Wisconsin
Bluebirds – Father & Sons
Let me introduce you to our neighbors – the Eastern Bluebird family. This is a father and two of his offspring. There are four of these youngsters hanging around, having hatched this spring.
It’s hard to get the whole group together for a family portrait – though I’m working on it. The mom is busy sitting on another clutch of eggs. She does emerge to eat, now and then. I just have to convince them all to eat at the same time.
I’ve been supplementing their normal diet with meal worms…placing them on this tree stump in our yard. I’ll be posting more of the family in the near future. Stay tuned.
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Behold the Dawn
The sun is about to emerge from behind the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse and pier. Another beautiful start to a Lake Michigan morning. The expanse of sky and water makes the lighthouse seem tiny. Even smaller, is the fishing boat to the right of the lighthouse – seen as just a dot on the horizon.
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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
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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.
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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.
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