Monday in Nature June 27, 2016

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<p><strong>Basic Guidelines</strong>: Nature based subject matter. Please, declare captive subjects. Keep your image at/under 700 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing and try to keep file size under 300kb. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc. Feel free to link your image to a larger version. <strong><em>In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include hand of man elements. Please refrain from images with obvious buildings or large man made structures like roads, fences, walls. Minimize man made features and keep the focus on nature. </em></strong><br>

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<strong><em>Are you new to this thread? We post one image per week. For more details on guidelines <a href="/nature-photography-forum/00cgtY">please read this</a> helpful information. </em></strong></p>

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<p>Good Morning,<br>

Sometimes the things we walk by and ignore on a regular basis become the lure that hooks us in and makes us park the bag and get out the camera. How often do you just walk by the normal stuff on the ground? We do it all the time, even those who spend a lot of time in the dirt. It's the ground we walk on, the crunchy leaves, stony desert pavement, wet grass, beach sands, and slick wet areas of all kinds. Then there are the rocks underfoot, the big smooth boulders that don't even bother to test our balance, but they give way to the boot eating, knee jarring jagged edges that rise out of the ground.</p>

<p>We walk over all of it to get where we want to go with a camera. It's miles of trails to cover, nothing more. Or is it? Well, the ground can stop us in our tracks and pull our attention down so we can appreciate the exhibition of nature's art. While walking across a dry creek bed the iridescent sheen of dried snail or slug slime became the find of the day. It was incredibly fragile as it filled in the lacy spaces of an old samara. It was just there, on the ground.</p>

<p>No matter if you're walking on it or pointing your camera at it, Monday in Nature is a good place to keep your feet on the ground, with camera in hand, of course. Have a great day, everyone.</p><div></div>

<p>A single head of prairie grass bent over by the weight of the seed head in the early morning light. </p><div></div>

<p>Fawn seen from my patio. </p><div></div>

<p>While out hiking I came across these Squawroot (Conopholis americana). The plant is a parasite and the flower stalks radiated outward along the surface, following the buried roots of its host, an oak tree. The plant does not photosynthesize and its only above ground part is the flower stalk. Eventually small white flowers appear from the bracts. This was my first time seeing this plant, it is always exciting to come across something new along the trail.</p><div></div>

<p>Gordon - Nice work on the Squawroot<br>

Deliquescing gills of <em>Coprinus</em></p><div></div>

<p>Nice, <b>Laura</b>!  I never would have thought of trying to photograph that, let alone know what it is.<br>

<b>Gordon</b>, how big is the Squawroot? It is fun to come across something new. . .<br>

<br />Here's another photo of the Cullinan Ranch wetlands restoration site I've been photographing for awhile. It won't be long before the water is gone.  The water isn't blue, it's reflecting the sky. The salt crystals glittered in the morning light. It's still muddy enough that you have to be careful where you walk.</p><div></div>

<p>Attending a conference in San Diego over the weekend, this gull decided he'd pose nicely for me.</p>

<p><a title="2016-06-27_01-27-31" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/outwithmycamera13/27318518924/in/dateposted-public/" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7418/27318518924_aea25fca63_z.jpg" alt="2016-06-27_01-27-31" width="640" height="473" /></a></p>

<p>Great images everyone. Gordon I really like your Squawroot image. Mine is California pomegranates.</p><div></div>

<p>Once I took up an interest in photography, I found I was much more aware of my surroundings than previously. On one recent day, I went cloud-chasing. These were not hard to spot, but I'm sure photography helped me see multiple elements where I might have only seen clouds before.</p><div></div>

<p>It is a lemon tree blossom. Hope you like it.</p><div></div>

<p>Sally, the largest flower stalks were around 4" tall. My field guide give the height as up to 8". I think that these were not fully developed as only the very uppermost bracts in some had produced any flowers. The trail they are growing alongside of is a 10 hour round trip from my house so unfortunately I'll not be able to check in on their progress until perhaps the autumn.</p>

<p>Saw this unusual looking ladybug in my backyard recently. Seems like it might be Mulsantina picta based on a web search, but I couldn't find anything that was patterned exactly like it.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>Great Blue Heron Lands By Nest</strong></p>

<p><a title="Great Blue Heron Just After Landing" href=" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7324/27865669756_f64fa92911_c.jpg" alt="Great Blue Heron Just After Landing" width="800" height="600" /></a></p>

<p>Ode season is in full swing around here (i.e. Southwestern NH).</p>

<p>This is a male twelve-spotted skimmer...</p>

<p><img src="http://gorga.org/blog/wp-content/gallery/24-jun-2016/dsc1879.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="480" /></p>

<p>Foxglove</p><div></div>

<p>A photo day with my grandson this week! Good times and returned with some images. </p><div></div>

<p>Went into the mosh-pit of the industrial area and after seeing a beaver swimming by (lousy photo)....I got this osprey sit down nearby.</p>

<p>Took this shot during my early morning walk. Specific ID anyone?</p>

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18251373-md.jpg" alt="_E6A2138" width="680" height="453" border="0" /></center>

<p>A hairstreak caterpillar blends in on deervetch </p>

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<p>From the balcony, flowers are smaler than last year.</p><div></div>

<p>My camera club had a mandatory subject in May, "Patterns in Nature." I liked the smiley face look along the side of the caterpillar. (I bought it at a pet supply place, the caterpillars are raised as food for pet lizards.) After the shoot, I decided to see what this would morph into. After doing some research I decided to keep it and let it become the Sphinx Moth it's intended to be. It was a wait of almost 6 weeks, and a great lesson to my almost 3 year old Grandson, who said "We're growing a Moth."</p><div></div>

<p>Here's the Pupa stage at about 4 weeks.</p><div></div>

<p>Finally, hatched on June 19th. Luckily right in front of us! I put it on my Lilac tree until it flew off in the evening. The house feels so empty..</p><div></div>

<p>A good year for chipmunks, not that they're anything special, but they're kinda cute.</p><div></div>

<p>Near me.</p><div></div>