Two tall tulips
Two turtles talking, on a tyre
Trawling for ‘t’ words?
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13
Weekly Photo Challenge: Patterns
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Patterns here, patterns there,
Patterns, patterns everywhere.
Patterns in nature and patterns man-made with care.
I like the simple 4 leaf pattern on this plant…
and the circular leaf pattern on this plant.
Are you tempted to count the leaves?
A fascinating, tightly structured pattern on a… Travellers Palm
which is not a palm
- but Ravenala madagascariensis
and related to the banana plant.
This man-made pattern of pavers and stones appeals for its
simple design, stark colours and contrasting textures.
And now… take a welcome rest on this solid, wooden bench
with its gently curved patterns and symmetry.
Related articles
- Weekly Photo Challenge – “Pattern” (soumyav.wordpress.com)
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern (platypiphotography.wordpress.com)
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern II (mydogablog.com)
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern (atreegrowsinbklyn.wordpress.com)
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern (francineinretirement.wordpress.com)
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern (scsurfbutler.com)
A Turtle Takes a Walk…
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A sunny morning walk from a pond at the edge of a woods… across a gravel road… towards a lake, reveals spring contrasts and camouflage…
My dark, shiny shell contrasts with the grey/white gravel.
A tulip stands alone, in new,
green growth on the forest floor.
Bright, yellow daffodils dazzle midst old, brown cattails.
Green and white trilliums make a spectacular ground
cover in contrast to the brown earth and rotting leaves.
A motionless green and brown Leopard Frog is cleverly camouflaged
against old, beige grass of winter and new, green grass of spring .
I bask in warm, morning sun on an old, black tyre by a dock.
I stretch my neck as far as I can above the surface to see
if another Midland Painted turtle is nearby in the lake.
Trillions of Trilliums
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Today I feel like Heidi may have felt when she discovered masses of wild flowers in the Alps - except I am in the woods when I come across masses of trilliums.
Trillions of trilliums!
One superbly formed flower… after another…
But I don’t ‘gather great handfuls of flowers and
stuff them all into my apron’ like Heidi.
Instead, I photograph the brilliant white trilliums.
When I get home, I learn three very good reasons for not gathering the wild flowers. One, trilliums bloom in April/May - a short time to enjoy their beauty. Two, a trillium takes up to 11 years to … (read more)
The trillium is Ontario’s Provincial flower or ’floral emblem’.
Spyri, Johanna. (No date). Heidi: A Story for Children. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above
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05
13
Pondering what photo to use ‘from above’. Food? Flowers? Insects?
Then, a surprise. The decision is made for me whilst walking in bright sunshine by the lake…
A Midland Painted Turtle crosses the road to reach water – but
stops as I approach and tucks most of himself under his shell.
Then another surprise.
A Leopard frog is motionless
in ragged, beige and green grass beside the road.
‘From above’ reveals beautiful patterns on the animals.
‘Turtle’ and ‘Frog’ remind me of favourite children’s books.
Not a Midland Painted Turtle, but a sea turtle (Amazon photo).
The frog: A Frog Inside my Hat
Fay Robinson’s compilation of children’s poems.
Related articles
Browsing for Breakfast
08
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13
On an early morning walk, we come across a lone heron browsing for breakfast.
Slowly, silently slinking… searching for a bite to eat.
Warily walking and watching the water he sees…
… something of interest and
quietly enters the water.
His beak deftly pierces the water and comes up with something
for breakfast – but we couldn’t see the tasty morsel.
The lone heron browses until he is startled by a
walker’s ’shoes on stones’ sound and he gracefully flies off.
Breakfast is over for the moment …
The birds are back…
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13
The birds are back.
For spring and summer.
Water birds. Land birds.
Familiar birds: Geese. Mallards.
Unfamiliar birds.
Bobbing on the river that runs through town.
Black and white heads against choppy, blue water.
‘Hooded Mergansers’? Not sure…
On the way out of town,
Stop at calmer waters.
More ducks.
Black and white. Grey and white.
The ducks dive for food.
Re-surface. Anywhere!
Camera: Press. Focus. Click.
Duck: Dives down. Out of sight.
Left with a photo of calm, cold water,
With a squiggle on the top!
Drive home. Download photos.
Beautiful black and white heads.
Google ‘Hooded Merganser’ to check.
Black head. White hood. But brown on the body? No…
View another picture.
Black and white head.
Bufflehead? Bufflehead?
Check google photos with my photos.
Could be…
Male. Black head. White wrap around patch. Yes…
Then, a telling factor:
“… buoyant, large-headed duck that abruptly vanishes and resurfaces as it feeds.” Yes…
A male Bufflehead
Later, we see a male Hooded Merganser.
The birds are back!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Up
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It’s ‘a great day for up’
when you go
off the beach cliff
and up, up, up
into the sky…
with these high up hang-gliders.
Up always reminds me of A great day for UP, by Dr Suess -
a fun read with a child!
with thanks to http://www.sodahead.com for the cover picture.
