Brilliant Sugar Maple Leaf

Brilliant Sugar Maple

Taken with my favorite lens, the Nikon AF FX Micro-NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8D.  Sugar Maple leaf in the late afternoon autumn sun. The leaf was held perpendicular to the sun in order give definition to the texture of the leaf. Note the sympathetic colors in the autumn foliage in the background.  Nikon D90. f/8. Processed in […]

Toad Ripples

Toad Fest

Hey, baby! An American toad calls to attract females at the pond. It’s party time at the pond. For the third time this year. The wood frogs and spring peepers have already taken their turns. Now the toads take over. I estimate their numbers approached 300, and that was mostly the males waiting for females. […]

Peak Magnolia Branches

Peak Magnolia

Our white flowering magnolia was in peak form on a sunny morning. Camera was a Nikon D90; lens was the Nikon 18-55mm AF-S VR DX. I used a Nikon Circular Polarizer. (The Nikon polarizer is expensive as filters go, but I use one 77mm filter with step-up rings so that I have one filter for […]

Faded Magnolia

Our flowering white magnolia is blooming. Every year this process is touch and go. This magnolia flowers very early. Often as not, it gets frosted. It seems to want to bloom about one warm spell sooner than it ought. And, like many flowering trees, it seems to be at its peak alternate years. In thirteen […]

McConnells Mill High Water

McConnells Mill High Water

Surf’s up at McConnells Mill State Park after heavy spring rains this week. The water gauge on the side of the mill read almost six feet, one foot from the top at seven feet. Last month when I photographed the mill with snow and ice still visible, the water was below the gauge entirely. This […]

Lake Erie

Lake Erie

One Picture a Day for today is a very fast shot of a very cold Lake Erie. I hopped out of the car, took the picture, and hopped back in. Today’s schedule didn’t afford time to fuss. In fact, as I write this post, I have not even downloaded it from my camera! I only […]

Bloodroot

Bloodroot

Yesterday, no sign of Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). Today, it has popped up everywhere and will be in full bloom by tomorrow. Our sudden spring–extended stretch of thirties for the previous three weeks, seventies this week–has spring working over time to catch up. The profound change has taken many species from nothing to bloom in a matter […]