Larry at Larry's Images.com: 9/4/11

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Black Walnut Tree

Black Walnut

We had at least one of these trees near our farm buildings. It was in the back yard. We would collect the nuts when they fell in the fall and put them in the driveway for the cars to run over. This would crush the hull off of the very strong inner nut shell. The hull had a very strong dye in it which would stain your hands and any thing else coming into contact.

Once they were hulled and the rain had washed away the dyes, we brought them inside and, at our leisure, cracked the shells in the vise and picked out the nut meat. I think that I might have eaten more than I took into the house. They told us not to eat too many because they would cause the formation of "kancer" (unsure of spelling) sores in our mouths. I think that maybe Mom and Dad helped with the process of picking out the nut meats. I remember doing some of it but not a lot.

I saw this tree the other morning with interesting light and photographed it.

Black Walnut

I liked the result and thought that I might improve on it a little. Of course, the light is different in quality every morning. I have been "working" the idea for several mornings, now. I have been trying to improve on the composition.

Black Walnut

I think Japanese for some reason when I look at this shot. I don't know why. I think that it has something to do with the background haze color.

Black Walnut

This one, I captured this morning. We had been having rain and the light was great for color saturation. It made less of a silhouette. The texture of the nut's hull is quite visible.

I have been thinking that one could make a triptych out of some of these. I really like them!

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Friday, September 9, 2011

Short-billed Marsh Wren

This beautiful little fellow was in the dead rose bushes. He/she did not seem concerned about my presence to any great degree. He/she was in the area in the low part of the Nature Center near the highway. Judging by its name, I suppose that it would be only natural to expect to see one in this area. I have before.

The next day he/she was there again.

Short-billed Marsh Wren

I keep looking each day as I pass but have not seen the wren again. I understand that a more up-to-date name for it is the Sedge Wren. They are migratory birds going to southeast US, gulf coast, and eastern Mexico. Maybe this one was in the process of migration.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Another Installment of Clouds

Gorman Sunrise

I have been thinking about shots that would profit during display from back lighting. One of the first things to came to mind was clouds. Stieglitz called them "equivalents". I have been meaning to look at his shots again and just did. It seems that his are not grounded. I mean that there is nothing of the ground to show which way is down. I somehow picked up the idea that my shots need to be grounded. I like the way this one has the trees running through the bottom and on one side.

Gorman Nature Center

How do we distinguish between cloud shots and landscape? This one I consider a landscape. The clouds and sun seem the primary interest.

Gorman Sunrise

I am now getting up before the sun rises and can get into the field in time to photograph the event. Call me lazy but I seldom make it in the summer. These captures are HDR, high dynamic range, images. I am using Photomatix software to combine the shots.


Gorman Sunrise

I can't call this one clouds because there were none in the sky. You may notice how high in the frame I put the horizon. That is my choice. I like it.

I will let you know what I decide about "grounding" the shots. I think both ways have merit. I have shot several cloud shots in the past without the grounding. I may show you them at some later time.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Milkweed Tussock Moth

Milkweed Tussock Moth Pupa

You might remember the Milkweed Tussock Moth. I have blogged about it before. This is the pupa of that moth. As I understand it, it will over winter in this state. The pupa looks and feels like it is made of felt. It is about 1/2 inch long and egg shaped. I suppose, then in the spring, the moth will emerge.

Milkweed Tussock Moth

This shot is from the archives. I read that they also like Dogbane which is the plant pictured. We can check next spring to see it when it hatches.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

A Friend

Sam, my friend

Sam has helped me on the trails several times. He is the one who told me about the Alsike Clover. He went out of his way to do this. Sam walks at Gorman with his wife, whose name I do not know. She did not want her picture taken.

He also helped me think of how to fix my boots. The sole was coming off and he suggested "shoe goop" or something like that. I used it and am still using the boot.

He is also the one who IDed the dogwood plant with the "caterpillars" on it

Sam told me that he volunteers or did volunteer at Mansfield City Schools helping specials needs students with reading. I kind of think that I remember him.

I usually don't think to photograph people. I am thinking about other things. I might show you some of my other friends at Gorman if I think of it next time I see them.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Five-leaf Clover

Five-leaf clover

I found quite a few four-leaf clovers and a few five-leaf ones as I grew up on the farm. I was not looking for one this morning but I found it anyway. Now I know that some might say that it could be easily "photoshopped" so I made an image of another view also.

Five-leaf Clover (center)

I was thinking about it after making these images. I know that as I grew up it was considered lucky if you found a four-leaf clover. Maybe we did not know about Wikipedia then but I looked it up there this morning. It states that about one in 10,000 is a four-leaf clover. Richard Mabey, Brittan's leading nature writer, also according to Wikipedia, states that children learn that a five-leaved clover is even luckier than a four-leaved one. I could not find any numbers on five-leaf clovers but I truly believe that they are luckier than the four-leaf ones.

I used to pick them and show them to my mother. She always praised me for finding them. She seemed to think it was a gift. I really don't know. Oh, by the way, I did not pick this one. It remains on the trail at Gorman Nature Center for you to find, unless of course, a rabbit eats it.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar

I have seen very few of these this year. I suppose that means that not very many migrated here and laid eggs. I was surprised to see this one late in the season. I suppose this my be one that begins migrating when it becomes the butterfly.

I was able to get the sensor of my camera parallel to the worm for more areas of sharp focus. It was not eating through the leaf as they usually do. I thought that it was eating a layer off the bottom of the leaf.

I did not know they had "whiskers."

Speaking of migration of insects, the Common Green Darner Dragonflies are gone. One day they were here and the next they were not. I have read that they have been observed migrating in a swarm but that we know little to nothing about where they go.

I have seen other dragonflies in flight but have not gotten close enough to them to make an ID. I suspect that they are Shadow Darners, a late season dragonfly.