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Posts for Tag: Tom Sawyer Park

Ladybug, Ladybug...

Ladybug, ladybug fly away home,
Your house is on fire and your children are gone.

Bummer!

Along Came A Spider

I found this guy hanging out on the back side of a sign in Tom Sawyer park. I believe it is an orchard spider, one of the many long jawed orb weavers. I like the fact that his legs almost appear to be made of glass.

Posing A Cicada

Yeah, OK... So I didn't actually get this cicada to pose, but at least it came down to a branch low enough for me to get a photo. It's been my experience that they do not stick around once they sense you've seen them. 

Milkweed Bug

Just your standard Milkweed Bug but this one looks particularly happy.

Jewelweed, Nature's Poison Ivy Remedy

Up close and personal with a jewelweed flower. Some say that the sap from the jewelweed stems can be used to treat skin irritations like poison ivy rash, bee stings and other insect bites. There is some debate as to how effective it really is for those purposes. It may, however, get you exposed to poison ivy because it seems that wherever you find jewelweed, poison ivy will be nearby.

Return Of The Monarch

The Monarch butterflies are starting to show up in Tom Sawyer Park again. I shot this one on 8/13/2011 and am hoping there will be more where this guy came from. They truly remind me of flying stained glass.

Cicada Exoskeleton

A cicada nymph left his exoskeleton, or exuvia, behind on this leaf for me to find. Looks like he did his fair share of excavation while he was underground.

Sunny Face

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do."
~Helen Keller

Passion Flower 2011

I find these plants fascinating. There seems to be a lot going on there. I underwent heavy bee buzzing to get this photo.

There's One In Every Crowd...

"...Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

~From the Apple ad

Early Morning Deer Encounter

Even though it has happened quite often to me lately, I still get a bit of a thrill when I spot a nearby deer while hiking in the local state park. They are usually very easily frightened and bolt before I ever get to take a good look at them. Today, however, that was not the case. This doe spotted me before I spotted her (as usual) but when I did see her and aimed my camera, she did not run off. She was definitely on high alert, but she did not panic at the sound of my camera or my movements. She even let me shoot a little video before leaving the area. 

Because she was not in a hurry to leave, I was able to take my time while shooting. It was early in the morning, just minutes after a heavy rain, so the plants were all wet and very green, making for a misty, dreamy photo opportunity.

 

This deer was so agreeable that I was able to flip the right switches on my camera and capture a little video as well as all the photos I had taken.

Tiger Lily

This past weekend seemed like Tiger Lily weekend. They were all over the place--blooming everywhere. The anthers on this particular lily remind me of golden slippers.

In The Eye Of The Sssssnake!

Earlier in the day I had gotten myself into a place in the woods where I didn't want to be. I was being attacked by mosquitos and couldn't see the ground because of the undergrowth. Whenever I can't see the ground, I imagine there are snakes nearby. I finally walked out of there and decided I would keep to the well developed trails for the rest of the day because it would make for easier going and I really didn't feel like battling bugs and jungle-like growth.

So here I was, walking down a recently mowed path where the going was much easier, when I saw this little snake head sticking up just above the grass like it was trying to blend in with the surrounding plants. After watching it for a while, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it had in mind. I think it was just waiting there for low-flying bugs, which were shuttling from plant to plant, to land nearby so it could eat them.

When you see one snake in the grass, it's not a huge leap to assume there are probably more nearby. This made it especially challenging for me to get down in that same grass to get a photo of this guy. I am not a snake person. I am not even a large worm person! Kneeling there, I was sure I felt phantom snakes crawling over the backs of my legs. I wanted a good photo so I put up with my imagination. Getting the snake's eye in focus was going to require "threading the needle" with the focus. A little left or right and I'd be focusing on the surrounding plants instead. To make things more difficult, the snake kept adjusting his head up and down to blend in better with the surrounding plants. Finally, its eye became visible between the leaves so I got a few frames. I liked this shot the best because, when viewing the photo at 100%, I can see myself in its eye.

SKYNET Listener Drone

SKYNET is up again. They are sending down "Listener Drones" to monitor the populace. They do this every year during the summer months.

Below you see a Listener Drone and network node bot. Note the static wicks on the landing pods to dissipate static for a cleaner signal. Note too the large tail boom that does double-duty as a gigahertz antenna. The orbs that look like eyes are actually sensitive microphones and the only weaponry onboard is the gaping metal maw near the microphone-orbs. The wings are of a kevlar-like material with a pattern of ribs that contributes to their extremely high tensile strength. The wings connect to the fuselage, ahead of the tail boom, with advanced high-pressure hydraulic actuators. You do not want to be targeted by one of these rascals. Just sayin'...

Sloth Of A Moth

Found this moth resting on a blade of grass. It was not interested in moving at all. Must have been tired or something.

Bunnies Gone Wild

One thing I've noticed, as an aging photographer, is that the older I get, the slower I get. I think I may be so slow now that I am invisible to certain animals. There have been two times, in recent months, when I've nearly been run over by deer on a path because, apparently, they couldn't see me standing there. Not until I waved my camera did they break right or left and avoid trampling me.

Then, about a week ago, I was out on a drizzly day and happened across some large bumble bees that I was trying to get shots of in mid flight. I guess I must have been very still aiming my camera at the bees because, while I was standing there, I caught a brown blur out of my left eye (this is why you shouldn't close your non-shooting eye when taking photos!) and looked around my camera to see this bunny, flying down the path, headed directly at me. As soon as I aimed my camera at him or her, it stopped in its tracks and sat down, almost as if to say, "I'm ready for my close-up." I got one shot off and it got up, spun around and was off in a flash.

I'm ready for my close-up!

The three phases of meeting a bunny. First the bunny is shocked and sits down. Then the bunny turns to leave but rotates its large ears, like RADAR antennas, tuned to the perceived threat. Finally it gets into fourth gear and boogies on out of there.

N3A

Goodyear's N3A leaving the Louisville area on a dreary day after the Kentucky Derby.

Pink Weed

Another day, another weed. I think this might be a form of Knapweed which is a noxious weed.