05/31/24

 It's Friday, TGIF!  Friday's Are Bokehlicious so I chose this image with some great bubbly bokeh for today.  This is one of my Iris that bloomed this Spring.  It has a rather unique but lovely color I think.

05/30/24

 I have seen my first Lady Bugs of the season.  I love when they are around.  I captured this one working it's way around some leaves on my Elderberry bushes that I am trying to establish in a spot in my yard.  It was busy moving around the leaves but I was able to get a capture  of it and was pleased that I got it in focus.

05/29/24

 It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog!  One of my favorite wildflowers has been blooming in my area lately and I was able to get a photo of it while mowing one day, I did not mow it over.  😅  I was lucky to see it because these are usually closed by mid afternoon.  This is Showy Evening Primrose and they usually bloom in May and June.  Hawkmoths, Hummingbirds and bees like them and pollinate them.

05/28/24

 Today's image is more ducks from this Spring.  I was lucky with several chances to view various ducks as they traveled through the area.  I was able to catch a fairly close shot of these, Northern Shovelers, I am pretty sure, as they took off from the pond they were on.  

05/27/24

 Happy Monday and happy new week!  My Bleeding Hearts came up and leafed out but did not flower this year.  Need to figure out why as I love them and missed seeing them bloom.  Luckily, my mother-in-law's was blooming while I was visiting and I got a couple of images on my phone.  Hers are more red than mine as well so really live up to their name.  

05/26/24

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! today's image is of the beautiful CPKC locomotive 2816 also known as the Empress.  It is on it's Final Spike railway tour that is taking it from Canada to Mexico.  It stopped in Kansas City for an event at Union Station there and many people came out to see the beautifully restored locomotive.  It was really great to be able to see it in person.  I knew of the locomotive due to it starring in the Imax type movie Rocky Mountain Express.

05/25/24

 In Kansas there is a ranch on the way to Topeka where they have some Zebras.  I have seen them once in a while but have not been able to photograph them for one reason or another.  This past weekend, on the way home from Kansas City, I saw them in some nice evening light and decided to make the effort to stop and take some images.  I was using a zoom and they were fairly far away but they definitely seemed to realize I was there as I got lucky that it looked right at me a couple times.

05/24/24

 Happy Friday, TGIF!  It's a double digit day today!  😀 I planted some Allium bulbs this past autumn and they came up and bloomed this spring.  I was hoping they would be the really big puffballs I have seen before but they maybe get larger the longer they are in the ground.  Anyway, they were lovely even if not very big.  I chose this image for today due to the lovely bokeh behind them because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!

05/23/24

 This past weekend I was bike riding by the Spillway on Milford Lake.  In a path down to the water's edge I spotted this lovely lizard running around.  I lucked out and got a few pictures of it.  It was very colorful.  I am pretty sure it is a Six-Lined Racerunner.  Apparently I got very lucky that it paused a couple of times to allow me to get photos because, as their name implies, they are quite quick.  They are usually found in sandy soils which this was.

05/22/24

 It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog!  Today's flower is Fringed Puccoon.  It bloops from April to June in my area. Native Americans used several parts of the plant to treat coughs and colds and it's name comes from a Native American word.

05/21/24

 I love Blue Jays though some people view them as bullies.  They have been fine at my feeders and do not bother the other birds.  I usually don't get to capture them at home much though, they rarely sit still.  I captured this one in-between getting peanuts at my in-law's house last November.

05/20/24

 Happy Monday and happy new week!  It's going to be a busy one for me.  My Spirea has been blooming and looking lovely.  I used to have 2 of these bushes but lost one and am working to try and not lose this one as well.  I believe it is called a Snow Mound Spirea.  I need to do some research to find out what it needs that is not being provided so it doesn't continue to struggle.  It's a lovely bush when in bloom in the spring.

05/19/24

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog!  Yesterday I got to do something special steam related.  I went to Union Station in Kansas City to see the Canadian Pacific 2816 "Empress" locomotive which now belongs to the new CPKansasCity merger.  It is on a very special trip that spans from Canada to Mexico, the longest trip a steam locomotive has ever made for a specific trip.  This locomotive is in a movie we have called Rocky Mountain Express, a beautifully filmed Imax type movie that I highly recommend to watch if you can get a chance.  I chose this photo, even though there were a lot of people in it but it showed a bit of action.  I was disappointed that I did not get to se the engine moving.  They had moved it early in the morning it turns out, probably due to the main line traffic on the rail it had to travel on to the station.  I was also a bit disappointed because it is traveling with some old F Unit diesels but had a new one with it, probably due to the main line travel.  It was still cool to see and I am glad I went.  I also chose this image because it was more easy to see the color of it which is a lovely paint scheme.

 

05/18/24

 The wild Turkeys have been in my yard for quite a while now.  Sometimes a Tom will come with a couple of hens or as just a couple.  A few times there has been several groups one after the other.  A couple of evenings ago this male and I surprised each other.  I had my camera with me so snapped off a shot as he was moving away.  We were fairly close to each other but I tried not to move much to appear non threatening and he made his way away from me.  I like to gobble at the males and sometimes they will gobble back.  I am sure the neighbors think I am weird if they hear me.  😂

A little over a week ago, I saw 2 males having a disagreement in the parking lot across from my home and captured some video from it.  You can view it HERE if you are interested.

05/17/24

 It's Friday, TGIF!  I was able to capture y first image of a Monarch last week.  I was surprised to see it enjoying some of the invasive Honeysuckle in the area.  Because Friday's Are Bokehlicious, I am sharing this image for today due to the great bubbly bokeh in it.

05/16/24

 I captured this image this past Friday evening.  The Northern Lights were visible across the United States even as far south as Florida which was quite amazing.  When I took this image, you could not see them in my area with the naked eye.  I was doing Night Capture images on my phone and 10 second exposures on my actual camera to be able to pick it up in any detail.  This image is from my actual camera.  The color has not been touched, I used various brightening techniques that I have learned through doing various astrophotography images to bring out the aurora more.  I could tell while I was taking the photos that I was getting something but it was quite interesting to see just how much was captured.  We didn't have a lot of the vivid red that some people saw or the curtain effect that I have seen in Minnesota but it was still pretty cool to see and capture.  

05/15/24

 It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog!  Today's flower is one that is blooming around my area and can be tricky to see.  This is Missouri Evening Primrose.  They are often found on rocky hillsides or disturbed rocky areas.  The flowers last only a day, they usually open in late afternoon and close by the next morning.  They can stay open longer if it is cloudy out.  They usually can be found blooming May through August.

05/14/24

 Today's image is another of one of my favorite birds.  This is my state's state bird as well.  This is a Western Meadowlark that I was able to capture one day while out on a bike ride.  It was sitting in a field behind a gate.  I caught it while it was singing.  

05/13/24

 Happy Monday and new week!  My Siberian Iris are blooming and look lovely!  This is an image of one of the white variety, I also have purple.  These look best when photographed from above due to the flower shape and markings I think.

05/12/24

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog!  Sharing another Spring image since it's the season.  😁  This one shows off the locomotive more.  My dwarf Lilac only had about 4 blooms this year.  Very weird Spring this year.  This is my Accucraft Live Steam Mimi and it's train.

05/11/24

 Today's image is of a bird in our area that's a sign of Spring.   This is a Killdeer, you usually hear them before you see them, if you see them.  This image also shows how well they blend into their environment which is good because they nest on the ground.  Sometimes their choice of where they try to nest is not good though.  This area I saw them in should be OK though.

05/10/24

 It's Friday, TGIF!  Today's image is of a Snout Nose Butterfly that was not being very cooperative for a photo while it was visiting the Crabapple blooms this Spring.  I could not get a good profile pic to show it off properly.  This image had some nice bokeh as well so I am sharing it today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!  

05/09/24

 The frogs have all come out now at the pond.  As I arrive I am hearing them squeak and then a splash as the jump into the water.  I got lucky with this one that let me snap a pic of it because I stayed away and used my zoom lens.

05/08/24

 It's wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog!  Today's flower is one that started blooming in my area last week in late April.  It is Black Locust and is usually supposed to bloom in May and June but a lot of plants are blooming early here this year due to some really warm weather.  These flowers are part of the Bean Family and remind me a lot of Wisteria.

05/07/24

 The Orioles are back!  I had made some sugar water for the Hummingbirds in hopes that they would arrive and find it last Sunday.  I was very surprised to see my first visitor to it was not a Hummer but a Baltimore Oriole!  I was able to capture him as he was getting a drink.  I put out the grape jelly for them which they enjoy more and am still waiting to see my first Hummingbird as I type this. 

05/06/24

 Happy Monday and happy new week!  The Iris have started to bloom in my area as of early last week.  I love to see all the different colors of them.  I captured this one in some very late afternoon light.  I love that the purple ones have a grape smell to them.

05/05/24

 It's a double digit day today!  It's also Steamy Sunday here on the Blog today!  Today is my annual spring photo.  I have a miniature Lilac growing in the railroad that I like to take one of my steam engines with.  This is my live steam Accucraft Mimi locomotive with it's train and the Lilac which didn't have a lot of blooms this year for some reason.

05/04/24

 So today's image is how I usually see birds.  I was riding my bike out at Milford Lake and there were several large groups of ducks that were most likely traveling through.  I stopped to get a photo and I was not even very close to them and they still did not like it.  I think there are some Teals and Shovelers in this group but it was a bit hard to tell.  I liked all the water action as they went across the water to take off.  😀

05/03/24

 It's Friday, TGIF!  My Crabapple tree was gorgeous this year but, as always, didn't last long.  The weather was unseasonably warm so it bloomed early and finished early.  I was able to capture a few images of it while it was blooming including this one with some great bubbly bokeh which I am sharing today because, Friday's Are Bokehlicious!

05/02/24

 Today's image is one I took last year and just recently found.  It is of a wildflower that is beginning to bloom now called False Indigo or Blue Wild Indigo.  It normally blooms in May but mine was blooming in April already this year due to some abnormally warm weather.  I was able to capture this bee with a colorful pollen pouch enjoying it.

05/01/24

 Happy May Day!  It's also Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog.  Today's flower is one that is blooming early this year in my area due to some unseasonably warm weather we had.  This is Dame's Rocket which normally just blooms in May and June but I captured this in later April.  It's an ornamental escapee that was originally planted by early settlers but has now naturalized.  It is in the Mustard Family.