365 Theme 342: Underneath

And just hanging out. Waiting for lunch.

365 Theme 57: Clown

Another image from my trip to Cabo San Lucas in April. This gentlemen wandered about the restaurant entertaining adults and children alike by making balloon "hats". This was my second trip to Cabo, second trip to this restaurant, and second visit by this clown. Had I been thinking I would have brought my 'real' camera with me. As it was all I had was my iPhone and its two megapixel camera.

365 Theme 111: From Ground Level

That's the view this snake has most of the time. Another image from the Warren Grove outing.

365 Theme 49: Chores

If you look closely you'll see a trail of shiny black things across the image from upper left to lower right. Ants. And if you look closer still you'll note that some of the ants are carrying oblong white objects. I believe these are pupa. I don't know why they were carrying them. There had been quite a bit of rain with more to come later that day, so perhaps the colony was flooded and they were looking for higher ground. Ants will also bring pupa out of the nest to warm them in the sunlight, but this day was completely overcast. The line of ants was several feet long, so I'm guessing the colony was on the move. A larger version can be found here.

365 Theme 312: Sweets

Lowbush blueberry growing wild in the Warren Grove Bombing Range.

365 Theme 85: Entrance

I'm fascinated by ants. I find it amazing how the combined activity of a set of individuals, each with minimal brain power, can result in such complex behavior. Several jobs ago the group I managed gave me an ant farm for my birthday and I set it up in my office. As you might imagine it received a wide range of reactions by visitors. Larger version here.

365 Theme 266: Rusted

A macro shot of an old cable in the Warren Grove Bombing Range. I like the colors and the texture.

365 Theme 117: Gap

Filled with the full moon. Taken at Whitesbog as we were setting up our telescopes for a public starwatch. We set up on an old runway, at one end of which is the flooded cranberry bog shown here. The full moon was alined perfectly in the gap in the foliage. Several of us grabbed our cameras to get this shot.

365 Theme 340: Turkey Or Fowl

This was the scene this morning, less than a quarter mile from my house, as I drove home from breakfast. I keep a digicam in my car, a Canon G9, for just such photo ops. I rolled down the window of my car and snapped away. After an initial bit of curiosity, mom decided I wasn't a threat and continued to enjoy the morning sun.

365 Theme 29: Bodies of Water

Many tiny bodies of water on this very small spider web. Another image form the Warren Grove photo outing.

365 Theme 72: Curvy

A pair of northern pine snakes, found in the Warren Grove Bombing Range in the NJ Pinelands. I was on a photo outing white two companions, one of which told us that "his friends alway see snakes here" but that he never did. As we were shooting I spotting the blue eyed snake in the upper image. After I had called out "I found a snake", he turned to come see and immediately yelled, "so did I" as he almost stepped on the snake shown in the bottom image. The blue eyes are a sign that the snake is near to shedding its skin.

365 Theme 83: Eight

Legs that is. I was photographing flowers when I spotted this fellow scurrying about. Occasionally she would stop just long enough for me to get off a shot. I think this is a blueberry flower (it is definitely in the heath family). It was taken at Whitesbog in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in the NJ Pinelands. Whitesbog is the home of the cultivated blueberry, thanks in great part to the efforts of Elizabeth White.

In With The Old, Week Twenty-Four

Anna's Hummingbird (April 2006)

It is not obvious but the background of this image is the wall of the gift shop at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum in Arizona. The plant was in a large pot next to the door of the shop. Mama hummingbird decided that this would be a great spot for a nest. Perhaps she realized the presence of humans would keep predators at bay. This isn't the only humming bird I've photographed there. There's this one and this one.

365 Theme 251: Razor Sharp

I spotted this fellow on the side of the road in southern New Jersey. He (she?) seemed calm enough while I snapped a few pictures, posing patiently while I inched closer and closer. 

Realizing that a roadway is no place for a turtle, I put the camera away and got out a small shovel I keep in my car. I used the shovel to encourage her (him?) to leave the roadway and head back into the woods. It snapped twice at me, although it was more snapping in my general direction then any real attempt to injure me. Still made me jump though. Happily, neither the shovel, the turtle, nor myself was harmed in the encounter.

In With The Old, Week Twenty-Three

Carnivore (July 2006)

Venus flytrap taken at Longwood Gardens on a brutally hot and humid day made worse yet by being inside a greenhouse. A friend and I visited the gardens on a photo outing. We each made a number of nice images, but it was just to hot to stay much past noon. 

We'd not planned staying anyway, as we were heading to a colleague's home for a barbeque. We had picked the gardens as a photo destination based on the proximity to the barbeque. I've a friend who works there now and she's been wanting me to visit, so maybe I'll have some new images to post.

In With The Old, Week Twenty-Two

Superstition Mountains (April 2006)

I mentioned my annual trip to Arizona in last week's image. This shot was taken the year before that one. I have relatives in the Phoenix area, and I went wandering in the Superstition Mountains with my cousin's (now ex) husband. I left my hotel before sunrise, and by the time we got to the trail head it was already 90º F. I had questioned his suggestion to wear long pants, but I'm glad I did, given the number of cactus needles I'd later need to remove from them. 

I greatly missed the trip this year.