-
Turquoise Mushrooms!
The Last Day Of August I was out extra early this morning for my hike. That’s a mighty good idea during the summer, since there are rain showers or thunderstorms so often in the afternoons. This summer that has certainly been the case. It has been much more rainy than a normal summer, and I’ve…
-
Bright Yellow
But They Are Beautiful! Okay, I must admit, my number one priority in taking photographs is the visual impact. It can be the creepiest critter around, but if it is gorgeous to look at — with no thought of what it is, it will become a pict for me! I suppose that in this case,…
-
My Hiking Buddies
My Buddies Are Butterflies As I hike my mountain road this summer, I am nearly always accompanied by my buddies, the butterflies. Often they are passing by, over my shoulder as if a fellow hiker with someplace important to get to. They seem to use the dirt road as their road. These butterflies that float…
-
Blue Plate Special With Crab
I love to photograph the Chicory plant, Cichorium intybus, when it is in bloom. Its periwinkle blue coloring is such a cheery sight! Today, as I hiked up the mountain, I didn’t intend to capture this particular flower in pixels but I took a peek and there…
-
Blue Mushrooms, Really?
What a beautiful color! Recently some friends and I have been marveling over the beauty of the color periwinkle. Yesterday, as I hiked my mushroom covered mountain, I came upon a mushroom of that very color. What a thrill! Who would have thought there would be a periwinkle mushroom? Okay, okay, this color is perhaps leaning…
-
Lichen Covered Root Monster
As I hike, I let my imagination run wild. Actually it is running wild whether I’m hiking or folding clothes fresh from the line, or sitting at my desk trying to do my Spanish homework! But on my hikes, the various tree roots that I encounter are often the subject of my fantasies. Here’s one:…
-
Blue Lettuce
So many plants called Lettuce. Tall and most often with little yellow flowers. I was very surprised a couple days ago to find something similar looking but without the usual lobed leaves and BLUE flowers! Yesterday I pulled down one of these tall plants, so that I could actually see the flower and was struck…
-
Io Moth Caterpillar
No hike today, but still I was able to play with some critters! I found this guy on one of my many Redbuds. This is the caterpillar of an Io Moth (Automeris io). See those spines? They contain a poison that makes their sting as painful as running into Stinging Nettle, but it last longer.…
-
Sun on Virginia Sweetspire
Dealing with summer weather, it is best to get out early to hike. I couldn’t do that this morning, so I was hoping for the afternoon, but of course the afternoon rain storm kept me from my playing. After all the rain, I spotted the sun shining through the leaves of Virginia Sweet Spire (Itea…
-
Eyed Brown
I’ve been seeing a few of these, just a few. They tend to hang out in the same place day after day, so I know where to find them but they are not happy to sit still long to have a portrait done. I appreciate that this Eyed Brown (Satyrodes eurydice) stayed in one place…