How was your morning? Mine? I spent 87 minutes watching ants work. What can I say? Nature captivates me so much so that it inspired me to invest in a macro lens and focus on small bits of nature. Photographing bees, butterflies and insects as if I were a street photographer, I captured little moments of joy, effort and wonder. I turned that small world into my first book which helped me realized one of life's great lessons: nothing is too small to have an enormous impact on the world.
An Anna's, a Ruby-throated, and an Allen's Hummingbird walk into a bar. The Anna asks, "Who's that strange fella?" The Ruby-throated said, "I donno, but lemme at him! Imma gonna buzz him in pieces!" The Allen's said, "Whatevs." I know. It's not a brilliant joke. I hope the pictures below make up for it.
Spring is the best time in our mountain garden. The cruel hot summers can be a challenge to gardening so we generally choose heat-tolerant plants that will bloom in heat. Catmint is generally a hardy plant for heat but when it comes to gardening and me, Murphy's Law always applies. If it's hardy, it's going […]
In the wee hours of a summer morning (9 a.m. for a Lymie), I scour the flowerbeds for the impostors, unwelcome beetles who enjoy destroying the bounty intended for bees, butterflies and birds. A common checkered skipper flew up for breakfast on a neighboring salvia.
An older lady rests on a zinnia as the sun rises. Her grayish fur and tattered wings are a clue to her longevity and provoke the imagination of her many adventures. Bees don’t fear death because the story is not about them.
"Hey lady can you tell me, where a bee might find a bed?" She just grinned and shook her head, "There," was all she said. Another bumble settled in for the night, this time on a cosmo. I can't help but be tickled by these creatures! I love them to pieces.
If you plant it, they will come. Finally! I've been waiting to see a damselfly or dragonfly in my garden. This is a dameselfly. With all the walking I do with the dogs, I get to see them often throughout the mountains but never carry my big lens with me on a dog walk. Plus, […]
In our fountain-pond, we used to have floating flowers so bees and birds could enjoy the water without drowning. Unfortunately, they didn't hold up to the harshness of the winter or changing temperatures. So now I'm a lifeguard. Every night, I fish out one or two bees who've accidentally found themselves in the pond with […]
"Hey Arthur! You are growing quickly! What would like to be when you grow up?" "An astronaut. Or maybe a D.J.," he replied. Everybody wants to be a D.J. I just want to be a drummer.
I was getting a bit worried because last April, we had crickets singing love songs every evening. This year, it's been ominously quiet. But now they are turning up in the Osteospermums by the dozens and they are growing and getting greener every day. Welcome baby katydid! Looking forward to the music of your kind!