Tag Archives: hike

Visual Relief

After three days of unrelenting drought posts, I don’t know about you, but I feel parched!

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Nikon D5100 f/10 ISO 800 1/250 s 55-300@55mm – Summer 2012

Although the temperatures have abated some, and there are areas nearby which have received considerable amounts of rain, our little Back Forty is still dry. The vegetation is brown and crispy. Insect noises have abated to near silence.

For some relief from the unrelenting dryness of everything, I can walk up to one of our ponds. We have dubbed this, our largest, Blue Heron Pond.

Here is some visual relief for my followers; enjoy a peaceful break from the drought, contemplating these soft ripples and reflections of sunrise in the blessedly wet pond.

Blends with Leaves

This Copperhead snake would blend in much better with all these dried leaves on the “forest” floor if only that pesky early morning sun wasn’t highlighting the roundness of its body and the beautiful texture of those scales.

Copperhead Snake

D5100 f/8.0 ISO 800 1/125sec 55-300@68.0mm – Spring 2012

I am glad I was watching for interesting things illumined by the sun’s rays. What a pretty snake – and I am glad I saw it before tripping over it! I guess greenbrier over the path serves some useful purpose 🙂

Arctic Cartoon Mosquito?

This is another flashback to warmer, sunnier days. Last spring I set out to photograph the wild plum blossoms – and revel in their heady scent.

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Happily for me, it is more interested in nectar than in my blood - Spring 2011

As I moved around to find blossoms highlighted by sunlight, I was not the only one interested in the sunny, sweet smelling blooms. In fact, there were numerous visitors of many sizes and shapes, but the most astounding to me was this odd creature. I realize it sort of resembles a bumblebee, but I do not think it is a bee at all. What it most looks like to me is those cartoon mosquitoes with pointy proboscii (is that a plural for proboscis?). Only this one is dressed for cold weather, rather like an Eskimo, and his/her face is all whiskery like a Schnauzer. Of course, now I have exited the realms of science and, rather, entered cartoon-landia, but none-the-less, I wanted to share this marvelous little creature. 🙂 And I loved the light sparkling off the fur on his back!