Friday, January 31, 2014

1/31/14

The last day of January, it's been a long month it seems.  It's supposed to go out with a bang too as we are supposed to get some snow tonight just after what we had before finally melted.  So I am dreaming of summer with this image of some daisies I shot in Minnesota.



Thursday, January 30, 2014

1/30/14

It's very dreary out and they are calling for snow.  Yuck.  Thinking of much warmer days with this image.  A honey bee I captured on a dandelion this past summer.



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

1/29/14

I posted this photo on Google + today and it is my most popular photo to date.  I never can figure out what people will like.  :-)  This is a new butterfly for me.  Well, I was wrong.  This is indeed a Question Mark Butterfly.  It was pointed out to me that the way you can tell is by that very small white marking towards the bottom wing that resembles.... a question mark.  learn something new every day.  This was on my Rose of Sharon bush this summer.



Tuesday, January 28, 2014

1/28/14

I bought myself an actual macro lens for a late Christmas present and have been experimenting with it.  Up until now I was using an old enlarger lens and extension tubes.  I took this image of my Christmas Cactus that is still in bloom the other day.  I think this new lens does pretty well for sharpness and closeness.


Monday, January 27, 2014

1/27/14

This is a Bluejay I was able to capture in the in-law's Pear tree in late December.  He was coming to get peanuts and paused long enough for a photo.


Sunday, January 26, 2014

1/26/14

They had Eagle Days at Milford Lake here in our area last weekend.  You can get into parts of the park that you normally would not for free to see if you can spot an eagle.  The wind was horrible that day, 40mph at times.  However I was able to spot a couple of eagles that day.  I got this image from my car of an eagle standing on the ice in a cove area.  I liked this for the reflection it was making on the melting ice as well.



Saturday, January 25, 2014

1/25/14

This is a photo that is from late April of this year when we had a spring snow.  Was odd to see flowers covered in snow.  I can share a photo like this because it's warmer out today so can enjoy a cold photo.  :-)


Friday, January 24, 2014

1/24/14

An older photo, back when we used to have rain of a Gerber Daisy after a rain.  Still wishing it was not winter any longer.  


Thursday, January 23, 2014

1/23/14

This is an older image from a time when I had a Monarch migration through the yard.  Was quite magical to have all these beautiful butterflies flying around me and in the trees.  Trying to decide what I can plant this year to help them on their long journey so they will hopefully stop by again.


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

1/22/14

I got this shot 2 summers ago and I don't think I ever shared but even if I did it's long enough ago now.  :-)  I got this image of a quite large Praying Mantis alongside the trail at Konza Prairie on a walk one day.  It had to be at least 6 inches long, I think it was even larger than that.  Loved how it looked at me as I took it's photo.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

1/21/14

I shot this on a walk this past fall.  This grass was rather interesting, had these lovely silverish plumes.  I liked the way the afternoon sun was hitting this bloom.


Monday, January 20, 2014

1/20/14

These are some Kalanchoe blooms that I processed in B&W.  I thought it worked very well with the type of light they were receiving.  Brought out the textures well.


Sunday, January 19, 2014

1/19/14

This is an image from this past summer that I took on our trip to Yellowstone National Park.  We were south of the Norris Area at a place with lots of steamy pools and geysers.  This was an active geyser along a stream that had very colorful mineral deposits entering it.


Saturday, January 18, 2014

1/18/14

This is from this past summer.  A Buckeye Butterfly on Vervane in the late afternoon sun.  


Friday, January 17, 2014

1/17/14

I took this photo of a Lily in my pond late in the afternoon.  I liked the way the light was hitting it.  I did enhance it a bit.  


Thursday, January 16, 2014

1/16/14

Dreaming of summer and being able to be out taking nature photos like this.  A Twelve Spot Dragonfly perched on a plant in my pond.


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

1/15/14

I don't think I have shared one of my favorite subjects in this new year yet, waterfalls, so here is Undine Falls in Yellowstone National Park, one of  quite a large number of waterfalls there.


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

1/14/14

This is just a fun shot that I was doing for a Reflections Theme Project.  I believe that the double pane window created a dual reflection but I liked how it worked as the flowers were bouncing back and forth in the sun when I took this.


Monday, January 13, 2014

1/13/14

This is another lovely bird image I was able to get while at my in-laws this Christmas.  This is a Harris Sparrow in the Pear tree right outside their window posing very nicely for me.


Sunday, January 12, 2014

1/12/14

It's time for another train!  This is another of my favorite Colorado railroads, the Durango & Silverton.  Here the train is scene on the High Line headed for Silverton.  Very beautiful scenery on this railroad and a trip I highly recommend and need to take again myself.




Saturday, January 11, 2014

1/11/14

I took this shot of a seagull in flight out by Milford Lake in Milford, KS this fall.  Thought it turned out pretty well and clear.


Friday, January 10, 2014

1/10/14

Totally blah and cold and drizzly day today.  Dreaming of summer when Alfalfa was in bloom with purple goodness.



Thursday, January 9, 2014

1/9/14

I am still wishing for summer so here's an image from this past summer that I thought only had 3 different insects in it but actually has 4!  When I was taking the shot I only was doing it for the Painted Lady butterfly and the Hummingbird Moth but then as I was processing it I saw the bee flying into the shot.  There is also a red beetle though that I totally missed until someone pointed it out today.  Remember you can always enlarge to see details better by clicking on the image.


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

1/8/14

The eagles have returned to the area though as cold as it's been I am guessing they are wishing they went further south.  This eagle has a nest along the Republican River to the south of where it was sitting and looking for food and trying to ignore me.  This was taken with a 2X converter for a 600mm equivalent image and I only got off about 3 shots from this vantage point before it had enough of me and flew off.  I have several from a bit further away, this was the best shot I got I thought and my best Bald Eagle shot to date.


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

1/7/14

Still thinking of summer though today was better.  A high of 12 when I went to work which was the high for the whole day on Monday.  It's in the 30s today and quite balmy.  :-)  This is a photo of a little Skipper on my Lantana bloom.


Monday, January 6, 2014

1/6/14

There was no school today due to it being quite bitterly cold.  I had to work though.  Ah well.  Got some things done while it was quiet.  This is a very cold Goldfinch that was taken when I thought 20 F was cold.  It only made it to a high of about 12 today.  Yuck.  I am so done with winter.  Come on spring!


Sunday, January 5, 2014

1/5/14

Wow, it's cold out, only 10 and looks like 2 to 3 more inches of snow.  I have had enough now.  It's Steamy Sunday over on G+ today so thinking of warmer days and steam trains to kep me warm with an image from my favorite Colorado railroad, the Cumbres & Toltec.  Here it is shown heading out of Antonito, CO on it's way to Chama, New Mexico.





Saturday, January 4, 2014

1/4/14

It's supposed to snow again even though we haven't gotten rid of the first stuff we got and then turn bitterly cold.  I'm very tired of winter and thinking of warmer days.  This is an image from September of a rather lovely sunset I thought.  The sun was a nice warming ball of fire.  :-)


Friday, January 3, 2014

1/3/14

It's extremely windy out and very cold so here's something that might warm us up.  I brought my Hibiscus in to over winter and it has begun to bloom.  I shot this against a dark background and liked the side view of the bloom.


Thursday, January 2, 2014

1/2/14

I spent some time yesterday afternoon while it was cold and snowing going through some older images I had taken this past year and never processed.  Today is something I found that was rather different and interesting.  From what I found in my book, I believe that this is a Threadwaisted Wasp.   It was on some Sedum in the garden this summer.  It was fairly large but neat looking with the long, thin body body.


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

1/1/14

Happy New Year!  We made it to 2014!  May this year be better than the last!  We are supposed to begin the new year with snow, not sure if I am happy about that, we have a 100% chance for it plus very cold.  I'm thinking of warmer days and this is an image of a Blanket flower bloom after a rain.