On summer rose in full bloom.
Summer rose beams back.
I spotted this heart-shaped leaf in the hedge. Interesting that it was pink - don't you think? :)
I have prepared this post for both Floral Friday Fotos and Recuerda Mi Corazon (Haiku my Heart).
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Summer Rose
Summer sun beams down.
On summer rose in full bloom.
Summer rose beams back.
I spotted this heart-shaped leaf in the hedge. Interesting that it was pink - don't you think? :)
I have prepared this post for both Floral Friday Fotos and Recuerda Mi Corazon (Haiku my Heart).
On summer rose in full bloom.
Summer rose beams back.
I spotted this heart-shaped leaf in the hedge. Interesting that it was pink - don't you think? :)
I have prepared this post for both Floral Friday Fotos and Recuerda Mi Corazon (Haiku my Heart).
Friday My Town Shoot Out - Rule of Space
I have prepared this post for Friday My Town Shoot Out. Today we are exploring the concept of the "Rule of Space" as it applies to photography. For more information, click on the link! Below are the photos I am submitting!
I call this first one "A Bug's Eye View."
Flower Box on a Bridge.
Steeple in a Storm.
I call this first one "A Bug's Eye View."
Flower Box on a Bridge.
Steeple in a Storm.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Nature Notes - This and That
I prepared this post so as to participate in Nature Notes over at RamblingWoods.com. Click on the link and take a look!
I found some interesting things around the neighborhood this week. First of all, when I walked down the hill into the little village of Loveland, Ohio, I passed a tree that I always pass, but I stopped and looked at it because it seems to be bearing...blueberries! Take a look!
The thing that seems strange is the tree, itself. We had blueberries when I was a kid and they were on low bushes - not trees. I looked on the internet and there ARE pictures of blueberries on trees with leaves like these...
The next item on my hit parade is shown below. Sorry the photo is a tad out of focus, but I spotted it up high, behind branches, AND in someone else's yard(!) So, this photo was the best I can do. It is a cocoon made of pine needles! I googled around and it is the cocoon of the bag worm. They use the material of whatever plant they are on to make a cocoon. I discovered this on the website whatsthatbug.com.
Even though we are supposed to show you things in OUR area, I cannot resist showing you an Israeli bag worm cocoon photo from whatsthatbug.com. As I said, the bag worm makes a cocoon from whatever is handy, so the bag worm cocoon in the photo from Israel is made of sticks! The first photo below is my pine needle cocoon, and the second is the Israeli one of the same insect.
I found some interesting things around the neighborhood this week. First of all, when I walked down the hill into the little village of Loveland, Ohio, I passed a tree that I always pass, but I stopped and looked at it because it seems to be bearing...blueberries! Take a look!
The thing that seems strange is the tree, itself. We had blueberries when I was a kid and they were on low bushes - not trees. I looked on the internet and there ARE pictures of blueberries on trees with leaves like these...
The next item on my hit parade is shown below. Sorry the photo is a tad out of focus, but I spotted it up high, behind branches, AND in someone else's yard(!) So, this photo was the best I can do. It is a cocoon made of pine needles! I googled around and it is the cocoon of the bag worm. They use the material of whatever plant they are on to make a cocoon. I discovered this on the website whatsthatbug.com.
Even though we are supposed to show you things in OUR area, I cannot resist showing you an Israeli bag worm cocoon photo from whatsthatbug.com. As I said, the bag worm makes a cocoon from whatever is handy, so the bag worm cocoon in the photo from Israel is made of sticks! The first photo below is my pine needle cocoon, and the second is the Israeli one of the same insect.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Magnolia
Magnolia bud.
From finial to flower.
Antebellum bloom.
I am sharing this post with Floral Friday Foto and Haiku My Heart.
From finial to flower.
Antebellum bloom.
I am sharing this post with Floral Friday Foto and Haiku My Heart.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Nature Notes - Bird versus Deer?
I was reading the online New York Times the other day, and imagine my surprise when I came across an opinion piece entitled, "Why Bambi Must Go."
I was shocked! Who could be anti-Bambi!?!?
Well, what the article says is that we are doing such a good job "conserving" the deer - going so far as to clear meadows for them in the forest and plant food that they like - that their numbers have increased to the point where they are ruining the forest as a habitat for some kinds of birds!
The article also says that this conservation was done in large part so that there would be a lot of deer for hunters, and there are fewer hunters in the newer generation. It points out that we have also eliminated the deer's natural predators.
I guess all this makes sense to me, because nature is all about balance and equilibrium. I went out to find deer tracks for this post. I found these within about ten minutes...
Guess what I found EVERYWHERE while looking for deer tracks? STRAWBERRIES!! I ate some, so that I could keep up my strength for deer tracking. Clearly, I was born several generations too late.
I prepared this post for Nature Notes over at RamblingWoods.com. Go check it out!
I was shocked! Who could be anti-Bambi!?!?
Well, what the article says is that we are doing such a good job "conserving" the deer - going so far as to clear meadows for them in the forest and plant food that they like - that their numbers have increased to the point where they are ruining the forest as a habitat for some kinds of birds!
The article also says that this conservation was done in large part so that there would be a lot of deer for hunters, and there are fewer hunters in the newer generation. It points out that we have also eliminated the deer's natural predators.
I guess all this makes sense to me, because nature is all about balance and equilibrium. I went out to find deer tracks for this post. I found these within about ten minutes...
Guess what I found EVERYWHERE while looking for deer tracks? STRAWBERRIES!! I ate some, so that I could keep up my strength for deer tracking. Clearly, I was born several generations too late.
I prepared this post for Nature Notes over at RamblingWoods.com. Go check it out!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Friday My Town Shoot Out - Fences/Gates
I am participating in Friday My Town Shoot Out! This weeks topic - Fences/Gates(!)
I came across an old stone fence in the woods along the Loveland Trail (Loveland, OH) that nature is taking back by brute force.
If a fence is made of stone is it more of a wall than a fence? It is not part of a building or anything. So, it wouldn't be THAT kind of wall. I hope it counts, cause I want to show it to you guys, because I think it is amazing. Take a look:
I came across an old stone fence in the woods along the Loveland Trail (Loveland, OH) that nature is taking back by brute force.
If a fence is made of stone is it more of a wall than a fence? It is not part of a building or anything. So, it wouldn't be THAT kind of wall. I hope it counts, cause I want to show it to you guys, because I think it is amazing. Take a look:
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Showy Peony
Showy Peony.
Beruffled, florid, buxom.
A tipsy prom date.
Today I am participating in Friday Floral Fotos and Haiku My Heart!
Beruffled, florid, buxom.
A tipsy prom date.
Today I am participating in Friday Floral Fotos and Haiku My Heart!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Nature Notes - Edible Landscapes
I discovered a mulberry tree growing in the front yard! The birds discovered it too! It got me thinking about the concept of edible landscapes. The edible landscapes movement basically says, 'Why plant strictly ornamental plants when you can put in plants that look great and are edible too!"
I have wild grape all through my hedges. That and the Virginia creeper seem to be the only thing that can stand up to the honeysuckle. The leaves are good for dolmades. My mother has an Armenian friend and we used to go gather these in the woods...
My dad's crab apple tree.
I found the lady - a blogger(!) - who literally wrote the book on Edible Landscaping! Please try to take a minute and look at her site and the way that she uses things like herbs as ornamentals - beautiful and inspirational. www.rosalindcreasy.com
And read about "Incredible Edible Todmorden, a town growing all its own food - in public!" A town spokeswoman says, "This is a revolution. But, we are gentle revolutionaries. Everything we do is underpinned with kindness."
I have prepared this post to participate in Nature Notes over a RamblingWoods.com! It is fun and interesting group!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Friday My Town Shoot Out - Silhouettes
I have prepared this post so as to participate in Friday My Town Shoot Out! The theme this week is Silhouettes! I really enjoy participating in this! Click on the link to learn more about it.
My first silhouette shows dawn through my kitchen window. I am lobbying for a double word score on this one because I also nailed the Rule of Thirds with the window pane lines(!)
My second silhouette was just taken in a shady area on an overcast day. Where the first photo is supposed to look "homey," this one is supposed to look a bit sinister with the barbed wire.
My first silhouette shows dawn through my kitchen window. I am lobbying for a double word score on this one because I also nailed the Rule of Thirds with the window pane lines(!)
My second silhouette was just taken in a shady area on an overcast day. Where the first photo is supposed to look "homey," this one is supposed to look a bit sinister with the barbed wire.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Red Hot Poker
This flower is called the Red Hot Poker.
Red beacon calls bees,
Butterflies and hummingbirds,
To the garden feast.
I am linking this with Floral Friday Foto and with Haiku my Heart! Why not click on the links and check them out!
Red beacon calls bees,
Butterflies and hummingbirds,
To the garden feast.
I am linking this with Floral Friday Foto and with Haiku my Heart! Why not click on the links and check them out!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Nature Notes - On the Ground!
Here are some of the things that I have noticed, and photographed, on the ground over the last couple of weeks in Loveland, Ohio. I have prepared this post as part of Nature Notes over at RamblingWoods.com. We "meet" on Wednesdays and have show and tell about what nature is doing in our neck of the woods...
This is a garden snail. I know that they are considered pests in the garden, but I thought this guy was cute. If you have fairly young kids, then you have seen Sponge Bob Square Pants, and you may notice a resemblance between this snail and Sponge Bob's snail, Gary(!)
A raccoon track by the river...
Red admiral butterfly sitting on a stick on a path by the river... I read that they sit out in the open like this waiting for females to wander by and notice how amazingly handsome they are... It worked, because I noticed! (They may be after females of their own species though.)
A leopard slug...I know he is another pest...but, I like the spots!
This is a garden snail. I know that they are considered pests in the garden, but I thought this guy was cute. If you have fairly young kids, then you have seen Sponge Bob Square Pants, and you may notice a resemblance between this snail and Sponge Bob's snail, Gary(!)
A raccoon track by the river...
Red admiral butterfly sitting on a stick on a path by the river... I read that they sit out in the open like this waiting for females to wander by and notice how amazingly handsome they are... It worked, because I noticed! (They may be after females of their own species though.)
A leopard slug...I know he is another pest...but, I like the spots!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Friday My Town Shoot Out - Public Transportation
I am participating in the Friday My Town Shoot Out where this week's theme is PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
There is no public transportation - in the sense that it is transportation supported by tax dollars - in Historic Loveland, Ohio, although commuter buses from Cincinnati may make it to somewhere within the city limits, but outside of the downtown area.
Having said that, there ARE many different modes of transportation available in Historic Loveland!
Here is the old train depot. It used to serve as a stop for passenger trains. But, now it is a retail business called "The Running Spot."
It serves running enthusiasts and is right on the Loveland Trail. It is no coincidence that it is right on the trail, because the trail is in an old rail right of way. The rails carried Abraham Lincoln during his second inaugural trip and some of them were preserved to commemorate that trip.
Below, you can see the trail on one side of the bridge and the old railroad, which the forest is gradually reclaiming, on the right side.
On the trail...there are runners and walkers, bikers and the occasional horseback rider. It is easy to remember what you can and cannot do on the trail if you just look at the helpful signs.
One of my kids looked at this sign and said, "So, it would be really bad to ride a motorcycle on the trail with your friend on the back. And, your friend is shooting a rifle."
And, I agreed that that would be really bad trail manners.
Two more fun modes of transportation that we've got going are canoeing and kayaking! There is a place right downtown that rents both, and then you get to paddle around in the scenic Little Miami River! The picture of the river was actually taken off of the trail bridge that I showed you earlier.
There is no public transportation - in the sense that it is transportation supported by tax dollars - in Historic Loveland, Ohio, although commuter buses from Cincinnati may make it to somewhere within the city limits, but outside of the downtown area.
Having said that, there ARE many different modes of transportation available in Historic Loveland!
Here is the old train depot. It used to serve as a stop for passenger trains. But, now it is a retail business called "The Running Spot."
It serves running enthusiasts and is right on the Loveland Trail. It is no coincidence that it is right on the trail, because the trail is in an old rail right of way. The rails carried Abraham Lincoln during his second inaugural trip and some of them were preserved to commemorate that trip.
Below, you can see the trail on one side of the bridge and the old railroad, which the forest is gradually reclaiming, on the right side.
On the trail...there are runners and walkers, bikers and the occasional horseback rider. It is easy to remember what you can and cannot do on the trail if you just look at the helpful signs.
One of my kids looked at this sign and said, "So, it would be really bad to ride a motorcycle on the trail with your friend on the back. And, your friend is shooting a rifle."
And, I agreed that that would be really bad trail manners.
Two more fun modes of transportation that we've got going are canoeing and kayaking! There is a place right downtown that rents both, and then you get to paddle around in the scenic Little Miami River! The picture of the river was actually taken off of the trail bridge that I showed you earlier.
Alive in Flowers
A sunbeam filters
To the forest floor and comes
Alive in flowers.
Today I am linking with Floral Friday Fotos and Haiku my Heart! Click through on the links, and consider joining :) It is fun and great groups of people!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Nature Notes - Barking up the Wrong Tree
I was hanging out on my parents' back porch the other day, just watching the leaves kind of bobbing around in the breeze. And, something about the maple closest to the porch caught my eye.
Here is a photo of it. Look at the bark. Look at the pattern of where it is rough and where it is smooth. Does that remind you of anything?
Stretch marks! LOL! I wondered whether I was crazy to think that...but, look at the smooth part and then the lines of cracked bark.
Anyway, I was interested enough to look it up. And sure enough, I found out that trees with smooth bark, like the birch tree, have bark that is elastic. It stretches and stays smooth as the tree grows.
Other trees have rough bark because it is not elastic, so it cracks and "heals" as the tree grows. The maple that I have photographed apparently has fairly smooth, fairly elastic bark. It only cracks some of the time.
Here is a photo that really illustrates this. See how there is cracking down on the part of the bark where more growth has occurred? But, on the narrower branches further up the bark is smooth?
I am linking this post up with Nature Notes over at RamblingWoods.com. Click the link and check it out! It is a great place to learn about and share about nature!
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