This little stand of weeds has given up.
Nikon D5100 f/5.6 ISO 400 1/180 s 55-300@240 mm – Summer 2012
There is no more fight left in them. The drought has defeated them, and their posture reflects that.
Isn’t it strange that a human’s posture of defeat so closely resembles that of a plant?!
Any way you dress it up, it is still a drought.
Nikon D5100 f/5.6 ISO 800 1/250 s 55-300@155mm – Summer 2012
Here it is mid-August, and we have been feeding hay to the horses for over a month. We will be feeding hay through at least March of 2013. The pastures will need to be seeded before there will be any grass available for the horses to graze.
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!
Cynthia was napping on the (former) BBQ grill. It has been re-purposed as a cat bed and cat food dish holder, very much to Cynthia’s liking.
Nikon D5100 f/11 ISO 400 1/250 s – Summer 2012
She knew I was there and was purring softly and kneading with her paws to let me know she loves us. But she was just too sleepy to get up and greet me properly 🙂
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