky. This is a big red one from the July 4th celebration at Kewaunee, WI. 2014. A few days ago, I posted another full-sky burst: Burst of Blue. To see even more fireworks shots, click on the “Fireworks” category in the left-hand margin of this page.
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Party Like It’s 1776
The sky was a wild and messy at times – all those colors and lines and squiggles. It was an Independence Day celebration over the Kewaunee, WI harbor. July 4th, 2014
To view a lager, more detailed version of this image, click on the photo.
Burst of Blue
I made sure to make it to the harbor of Kewaunee, WI for their 4th of July fireworks. This is one of the large bursts I was able to capture.
When shooting local fireworks, I like to be close to the water because I think the reflection adds a lot of interest to the image.
In the foreground, to the left, you can see one of several pontoon boats in the harbor that offered a front row seat to spectators. They seem a bit blurry because this photo took several seconds to catch the full burst and the boat was moving.
If you have a larger monitor, you may be able to view a larger version of this image by clicking on it.
Time Traveler
You can’t beat a well restored antique car to keep a guy’s interest. I love the shine of the brass and the controls on the steering column. I’m convinced, if you stare into the rear-view mirror, before long, you’ll begin to see the past.
I snapped this image at the annual car show that’s held every spring in Algoma, Wisconsin. I’m not sure the make and model of this auto. I should probably take notes while I’m shooting.
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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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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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.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
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.
To get a better sense of the majesty of the morning, click on the photo and view the details of the largest version.
Overflow Seating
Every spring we look forward to the return of bluebirds and tree swallows. We have next boxes around the edges of our yard to encourage homesteading. It’s always a treat to see them building their nests and then watch as the eggs hatch and the babies develop.
This is a view inside a nest box claimed by Eastern Bluebirds. These baby bluebirds are becoming quite cramped in the small confines of the nest box. Though you can’t see all of them, there are five youngsters piled on top of each other. In a short time (I’m guessing a week or less), they will leave the nest.
When looking in on this crowd, we had to be sure none of them spilled out…which they almost did.
To get a better, larger view of these babes, click on the photo.