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
Yellow
Serious Sunrise
There was a very serious mood to this morning’s sky as the sun breached the horizon behind the lighthouse and pier at Algoma, Wisconsin. It was a good morning to be on Lake Michigan’s western shore.
I was up early to make my way to Algoma, hoping for a worthwhile sunrise. I was not disappointed. The temperatures were cool but the sky had a warming effect…at least on the psyche. This shot was taken from the harbor embankment at the marina.
I’ve got a few other good shots from this vantage point that I’ll be working on when time allows. Watch for a wide, panorama shot of this morning’s sunrise in the future.
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Carnival of Autumn Color
The wide variety of hues in this patch of sumac reminded me of the bright colors you might find at an autumn carnival.
I had a few minutes before I had to be an an appointment so I thought I would make a quick stop at a local waterfall to, hopefully, catch a beautiful fall scene. Well, the waterfall didn’t have much water falling; barely a trickle. Even if it were flowing, there wasn’t much color in the foliage surrounding it. However, there was a small patch of sumac in the area that was bursting with color. Normally the sumac turns a bright red. I’ve not encountered sumac in transition with such a wide range of colors before. It made my stop worthwhile.
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Bride and Bridesmaids
Sometimes, it’s the simple beauty that most easily captures me. Pleasing colors. Interesting shapes. A bit of texture. Uncommon perspective.
I found this collection of flowers while on another photographic mission. I was out early one morning to snap some photos of a couple of tall ships that were docked in the Kewaunee harbor. I parked my car in a lot near by and started working. At some point, I looked back and noticed a beautiful flower garden surrounding a nearby home. These flowers – the white one, in particular – immediately caught my eye.
I took quite a few photos of the ships, but this one may be my favorite of the morning.
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Mesmerizing
In think, one of the coolest thing about sunflowers, is the intricate pattern of the seeds as they develop. If you stare at the center of the flower for awhile, it can be mesmerizing. (Well, at least for me.)
This particular bloom was photographed at a farm field a short distance from our home in rural Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. I’ll have to post more images from this shoot in the near future.
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Collection In the Clearing
Hiking through the woods of northwest Missouri, I came across a clearing with a delightful arrangement of wildflowers.
When I’m photographing flowers I normally move in closer and focus on a particular bloom or two. I snapped some of those images too, of course. However, for this collection, I thought a more distant perspective was worthwhile; where you can see them in their natural state, growing wild and free among the other native grasses and plants .
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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.
Hello Wild Yellow
This yellow wildflower found a place in a woodland clearing to enjoy the warm, afternoon sun.
I usually try to offer some info on the flowers I post – at least the name of the flower. In this case, I don’t know what this one is called. I spent a good deal of time searching the web and a wildflower field guide but couldn’t come up with a good match. If you know, definitively, what this flower is, let me know. I photographed this bloom on a trail in northeast Wisconsin.
Update: With the help of some online friends I’ve discovered this flower is known locally as Goat’s Beard. Wikipedia also lists a variety of other names that are used for this plant…Tragopogon dubius, yellow salsify, western salsify, western goat’s-beard, wild oysterplant, yellow goat’s beard, common salsify and salsify.
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Gold In the Marsh
These yellow wildflowers are known locally as Marsh Marigolds. They can be found in ditches, wet woodlands and marshes. We found these…and a whole bunch more…in some soggy areas in the woodlands of northeast Wisconsin.
As I mentioned, we call them marsh marigolds in this area. Their botanical name is caltha palustris but they are known by a unbelievable variety of other names around the world. According to Wikipedia, the second most common name is kingcup. After that, they are also called brave bassinets, crazy Beth, horse blob, May blob, mare blob, boots, water boots, meadow-bright, bullflower, meadow buttercup, water buttercup, soldier’s buttons, meadow cowslip, water cowslip, publican’s cloak, crowfoot, water dragon, drunkards, water goggles, meadow gowan, water gowan, yellow gowan, goldes, golds, goldings, gools, cow lily, marybuds, and publicans-and-sinners. The common name “marigold” refers to its use in medieval churches at Easter as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, as in “Mary gold”.
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The Daffodil Patch
Daffodils are always a cheerful delight. Though short-lived, they are bright and vigorous springtime bloomers.
This particular patch is one of my favorite. Each spring, those driving north through Algoma,WI on highway 42 will find this plentiful display of yellow daffodils on the right side of the road, just before you descend the hill on the south side of town. My thanks and compliments to the homeowner who provide these well-cared-for beauties.
The daffodil is of the Narcissus genus – predominantly spring perennial plants in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Those in the Narcissus classification are easy to identify by their flowers with six petal-like tepals surmounted by a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. According to Wikipedia, historical accounts suggest narcissi have been cultivated from the earliest times, but became increasingly popular in Europe after the 16th century and by the late 19th century were an important commercial crop centered primarily on the Netherlands. Today narcissi are popular as cut flowers and as ornamental plants in private and public gardens.
Like other members of their family, narcissi produce a number of different alkaloids, which provide some protection for the plant, but may be poisonous if accidentally ingested. This property has been exploited for medicinal use in traditional healing and has resulted in the production of galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia. Long celebrated in art and literature, narcissi are associated with a number of themes in different cultures, ranging from death to good fortune, and as symbols of spring. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and the symbol of cancer charities in many countries.
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Wild Geranium Family Portrait
On a recent woodland hike I found this nice grouping of Wild Geraniums. It reminded me of a family portrait…parents and children…including little buds.
In the interest of full disclosure, I altered the background. There were some small, yellow wildflowers (weeds) growing a few feet away. I snapped off a stem of them and placed it behind my subjects to add a little more color and variety to the image.
As I often remind people, I operate as an artist not a photo journalist. Most images I post are true to the original scene. However, on occasion, I may add or subtract elements to suit my artistic vision. Most times, it’s done digitally. In this case, a little impromptu, on-site, floral arrangement.
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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.
Invitation To Spring
One of the most inviting indications of spring’s arrival are the cheerful daffodils. They are early bloomers and a sure sign of more spring beauty to come.
Normally I’m eagerly waiting for an opportunity to capture a few of these lovely flowers in our area of northeast Wisconsin. These, however, were captured a couple of weeks before the bloom in our neighborhood.
On a recent trip to southern California we visited the higher elevations around San Bernardino where they still had small patches of snow and were experiencing their own spring arrival. I snapped this pair blooming near Big Bear Lake.
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.