Today's image is another I was able to capture of a Killdeer this year. They were in my area quite a long time this year. Usually I only see them in the Spring but I saw them up into the fall this year. I like this image because with the light it showed the red eye they have. They are quite cute the way they run around.
Happy Monday and happy new week! Starting off the week with one of my favorite flowers. This is called by several names, Butterfly Bush or Buddleia or Buddleja. It can be considered invasive because they can spread and disrupt local ecosystems. Mine are contained and have not spread and the Skippers really enjoy them. They don't serve as a host plant so that is another reason they are not desired these days. I grow the correct kind of Milkweed as well so that's why i don't feel too bad about having this as well. 😅
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is from my visit to the Cumbres & Toltec this summer. I felt like presenting it in an old timey feel because it is a great railroad to experience what riding behind a steam train back in the day would be like. It's quite an enjoyable ride and I highly recommend it. You even get lunch in the middle. 😁
It's the first day of November already! Christmas is just around the corner! 😂 Autumn has arrived in my area and the trees are turning color. I got this image the other day on a walk. It's not my best composition ever but I wanted the moon in it and didn't realize it was so centered. I still like it though, hope you do as well.
It's Friday, TGIF! It's also Halloween! I enjoy creating some kind of spooky image for the day and this is my effort for this year. Hope you enjoy it!
I am doing something a bit different today, choosing a photo for it's bokeh. Friday's Are Bokehlicious here on the Blog but any day can be Bokehlicious. I captured this spider hanging off my railing recently. I thought the creepiness of it was appropriate for the week since tomorrow is Halloween. The bokeh, on the left hand side especially, was pretty great and since my photo tomorrow won't have bokeh it was a good one for today. I believe this is a type of Orb Weaver Spider.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is an autumn one, Maximillian Sunflower. They usually bloom in August and September and I found this one on September 10th. They can grow to 9 feet tall and the flowers grow in clusters along a thick stem. It produces lots of seed that wildlife enjoy. It was named after the German botanist that first discovered it while he was traveling in North America.
Today's image is of one of my favorite birds to capture, I think because it is so hard for me to do as they are not very cooperative. This is how I usually see them, flying away from me. Fortunately i can still capture them in focus at times like this image. 😂 This is a Great Blue Heron. They remind me of dinosaurs.
Happy Monday and happy new week! Starting off the week with a lovely butterfly photo. This is a Great Spangled Fritillary that was visiting the Iron plant earlier this summer.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image goes back to my favorite railroad, the Cumbres & Toltec. I captured it here as it headed out of Chama New Mexico on it's way to Antonito Colorado. It's a wonderful train ride and I highly recommend it.
It's a double digit day today! 😀 I was on the army post of Fort Riley a short time ago and was stopped in traffic. I found out the reason was the General's Mounted Color Guard was riding down the street. I had never seen them do this before. It made me a bit sad because the Color Guard has to disband and get rid of their horses. They are looking for homes for them right now. They have been a well known attraction in my area and have attended many events where people of all ages have enjoyed seeing them.
Edit: Since I got this post ready, I have heard on the radio that they can stay! Yay! This army post has such a history with cavalry, it would have been such a shame to not see them any longer.
It's Friday, TGIF! Friday's Are Bokehlicious so today's image is of one of my Morning Glory blooms with some lovely bubbly bokeh.
I was watering my potted plants last week and was surprised by this female Mantis. She came up out of the plant and I think she was not too happy about getting wet but she let me take a few photos. Female Mantis have thin antenna and fairly large abdomens. I love their alien looking faces.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! This isn't the best image I have ever gotten of this flower but I rarely see it open and was treated to it this past weekend. This is a Venice Mallow which usually only blooms July through September but I found it blooming in Mid October. It is also known as Flower of the Hour because of the very brief time the flower is open in the mornings.
Today's image is from earlier this year when the Cedar Waxwings were visiting my yard. They were sitting in the Walnut tree in between getting a drink from the pond.
It's Monday, happy new week! I am going to start off the week with a nice bright flower. I took this image about a week ago. One of my Hibiscus was blooming quite nicely. This is actually a double stack image to get the stamen and the main flower in focus.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is the opposite of the one that I shared last week. This image was taken in early morning at Rollag during the Steam Thresher's Reunion. This is locomotive 353 as it was heading out after picking up passengers for it's run around the grounds. I would be on the shift after this one as one of the firemen.
Autumn seems to be a great time in my area for lovely sunrises and sunsets or maybe I just get to see more of them. 😂 This was the lovely sky I was treated to on my bike ride home after dinner last Friday.
It's Friday, TGIF! Today's image is of a nice little butterfly I was able to capture near the end of September. This is called a Red Banded Hairstreak. It feeds on the fallen leaves of Sumac plants. I captured it on a Goldenrod stem. I had to share the image of it today due to the lovely bokeh in the image because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
My Autumn Sedum was popular with many insects and butterflies this year again. There was this Crab Spider with an interesting butt marking color. I usually see them with this mark in grey but this was the first one I have ever seen with a pink one. I know its not really it's butt, it is it's abdomen. 😁
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is the Jerusalem Artichoke which is not named for the town, it is said it's a mispronunciation of the Italian word "girasol" which means "turn sun". They are in the Sunflower family and usually bloom August through October. The tuberous rhizomes are edible and form in autumn.
This is an image I was able to get this spring. This Horned Lark posed nicely for me. It was not in a very natural setting but in a parking lot but I will take what I can get as I don't see them very often.
Happy Monday and happy new week! I am starting off the week with one of my very favorite flowers, a Columbine. This one is not a wild one in my area. They mostly bloom in the spring though if the conditions are right they can bloom well into the summer. We had enough rain this year that mine did this a bit.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image goes back to Rollag Minnesota and the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion this past Labor Day weekend. I was out and about in the evening before the show started and the Porter locomotive that I get to help fire on was sitting outside the Roundhouse. I liked that when I saw the photo later, the moon is visible as well, a nice bonus. The Porter is a tank style locomotive meaning it carries it's water in a tank over the boiler as opposed to in a tender behind.
This is another image that I decided to give a B&W treatment to that I liked how it turned out. This is one of my Cosmos flowers photographed from the back of it and the B&W gives it an almost negative type effect I thought.
It's Friday, TGIF! It's also a double digit day! 😁 Today's image is another of the Monarchs I was able to see enjoying the Goldenrod on my land. Due to the subdued bubbly bokeh I had to share for today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
This is an image of the Elk that was in a pasture with some horses for several months. Recently, it was spotted outside the pasture, which is where it was when I took this photo. It's a female and I wish I knew what the back story was on it and why it was in their pasture. Anyway, Elk can jump pretty high so it is not surprising that it could get out but it was surprising that it hung around so long. It had left their land and was in a nearby field not long after this so may have left totally by now. We do have other Elk in the area as there is a herd that is on Ft Riley and it has been moving around lately.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is a new one for me that I was able to see and capture while I was mowing a historical area that I take care of close to my house. This is called Lady's Tresses. It can bloom from August to October, I saw it at the very end of September and it is in the Orchid family. It can grow to 24 inches tall, this one was about 8 inches or so. The flowers can smell like Lilac or vanilla, I wish I had tried to smell them. It receives it's name because the flower heads remind of braided hair.
I was sitting outside by my raised layout the other day for a moment. I had my camera with me as I had been taking images of the Monarchs. I kept hearing this weird bird noise, well weird to me anyway. I finally saw that it was these 2 Flickers that were circling a tree. I'm guessing it was some kind of mating noise as they did not seem aggressive towards each other. I was able to catch this image of them together.
Happy Monday and happy new week! My Fuchsia is finally blooming again somewhat. Only has a few blooms but it is better than the zero it had for most of the summer. This is one of them, I love the frilly bottom of them, reminds me of a ladies dress.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is from my ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Railway this past summer. This is just as it was starting to cross Lobato Trestle. This image is particularly steamy because the locomotive was "popping off" at the time, the white plume of steam. Popping off occurs when the boiler pressure goes higher than where the safety valve is set for. It relieves pressure in the boiler and keeps it at a safe operating level. Safety valves are set lower than the actual pressure a boiler can operate at for safety concerns as well.
My roots in photography are in Black & White. I used to develop my own film and everything back in the day. It was fun. Every now and then I get in a B&W mood and look for some good subjects. I found one in the Morning Glory that I think turned out really well with a B&W treatment.
It's Friday, TGIF! I am in a Monarch mood these days, I have been so happy to see several of them in the yard at one time, it's been a long time since that has happened. I captured these enjoying the Stiff Goldenrod last Saturday. I have another video of them HERE. I also chose this image for today because of the lovely subdued bubbly bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
Speaking of Monarchs, as they have been traveling through, they have been apparently laying eggs as I saw this guy very recently. As he was about to run out of leaves to eat, I broke off the plant and carried him to another one and leaned it up against it so he could climb over and eat some more. While doing this, I discovered there was another one eating on a Common Milkweed plant there. So glad I have these Milkweed in the yard for them to take advantage of. We had rain the day after I did this so I am not sure of it's fate as neither one of them were on the milkweed any longer. Hopefully they were in the trees nearby cocooning.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! It's also the first day of October already and an interesting digit day as the first 2 numbers are palindromic. I missed pointing these out in May, my bad. 😞 Anyway, the wildflower today is Stiff Goldenrod also known as Rigid Goldenrod. This variety blooms August through October. It can grow to 5 feet tall, mine is about 3 to 4. It can be identified by it's rounded flower clusters or inflorescences. This Goldenrod is VERY popular with Monarch butterflies that are passing through in late September. I have a video of some enjoying it HERE.
I have a lot of older bird pictures still cued up to share but I was rather proud of this one that I got a few days ago. I was sitting on my deck watching a couple Hummingbirds visit the feeder. This one as it was coming in one time, stopped right in front of me and hovered for a bit and I was able to get off a couple of shots and this one was the better of them. I think it was wondering what I was doing and checking me out. 😁
Happy Monday and happy new week! Starting off the week with a flower that's been blooming a lot lately in my garden. This is Obedient plant which I find an ironic name because it can spread quite a bit. It is in the mint family which probably explains it's ability to spread. Hummingbirds enjoy the flowers of it. It can grow to 5 feet tall. Mine is only about 2.5 to 3 and falls over in rain quite easily making it harder for Hummers to enjoy it.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Todays image goes back to my trip to the Cumbres & Toltec Railway. This is a very steamy image, fitting for today, of our locomotive moving by the historic Coaling Tower in the yard at Chama New Mexico. It was preparing to hook up to our train and take us to Antonito Colorado.
A little over a week ago I was on my way home and there was a storm moving into the area. It made for some beautiful light and clouds so I had to stop and get a photo. Fortunately, all we got out of it was some rain and not too much although it poured like crazy for a few minutes.
It's Friday, TGIF! My Cosmos has been blooming quite beautifully this year. I didn't plant any of it, they are all volunteers from seed from last years flowers. That makes this one quite interesting, I have never seen this variety before wit the white rays coming from the center. It's quite lovely. I also chose this photo for today due to the interesting bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
It's a double digit day! 😃 I love seeing Dragonflies. They are very cool creatures to me with their huge eyes and the way they are able to fly and hover, so fascinating to watch. I captured this one at my Gazebo pond earlier this summer as it perched on a leaf.
I have a video Here of a cool event I witnessed this past week of a bunch of them flying around my small backyard pond. I had never seen so many around that pond at one time or ever.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is Canada Goldenrod. It is very similar to Tall Goldenrod but has much greener leaves. It is falsely accused of causing hay fever. It's pollen is not spread by the wind, insects do that. It usually blooms July to September and can be rather photogenic. It belongs to the Sunflower family.
Today's bird is the Kansas state bird, the Western Meadowlark. I had a lot of opportunities to see and photograph them the first half of this year. I like this photo because it shows them in a fairly common state, singing on the prairie. Often I hear them but don't see them. Our Meadowlarks seem to stick around for the most part, all year round and are identified by the yellow breast and black V band at the neck.
Happy Monday and happy new week! It's the September Equinox where we have almost equal day and night hours and we transition into Autumn. Every September Equinox, for the last few years I have been able to see a Monarch on the Goldenrod and this one was no different. It was actually on the 21st which Was the start. The actual Equinox is today at 1:20pm CST. I captured this at 4:47. Anyway, I was excited to see several Monarchs in my yard yesterday, one of which was laying eggs on one of the Milkweeds! Cool!
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! We go back to the Colorado RR Museum today and look at Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive 683. This Consolidation type 2-8-0 was built in 1890 by Baldwin as Narrow gauge #583. It was later converted to Standard Gauge built for the first standard gauge line between Denver and Salt Lake City. It served until the mid 1950s when it was sold to the San Luis Valley Southern Rwy which allowed it to escape the D&RGW scrapping plan. #683 is the only standard gauge locomotive that remains from the D&RGW. It's looking pretty good but will need some cosmetic work soon due to be stored out on the elements. It would be nice if the museum could get more equipment under cover. They are slowly working on it which is good.
I have seen quite a lot of these butterflies around this year. This is a Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly that was enjoying my Petunias a few days ago. While I was out bike riding in late August I would routinely se huge swarms of them enjoying the Alfalfa fields in the area. I had never seen so many at lone time. I shared a short video of them on YouTube HERE. It doesn't quite do the sight justice but gives an idea of how many there were.
It's Friday, TGIF! My Garlic Chives are flowering. I rarely use them for eating any longer and they spread everywhere and are kind of a pain but the flowers are rather lovely. Kind of like nature's fireworks. I chose this photo for today due to the fabulous bubbly bokkeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
I have not seen many butterflies this year but the ones I have seen have been very nice and were mostly Swallowtails. This is a Black Swallowtail that was enjoying my Echinacea or Coneflowers one afternoon.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is, what I believe is, Wingstem. Wingstem usually blooms in August and September. It usually prefers habitats with partial shade and that is where I found it. It likes rich soils such as along stream banks. It usually grows in moist areas.
I saw this guy while out on a bike ride one afternoon early this summer. It flew across the road in front of me and I got lucky that it landed in a place where I could capture it. This is Red headed Woodpecker, a very appropriate name.
