I did get out and about this morning with my camera. Despite a brief, soft rain the other morning, everything is crunchy, crispy-dry.
Nikon D5100 f/8 ISO 400 1/250 s 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
As the sun sent its orangey morning beams across the land, it only served to accentuate the brownness of the vegetation.
This was my little tree frog friend just after he was dumped out of the horses’ water trough.
Nikon D5100 f/10 ISO 200 1/250 s 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
He held perfectly still, but on old hay, he was just not blending in!
Beauty in the woods 🙂
Nikon D5100 f/6.7 ISO 100 1/180 s 55-300@185mm – Summer 2012
Hello out there! This tiny frog seems to be tentatively looking out over his world.
Nikon D5100 f/5.6 ISO 1600 1/500s 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
What is he thinking? Is he looking for friends? Checking for danger? Waiting for the big photographer to lose interest?!
This view gives a pretty good feel for how small these teensy amphibians are.
Nikon D5100 f/5.6 ISO 800 1/125 s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
I wonder what it would feel like to just leap wildly in any direction and cling to whatever I hit? That is precisely what these tiny frogs do. They hold still until they are in imminent danger of being stepped upon, then they just leap madly, freezing where they land. Happily, I have not seen any diseased or malformed amphibians in or around our ponds 🙂
All the hens know we come bearing gifts 🙂 They gather ’round and check us out; is she carrying an apple? Does he have a slice of watermelon?
Nikon D5100 f/10 ISO 400 1/250 s Nikkor 55-300@220mm – Summer 2012
This one was especially pleased because she was the first to notice me and I was close enough that she didn’t need to run. Running is bad because it alerts the others that treats are at hand. These hens do not want to share with their sisters!
How did I spot this tree frog? It was washed out of the horse water trough when I cleaned and refilled it. After taking few shots of it sitting in the hay on the ground, I decided to see if I could catch it and move it to a more natural-looking environment.
Nikon D5100 f/10 ISO 800 1/350 s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
It was surprisingly easy to catch. I wondered if it was perhaps suffering from overheating, as it had been hiding in the lip of the black plastic water trough. That is not exactly a cool place to hide. In any case, it passively sat on the pine bark and allowed me to take several photos before it moved.
It is marvelous how well the tree frog blends in with the gray, rough bark. No wonder I rarely see them in their preferred settings!
A small, slightly battered butterfly rests on a partially burned log in the woods.
Nikon D5100 f/11 ISO 400 1/350s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
One small spot of sunlight picked him out, showing his beauty against the darkness beyond.
In the middle of a drought and heat wave here in Oklahoma, the horses really appreciate their trough of water, even if the temperature is that of bath water.
Nikon D5100 f/9.5 ISO 200 1/250 sec Nikkor 55-300@120mm – Summer 2012
Crazy Horse savors each sip.
I guess I was holding still successfully enough to allow this little guy to relax.
Nikon D5100 f/16 ISO 800 1/180S Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
I was actually watching him, and not moving, when he began his little toady rhythm section. After my first photo I moved the camera. He instantly froze, little pouch still distended but not making music any longer. It deflated ever so slowly as he held perfectly still waiting for the danger to pass. Finally he concluded that I must have just been a bush swaying in the breeze… Well, I don’t know what he thought, but he resumed his interrupted serenade.
That stick-like object in front of him is a dry grass stalk. See how much tinier his little front legs are than the dry grass?
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