Reflection of an October Sky

One of my personal favorites. I took this photo at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Cross River, NY.

Tonic Colors

So much about autumn is too immense and powerful to capture in a photo. One thing I found when faced with such an impossible task is to go smaller, shrinking the grandeur down to a fragment of what's actually present. In this way, we can digest it easier – one bite at a time.

Roots in the Sky

Sassafras tree branches with flowers and buds just opened. Such a strong personality, easily recognized from a distance.

"Abstract Masterpiece"

This fantastic abstract "painting" was created by nature. Specifically, several species of lichen growing ever so slowly on a cement wall of an old estate building. I am always humbled by the masterpieces that surround us in ordinary places. We drive by them or step on them as we zip around in our daily routine. Just by simply and fully doing and being (honoring) what they are, the elements of nature reflect beauty and perfection to my mind and my heart.

"Green Arrows"

These Arrow Arum plants caught my attention as a visual study in shades of green, shadow, and light.

"Which Way is Up?""

Pleasing and luminous, tranquil and vibrant.

"Shells, Sand, and Sunrise"

Just a lovely, naturally composed portrait of beach sand in the making.

"Water, Sand, & Storm Clouds

A feast for the senses. Walking along the beach wrapped in the colors of sea, shore, and sky.

"Stepping Out"

Milkweed plants are great places to observe a host of interactions between species of insects and the host plant. This exuberantly-colored critter is a Milkweed Bug (yep, that's its name). I was lucky to catch this nymph in the act of molting – slipping out of its old exoskeleton as a larger, slightly more developed version of itself. I opted to place this image in the Gallery rather than in my post entitled "Myths and Metamorphosis" because of the colors. Click on this link to go directly to the article.

"Crab in a Crate"

Doing water-quality testing on a salt-water lake in the wildlife sanctuary where I work, I came across this object floating around. It was a shopping basket used as a crab pot that someone was careless enough to lose. When I pulled it into the kayak, I saw this large Blue Crab in it along with a chicken leg bone picked clean of its flesh. The crab was destined to float for a very long time without being able to climb up and out had I not come along.

"Simplicity"

In a world full of floral hybrids of spectacular showiness, the simple wild daisy seems ultra-ordinary. Yet it radiates a powerful, understated beauty in it's natural setting. Here, next to a hard, weather-beaten fence post, the daisies stand tall, fresh, and soft.

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This very tiny and attractive wasp was nibbling pollen from the trumpet-shaped flower of a Hedge Bindweed plant early one morning.

"Green Blueberries"

Not quite ripe for the picking. . . but pretty!

"Life and Death"

A familiar feature along a favorite hiking trail, this dead Hemlock tree was core-dated to about 185 years old. In life, this tree held a commanding presence. In death, there is a hole in the canopy that reveals its place in the forest.

"Shy Beauty"

Spring wildflowers sometimes require a bit of work to find before their brief flowering period has past. Trout Lilies, with their pretty faces lowered to the ground, are often hidden amongst the brown leaves and fallen branches of the forest floor.

"Coming and Going"

Deer tracks in frozen mud. I liked the energy of this patch of tracks along a trail at the sanctuary. To me it tells the story of a dense deer population scratching out a living in the dead of winter. Deer browse on twigs, buds, acorns, small herbs, and even dried fallen maple leaves during winter months.

"Through an Icy Lens"

An icicle that has partially melted and refrozen offers us a new view of the landscape.

"Wild Pink"

Now THIS is pink! The longer I looked at this flower and the others carpeting the surrounding area, the more grateful I was that I have sight! While the camera does a good job capturing the vibrancy of the bloom, my eyes actually "felt" its vibration. Ultraviolet light reflected from the petals is what makes it glow.

"Face of a Goddess"

In Roman mythology, the goddess of love and fertility is Venus (Aphrodite, in ancient Greece). This exquisite flower is one of several plants with the name "Venus's Looking-glass", and as you look into the face of this flower growing in wild, weedy places, perhaps you too shall see the beauty of Venus reflected there.

"Sunset Waves"

I keep trying to capture the intensity and power in the colors of the ocean and sky. No matter how great my images come out, capturing the full impact of the moment remains elusive. No camera, it seems, can capture faithfully what the heart sees.

"Exquisite"

The unopened bud of this Blue Phlox flower is just so perfectly packaged and delicate, I could not pass by it without taking a moment ot contemplate potentiality and the magic of flowers.

"Shadow and Light"

There is no darkness without light, nor can light exist without darkness. Such is the realm of duality, wherein we dwell. There is often great beauty born of this interplay between opposites. If light and dark are in conflict, it is only within our minds. In nature they, are in collaboration.

"Ballerinas"

The Bull Thistle plant is a mighty plant. A tower of bristling spines on every part of the plant from leaves to stems to stalk. These weapons can pierce even sturdy leather work gloves. So when I came across these delicate and beautifully soft seeds getting ready for their big performance – dispersal by wind – I felt a certain excitement as the lovely ballerinas bunched together off stage, waiting for their cues. A celebration of beauty in an powerfully understated color palette.

"An Impressionist's View"

"Twin Webs"

This wetland habitat was loaded with spiderwebs of all sizes, some practically right on top of one another. Lots of food at the all-night insect cafe!