Visuals From My World
When I think of the color of bees and wasps, I think of yellows, oranges, and reds. This little Mason Wasp is black and white with beautiful blue wings. Sadly, it flew away before I could get a another photo showing more of the wing. From what I’ve read, they mainly feed on nectar and caterpillars.
When I first saw this Rat Snake it was on the ground, just a few yard ahead of me on a small, little used, lakeside trail. I turned, took a few steps back, dropped my backback and got my camera ready. When I turned back around it was gone. In a matter of seconds it had disappeared into the forest. “Oh well,” I thought, “that’s how they survive.” Continue reading “Don’t Come Any Closer”
The moss and saplings growing from this semi-submerged log make up a tiny little forest of their own. A microcosm of the world around them.
I’m not much of a pine cone photographer (is there such a thing?) but the colors on this cone really caught my eye. It grew from the branch of a fallen tree that was clearly still very much alive.
This fallen log, in Pocahontas State Park, near Richmond, Virginia, forms the basis for quite an ecosystem of colorful fungus and lichen.
Sometimes it’s the little things in nature that really catch my eye. This lichen was growing on the side of a very large pine tree. I approached the tree to get a closer look at something else when I noticed the tiny, bright red blooms on the lichen. Who knew that lichen actually bloomed?
As I hiked past this puddle of melting snow I stopped to look at the reflections in it. Snow was falling off the trees in clumps and caused ripples in the puddle.
When I arrived at the edge of the lake, this stump was absorbing the sun. As the dark wood warmed snow was converted into a small cloud of steam. As a result, this photo shows all three forms of water: frozen (snow), liquid (water), and vapor (steam).
I can’t identify the plant which produced this seed pod but I can confidently say it wasn’t a dandelion. It was low, leggy bush with dried up leaves when I took this photo in November. Regardless of my ignorance, I thought the plant’s seed pod was worthy of a close up photo.
This cascade along Jones Run in Shenandoah National Park provided an interesting photographic experience. My friend was smart enough to stay at the top. Despite my better judgement I decided to hike down a little farther from the trail. Just as I was thinking I needed to be careful on the leaves and wet rocks, I stepped on a patch of wet moss covering a large, flat downward sloping stone. As the moss gave way I began sliding down the rock face, watching my camera bounce off the stones beneath me and hoping I would be able to stop myself. Fortunately my slide came to an end before I got to the actual waterfall, about 6 feet beyond the point from which I took this picture.