Ahh, the wonderful feeling when the sun is golden and all the world is gilded by the sun’s kisses!
Golden Sunlight Kisses the World
The sunshine softens hardy leaves, highlights fantastical shapes, and even transforms those sharp thorns into beautiful sculptures.
While this is a portrait of Blaze, Bridger’s POA (a Pony of the Americas – basically an Appaloosa in miniature), it is also an afternoon flashback, to a time when the grass was green. To when there was grass to be green! In the past we would have noticed Blaze’s eager expression, his black and white and pink coloring, his ratty old halter… This time when we saw this photo, Bridger and I both thought, “Wow, look how green that grass is!”
Blaze - Study in Black & White & Green - October 2010
We know Blaze and his buddies join us in hoping La Nina will relent and we will soon see green grass growing in the pastures.
I always mentally referred to these icy extrusions as frost flowers, but had never read anything about them.
aka Crystallofolia
Inspired by my friend Travis’ success just Googling the word or phrase that comes to mind, I tried typing frost flower in the search field… Guess what? These structures are commonly referred to as – frost flowers! They also have a scientific name, apparently: Crystallofolia. This website was particularly detailed: http://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/VEVI3/crystallofolia.html
Blaze sure would like to help me, whatever I may be up to! Do you think there is a viewfinder large enough for this eye?
If Only the Viewfinder Were Large Enough!
This is the same feather from another angle – I liked the little glints of sunlight off the soft, plumulaceous barbs. Plumulaceous barbs: the part that looks like down and does not stick together.
Swinging in the Wind - Small Weathervane
I was having trouble recalling that word, so I consulted The Feather Atlas, an online resource maintained by the US Fish and Wildlife service. Here is a link: http://www.lab.fws.gov/fa/glossary.php
Teal ducks? A blue heron? That large buck drinking? Something was here. It left as I climbed the pond bank, leaving only the widening ripples as evidence that it had been here. Soon they smoothed out and the pond was once again smooth as glass, reflecting the changing sky as the sun slowly rose.
Sunrise at the Pond on the Back Forty - Winter 2012
Yet another flashback photo, again of a dragonfly. I think this is my favorite dragonfly photo! He is nearly camouflaged, but so sharp and clear. You can tell it was early morning, before the dew burned off, which may be why he was not as busily flitting around on dragonfly business as they usually are.
Green Dragonfly - Flashback to Summer 2011
On certain days the bright, golden quality of the sunlight draws me irresistibly outside, camera in hand.
What the sunlight revealed
Then I roam our 40 acres, following the sun beams. I try to capture some of that beauty to share with others who are not able to explore the natural world.
When hiking through the woods, certain things grab your attention and won’t let go. Greenbrier will reach out and physically snag the unwary hiker! This time, it was the glowing leaf that caught me and I avoided the thorns and trip lines :o)
Greenbrier has more than one way to catch you!
It makes one wonder, was a hen murdered near this site?
Back Forty 