Various places in Balcones District Park on August 23rd were home to various drying grass seed heads. I took the top picture with flash, and I’m not sure what kind of grass it was. For the portrait below, which I believe shows silver bluestem (Bothriochloa laguroides), I turned off the flash to let the […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
Out on the Blackland Prairie in eastern Pflugerville on August 28thI photographed a colony of snow-on-the-prairie, Euphorbia bicolor.A few sunflowers, Helianthus annuus, came along for the ride. § § § § § In a recent post a friend wrote that she chose to “combine two weekly updates into one.” That’s normal English, […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
Atop a prickly pear cactus tuna in Balcones District Park on August 23rd I spotted a bug and made several portraits of it. Only back home later when looking at an enlarged view on my computer monitor did I discover the much smaller nymph that was also there. Bugguide.net has identified the species as […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
Two years ago today I photographed this squirrel happily tearing apart and eating a bois d’arc fruit (Maclura pomifera) that had fallen on the ground. Though I was fairly close, the squirrel showed no signs of minding my presence as I took plenty of pictures. A post from 2020 offered a better view of […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
In Great Hills Park on August 15th I was taken with the way the sun backlit the leaf of a milkweed wine.Which of various milkweed vines that grow here it was, I’m not sure. A single pod hung from the vine: And here’s a detailed closeup of the hairy vine itself: […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
In the Mueller Greenway on August 22nd the Lady Eve drew my attention to this spider ensconcedin the web with which it had pulled a blade of grass into a loop. Pretty nifty, don’t you think? © 2025 Steven Schwartzman| Portraits of Wildflowers
In my local Great Hills Park on August 15th I made some studies of velvetleaf mallow (Allowissadula holosericea), a plant that the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website describes this way: An attractive and eye-catching, but coarse-textured, shrub that reaches about 6 feet in height. Its large, chartreuse, heart-shaped leaves are velvety to the touch. […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
As much as we prize prairie flameleaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata) for its colorful fall foliage and fruit, the small tree’s dense clusters of summer flowers are a pleasure as well, and not only for people, as evidenced by this queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) in Cedar Park on August 12th. § § § § § […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
Well, there’s not really a tale, just two short-horned grasshoppers that I photographed independently at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on August 10th. The yellow one, which was only about 3/4 of an inch long and belongs to the genus Melanoplus, clung to a gayfeather plant (Liatris punctata var. mucronata). The brown one […]| Portraits of Wildflowers
We drove a couple of miles east from home this morning to Schroeter Neighborhood Park to go walking. Although Austin got a bit over half an inch of rain toward the end of last week, I wasn&#…| Portraits of Wildflowers
Hey, friends. Another of my nature photography images titled “Rocky Mountain Columbine Cluster” is now live at Gobblers by Masticadores. Big thanks to editor Manuela Timofte for sharing this image of my all-time favorite wild flower species (it’s also Colorado’s state flower). Much appreciated, Manuela. You can view the image and its accompanying commentary here: Also, don’t forget … Continue reading “Rocky Mountain Columbine Cluster” published at Gobblers by Masticadores| Silent Pariah
Meadow pink with its coiled style Sabatia campestris, a pretty pink wildflower native to many local areas, commonly is known as meadow pink; its specific epithet is derived from the Latin word meaning ‘of the fields and meadows.’ Various online sites refer to it as Texas star, a name attached to the plant on the … Continue reading Prairie Pink, Pineland Pink| Lagniappe
Tropical blue water liles filling a Brazoria refuge pond Theoretically, Texas could claim four species of native water lily, although Nymphaea ampla, the dotleaf water lily common in Mexico and the Caribbean, is quite rare. On the other hand, the fragrant water lily (N. odorata) highlighted in my previous post and the so-called blue water … Continue reading From Bud to Blue| Lagniappe
American white waterlily ~ Nymphaea odorata As August heat rises, a variety of white flowers provides a cooling counterpoint to the season’s discomfort. At Lake Hyatt in east Texas, white wat…| Lagniappe
I’m always on the lookout for combinations of native plants. Tens of thousands of possibilities exist for two species of native plants to grow in proximity, so there’s no danger …| Portraits of Wildflowers
Hello, everyone. Another of my nature photography images titled “Delicate Arch & La Sal Mountains” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. Much gratitude to editor Manuela Timofte for sharing this image. I appreciate all you do, Manuela. You can view the image and its accompanying commentary here: Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers by Masticadores, where you’ll … Continue reading “Delicate Arch & La Sal Mountains” published at Gobblers by Mas...| Silent Pariah
Yesterday you saw seed heads of Clematis texensis. However, by far the most common of the three Clematis species in central Texas is Clematis drummondii. When July and August roll around, it’…| Portraits of Wildflowers
Aletris aurea abloom along the Big Thicket’s Sundew Trail A tall, slender splash of color common to east Texas, golden miller’s maid (Aletris aurea) occurs in wet pine savannas, moist pine flatwoods, and seepage areas where pitcher plants and meadow beauties also grow. The common name ‘miller’s maid’ may refer to the distinctive mealy or … Continue reading Forgoing the Straight and Narrow| Lagniappe
This was a good year for bluebells (Eustoma sp.), as a whopping eight posts in July confirmed. At this late date it occurred to me to show two last photographs that differ from the nineteen i…| Portraits of Wildflowers
I never thought about birds and how much time I’d spend watching them once I retired. In fact, bird watching as a hobby seemed silly back when I was in my 20s and 30s. In my book, it fell in …| Working on Exploring
On July 26th, six days after taking a lot of close abstract jimsonweed pictures, in a different neighbor’s front yard and with a telephoto rather than a macro lens I made this dual portrait …| Portraits of Wildflowers
A neighbor’s front yard on July 20th yielded these close abstractions of jimsonweed flowers (Datura sp.).The first one coincidentally fits the “pinwheel” theme of a recent …| Portraits of Wildflowers
Hooker’s eryngo ~ Eryngium hookeri Despite belonging to the same genus as the rattlesnake master shown in my previous post, the appearance of Hooker’s eryngo differs somewhat. Its flowe…| Lagniappe
Greetings, folks. Another of my nature photography images titled “Indian Paintbrush & Bluebird Feather” has been published at Gobblers by Masticadores. Much gratitude to editor Manuela Timofte for the publication of this image. Thanks a bunch, Manuela. You can view the image and its accompanying commentary here: Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers by Masticadores, where you’ll find … Continue reading “Indian Paintbrush & Bluebird Feather” published at ...| Silent Pariah
Rattlesnake master buds developing on the Nash prairie Bearing an especially evocative name, rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) commonly grows on the tallgrass prairie, although it can be fo…| Lagniappe
Purple leatherflower ~ Clematis pitcheri A delightful aspect of Brazos Bend State Park is the variety of environments it contains. Lakes, prairie, woods, swampy areas, and even the Brazos River its…| Lagniappe
New blooms surround old stones If you say “Broadway” to residents of southeast Texas, most will think of Galveston, where the street named Broadway serves as the city’s main thoro…| The Task at Hand
Springtime in Yosemite.| Jane's Lens
A pair of bald eagles was perched in clear view of the road as I drove to work in southern Monterey County, California this week. I parked and grabbed my Canon PowerShot and waited for the moon to align between the trees, using the car as a blind. After about 20 minutes the moon was […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
Spring comes early in Paso Robles, California. Sometimes summer comes early, too. This year, at least, summer had the decency to wait until the Summer Solstice. Summer means 90-plus temps during the day (the coast just over the “mountains” is generally 20-30 degrees cooler). We will get streaks of 100-plus days in July or August, […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” — John Muir Images from […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
Point Bouchon is owned by PG&E and visitors are allowed to hike there during certain times of the day. You must sign in and out. If you were allowed to hike far enough, you’d encounter the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant. There are signs all over the nearby area warning that sirens may indicate an emergency. […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
I’ve not been very good at keeping up my blog lately. So much to do, so little time. So I’m just going to post a gallery of photos from the beginning of this year in an attempt to catch up. These are birds from Atascadero Lake, California. Photos and text copyrighted by Cindy McIntyreFeel free to reblog […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
Island Fox I had two critters in mind when I visited Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park in early March, 2021. The Island Fox was one. Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jay on manzanita Th…| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
In the depths of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer. Albert Camus So many challenges in life test our resilience. That’s true for all of us. For Anne’s thoug…| P.A. Moed
Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light. Life is the wind and the rain and the thunder in the sky. Life is matter and is earth, what is and what is not, and what beyond is in Eternity. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca This week, Sofia takes us back to mankind’s early belief that all life is […]| P.A. Moed
While walking to our first vista in Bryce Canyon National Park on July 14th I stopped briefly to photograph a squirrel, as you saw last time. Six minutes later I’d reached the rim and …| Portraits of Wildflowers
From the northern fringe of giant saguaros’ (Carnegiea gigantea)range in Arizona on July 9th, here are some closer views. You can call them more abstract, too. &nb…| Portraits of Wildflowers
If our recent trip had taken us as far south in Arizona as Tucson or even Phoenix, I’d have expected to see giant saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea) and would even have sought them out in t…| Portraits of Wildflowers
Leanne Cole, our guest-host for this week’s photo challenge, invites us to feature Tourist Attractions. She isn’t asking for the standard postcard view however. “What the normal t…| Lindy Low LeCoq
Egídio introduces another technique to compose compelling photographs – two rectangles. “Having two dominant rectangular areas in an image, gives balance, harmony, and unity to a compos…| Lindy Low LeCoq
Composition can make or break a photograph’s impact for the viewer. I always take the time to compose an image in the camera, but never really concentrated on why. In this week’s challe…| Slow Shutter Speed
This week, we’re packing our bags again and getting ready to explore new places this summer. Fortunately, a few dear friends and family will be joining us along the way. These connections hav…| P.A. Moed
There! There! Beautiful white-rising has dawned. Beautiful yellow-rising has dawned. There! There! words; Hopi picture; Early Spring Morning, Eddie’s Photos| EddieTwoHawks
The best nature photographers of 2023 - winners announced - as part of the Click and Company "Best Photographers" series.| Click Magazine
