Monday in Nature POTW 7-8-2013

[Laura Weishaupt]

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<p >Basic Guidelines: 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. <em >In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include hand of man elements. Let common sense be your guide and we'll work out the details as we go forward.</em> Do you have a series of great shots to compliment your post? If they are in your portfolio or hosted off site, let us know where they are so we can see them.<em > <strong >Lets post 1 image per week for awhile.</strong></em></p>

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<p>Good Monday Morning,<br>

Very early in the morning about 10 bats were flying around the open area of the back yard. I sat and listened to their clicking sounds and thought about how pleasant it was just to hear them, especially since their numbers have crashed due to White-Nose Syndrome. Nature is full of sounds, even noisy at times. It's one of the many things I find enjoyable about being in nature. Another enjoyable part of this morning is greeting you all here. Thanks for coming and sharing your love of nature.</p>

<p>A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a log populated by slime molds. During subsequent visits I noticed changes, and brought home about 1 square inch of log/specimens to photograph and observe in more controlled conditions. This is a composite photo of 3 growth stages (from left to right) of <em>Hemitrichia clavata</em>, a Myxomycete or slime mold. They look a bit otherworldly rather than slimy and are about the size of pin heads. More time was spent with books and a microscope than the camera, but that happens. They have very cool microscopic features. With many lifeforms we need to see varying stages of growth to really know what we're looking at. The left photo is the mature, spore bearing stage. Photos taken at 3X. Thanks to Rick B. for assisting with assembling the composite photo. What's happening at your end of the natural world?</p><div></div>

[mbkissel]

<p>I came across these "shells" stuck to some vegetation a few weeks ago. I believe the shells are left behind by a water beetle larvae, but I'm not sure. They are about 2 inches long.</p><div></div>

[DawsonPointers]

<p>Greetings from the depths of northern Ontario.<br /> A green frog on a background of...green. These are amongst the few animals that can actually flip you off (give you the finger, the Trudeau salute) with a back foot.</p><div></div>

[anthea50]

<p>I happened upon these beauties in the grass when I was shooting an old church. There were about ten different 'bunches' of brown button mushrooms, all is various stages of growth and decay. I picked this shot out of all I took because of the variety within the group, and their almost flower like appearance.</p><div></div>

[Bill J Boyd]

<p>Hummingbird from Pedernales Salls State Park, Texas. </p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Dew-Covered Buds</p><div></div>

[daveinwilton]

<p>Another wonderful start this week. I love the impudence of John Roswell's frog. This last week life has been the embodiment of existence in a blast furnace out here in California, so this weeks selection comes from my archives. Last year I rented the MP-E65 and took a closer look at an aphid infestation on one of my rose stems. I believe this image was captured at about 3 times life size, and gave myself a new appreciation of these cattle of the miniature world.</p><div></div>

[kts]

<p>Mark, i believe those are dragonfly larvae</p>

<p>my backyard is a moss and fungus factory after the month of rain we've had....hopefully the sun is supposed to make an appearance later this week</p><div></div>

[geoffm]

<p>A very good Monday evening from Down Under. As always, the images are superb and inspirational, and I have always had a soft spot for frogs!</p>

<p>It is, of course, mid winter here, and a brisk breeze was whipping across the beach, blowing the sea foam onto the stones to form a miniature, transient, fantasy landscape which glowed in the late afternoon sun.</p><div></div>

[Rick Bortnick]

<p>Howdy all. Come to post & learn a new word. Never heard of spume before, but I know it now. Thanks Geoff.<br>

My offering is a mint called Motherwort (<em>Leonurus cardiaca</em>) that blooms in our yard. Lovely axillary flowers with a hairy upper lip.</p><div></div>

[sankha]

<p>Nice crisp images everyone. I have really started to look forward for Mondays now!<br>

Here's my image. This was shot a couple of weeks ago at a Pennsylvania rail trail. The beautiful Pine Creek bike trail is 65 miles long and is adorned by a variety of wild flowers this time of the year. I am not a biologist, so I have no idea about the name of this flower. <br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17453492-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="450" /></p>

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[jonathan_parkhouse1]

<p>Mark - I think those are dragonfly exuviae - the sloughed-off skin of the larva left behind when the adult emerges. You should be able to identify the species from the exuviae with a good field guide.<br>

Here's a shield bug I found in the back garden a week or so ago. I <em>think</em> it's a Hairy Shieldbug (<em>Dolycoris baccarum</em>) but there's quite a lot of variation amongst shield bugs so I may not have got it right. </p><div></div>

[dcstep]

<p>Amber Waves of Grain</p>

<p><a title="Amber waves of grain... by dcstep, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/9224702436_e3a66dd997_z.jpg" alt="Amber waves of grain..." width="640" height="427" /></a></p>

<p>Some think that the phrase, "amber waves of grain" refers to wheat, but when Katharine Bates stood atop Pike's Peak and was inspired to write the words that are now "America The Beautiful", this is what she saw. This is short-grass prairie, that would have stretched for as far as the eye could see in 1892. (There was probably some wheat planted in Colorado back then, but Bates would have seen this).</p>

<p>Only after I processed this image did I realize that I should have included Pikes Peak in the shot. It's just a few degrees further around to the left. (Kicking self).</p>

[MarcelRomviel]

<p>After the rain</p><div></div>

[stemked]

<p>Beautiful Monday, everyone. Laura's, DLs, and Louis' macro shots are truely stunning. My submission today I guess would best be titled, "A Bad Day to be a Catfish". This is an Anhinga at Brazos State Park in Texas.<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17447657-lg.jpg" alt="" width="522" height="700" /><br>

Anhinga with Catfish, Pentax K5ii with 600mm f5.6 A. Cropped image.</p>

[colin carron]

<p>A shot of a white-tailed eagle of the coast of the Isle of Mull, Scotland. This was taken on a misty, rainy day from a small boat so the image quality is not as good as I would have liked but it was the only opportunity I had.</p><div></div>

[birdied]

<p>Fantastic shots today . I see we have a lot of wet weather around , including here. My shot is of a mist/dew covered Mexican Milkweed seed pod. For a couple of days we had this very misty , light rain early in the mornings. Combined with the dew it left some wonderful drops around for just a very short period of time. <br>

Hope you enjoy.</p>

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[wazungi]

<p>Good Monday Morning, Lovely and interesting shots everyone. Thank you all for your good work. Roberta's is in front of me as I type, and I am stunned; I've seldom seen a shot this beautiful. Been gone over a week, so this is an archive shot of mushrooms I found growing in the deep shade of a large Bay tree on the Rancho a bit over three years ago. I don't know what they are; never seen another, before or since. See my last week's post (uploaded yesterday) for an interesting and unidentified snail (slug?).</p>

[wazungi]

<p>...and here, I hope, is the picture.</p><div></div>

[bobbuck19]

<p>Grass pink orchid from the Cranberry glades boardwalk.</p><div></div>

[douglas_herr2]

<p>Black-backed Woodpecker, El Dorado National Forest California:</p>

<p><img src="http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/bbwood03.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[dzaebst]

<p>The variety and quality of the photos here are stunning. I want to compliment everyone who posted, but don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll just say great work everyone!</p>

<p>This is the same cormorant I posted a few weeks ago, back at the end of May. This is just a few moments after he swallowed a huge fish. The swallowing part, which took about five to ten seconds, was amazing to watch. The fish was caught and went in head first, then the flipper on the tail disappeared, and for a few more moments, there was just a swollen neck on the cormorant. The bird then swam on as pictured here, as though to say, "Nothing to see here folks - so move on". </p>

<p>I have a series of twenty or so photos of the entire sequence. Canon 1D Mark IV, EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS + 1.4x TCII at 280 mm. ISO 800, 1/1600 sec., f/9.</p>

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[roger_young2]

<p>I was coming home and saw a Luna Moth (I think) on a garage light. When I came out of the house with camera in hand it went to a close tree. Was able to get a few shots before rain forced both of us to take cover. Great shots from everyone as always.</p><div></div>

[jim_j2]

<p>Stunning photographs by all!<br>

I'm without camera, well, . . . I do have my P&S but haven't taken any opportunities with the Natural world while I'm here in Idaho with my younger daughter and granddaughter on a military base.<br>

So, mine again comes from my gallery here and was taken last year.</p>

<p>When I initially took the shot, I really did not know what species of bird it was. I found out after posting it for C&C here on PN. I was told a couple of times that it is a Brown Thrasher.<br>

The shot interested me because it reflects how Mother Nature provides camoflauge to many/most of her subjects, and is titled "Blending in."</p>

<p>Canon 50D, EF 100-400@400mm, ISO 160, f/5.6@1/800sec., Pattern Metering, -0.67step EC.</p><div></div>

[Laura Weishaupt]

<p>Roberta, I am but a Padawan Learner and you are the Master.</p>

<p>Well, I feel a bit dumbfounded as I've mislabeled my own shot. They do progress from L to R and the mature form is on the right, not the left. Sigh.....</p>

<p>DL, jeez, now I won't feel odd about posting baby ticks in a forest of Stemonitis.</p>

<p>Dennis, I looked at your series awhile back. It's really nice. </p>

<p>Great shots everyone. </p>