Tag: nature

Successful cycle! – Part 1

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Having discovered a monarch caterpillar on our milkweed, we moved it inside with some milkweed not only to protect it but to observe its complete transformation to a butterfly and then release it.

We watched as it spun silky thread to hang from upside down.

Then when we weren’t looking, it was a green chrysalis!

Since it wasn’t going to need any of the remaining milkweed I carefully prepared to clean out the container. I was surprised to find a tiny caterpillar had stowed away on some of the milkweed from the garden!

It was at this time we had a visit from our 2 youngest grand kids. They were intrigued with the chrysalis and enjoyed watching the hungry, little caterpillar grow by the day.

Meanwhile the chrysalis hanging from the top of the container had begun to change…

We knew it wouldn’t be long before the magic happened but we had a ‘game to catch’. On our return about an hour and a half later…

The gender marking was clear on his wings. It took about an hour for his wings to dry and he began to stretch. We carefully took him outside and gave him a chance to continue the ‘warm up before taking off’. After a quick ‘good bye’, he was gone.

Meanwhile the other caterpillar had been busy preparing for his or her next stage. It had already been hanging in the its ‘J’ shape and had started to shrivel up. We had been keeping a close eye throughout the day but while we eating dinner, it happened! We had just missed the skin falling off but caught the chrysalis in the wiggly, jiggly green blob stage.

We feel very blessed to have been able, in one week, to share the full cycle of this wonder of God’s creation with our grand kids! ❤

Late night show

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All my aurora apps were buzzing with notifications of potential aurora activity and the weather apps predicted clear skies, so I convinced my photo buddy, Mel, to join me for a late night stop at Sandbar Provincial Park. When we arrived an the landing, which conveniently extends directly north from the shore of Sandbar Lake, there was a hint of an arch of green glow on the distant horizon.

Eventually, some activity occurred along with additional colour. The purples aren’t visible to the naked eye; prolonged exposure seems to bring that out.

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While we waited for something spectacular to happen, we tried our hand with some Milky Way shots form the skies behind us. Note: always take a look behind you every now and then while out on a shoot! I’ll share more about the Milky Way in a later post.

Since not much was changing in the northern skies and the band of Milky Way stars gradually moved behind the tree line, we decided to relocate for a better view of the southern sky.

While doing that the sky behind us brightened significantly (remember to always check behind you!) so we headed back to the landing.

What a show!!

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The activity extended from the horizon to directly above our heads. It was difficult to know where to look or point the camera!

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This image is a panorama I was able to have Photoshop construct with about a dozen portrait shots of the north sky.

Can you pick out the Big Dipper?

August 2014 Calendar – Island in the storm

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One of my favourite aspects of living lake-side is watching the rain move across the lake. Whether a light shower or raging storm, the sight, sound and smell is amazing. This past week we experienced several days of sudden and brief thunderstorms. I was able to capture the dramatic change in the colours of sky, shore and water before heading for cover!

island in the storm 1 island in the storm 2 island in the storm 3 island in the storm 4 island in the storm 5

I decided to lay the calendars on two images taken in the sequence but could not decide which I liked better. So, I’ve set them both up so you can choose. Different screen resolutions can be found here.

free desktop calendar august 2014_1440x900
Calm before the storm

Here it comes!
Here it comes!

 

Wet Willows

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Damp dreary days don’t normally draw me out with my camera but after such a long, cold and snowy winter, I was eager to get out in spite of the soggy conditions. Driving some back roads in a light drizzle I noticed what I thought was pussy willows on the branches in the ditches.

water droplets and bokeh

The light rain was clinging to the branches creating the effect of soft, white pussy willows.

There were also willows starting to bud with furry catkins present.

pussy willows and water droplets

I was entranced the juxtaposition of the buds above and droplets below. Then noticed tiny droplets that appear as bulging eyes on the the buds at the end of the branch! I was wishing I had brought my tripod to more effectively zoom in for a clear shot.

A few other branches held some different bud and droplet configurations.

wet pussy willows

A wet day well spent.

March 2014

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free desktop calendar March 2014_1600x900
I waited all February for a mild (above -15 C) day to capture an image for March’s calendar. It didn’t happen. So, having run right out of time, on Feb 28 with the temperature at -22 C, I bundled up and headed out with gear in hand. I had hoped with such constant cold that the trees along this creek would be nicely frosted but between bright sun and raging winds of late, most frost had been weathered away. Thankfully, the heavy accumulation of snow softened and brightened the ragged river bed offering nice contrast to the dark turbulent waters. I decided the shot would suffice. I hope you like it. For specific screen resolutions, go to the Free Calendar tab in the menu bar and select March 2014.

March has come in as a lion if -30C with wind chill warning of -40C to -45C is considered fierce! Hopefully, there will be a much warmer looking scene for next month.

Feb 2014

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I can hardly wait to turn the page on the calendar hoping the conditions in my environment ease up. I can hardly remember a colder, windier winter. Am I getting soft in ‘my old age’? Whatever. It’s been COLD!

I’ve mentioned before how wind is not my camera’s friend. It’s challenging enough to get still subjects in crisp focus! I realize there is potential for artistic shots with movement and all but sub-zero wind chill is not anything I wish to endure for that opportunity. So, having not been out with my camera all but one day this past month (see previous post), I looked back into my digital library for an image to serve as backdrop for this month’s calendar. Happy February. ❤

free desktop calendar February 2014_1440x900For specific screen resolutions, you can select February 2014 from the Free Calendar drop down list on the menu bar above.