During my tenure at the paper, it wasn't too uncommon for you to hear an editor to tell you to find a stand-alone photo. That usually meant the stories for the front page didn't have photos to accompany them. I would then type in the term "stand alone" into the Associated Press search site. Up would pop hundreds of gorgeous pictures from the day that didn't necessarily have articles attached.
That memory seemed appropriate for my latest blog as I didn't have much but a bunch of unrelated photos.
The one photo that exemplified the term stand-alone art was a picture of a cinnamon fern in a shaft of sunlight. It happens a lot when walking, that the right lighting will just highlight something under the dark canopy of the forest. I received some favorable compliments when I posted it to a Pennsylvania native plants Facebook group. Despite the fact that it really wasn't a good photo for identification purposes, the picture was well-liked.
That memory seemed appropriate for my latest blog as I didn't have much but a bunch of unrelated photos.
The one photo that exemplified the term stand-alone art was a picture of a cinnamon fern in a shaft of sunlight. It happens a lot when walking, that the right lighting will just highlight something under the dark canopy of the forest. I received some favorable compliments when I posted it to a Pennsylvania native plants Facebook group. Despite the fact that it really wasn't a good photo for identification purposes, the picture was well-liked.
Cinnamon fern
 Dame's rocket  Scaly inky cap  Possible common mycena  Oyster mushrooms  Red spotted newt in its red eft stage  | The sunshine spotlight trick also worked with a photo I snapped of a dame's rocket flower. Unfortunately, the flower is not native to Pennsylvania and is considered an invasive species. However, this group of flowers grow in a manmade valley of an old strip mine where there is a dump. It serves various butterflies in the area and shows no signs of spreading from its current location. Located in the same dump area was a grouping of scaly inky cap mushrooms. Their appearance conjured up images of a small fairy village. The cluster was quite large and spread over a 10-foot area. As a mushroom afficionado and not connoisseur, I should note that the mushroom is not considered edible. A cluster of what I believed to be common mycena mushrooms garnered my attention. The tiny fungi popped up through the moss on a decaying log. According to an internet search, the mushrooms are not edible. The underside of some edible oyster mushrooms provided a unique view. When I posted a photo of the fungi on a mushroom gathering Facebook group, most of the comments were "yum, oysters." However, I noted that the mushrooms had already gathered some bugs and were nearing the point of being beyond consumption. Returning to the tree I discovered some more prime specimens growing further up, but harvesting would have required a ladder. Meanwhile, colorful little newts appeared along our path. They were red-spotted newts. They live on land in their red-eft stage for several years. Then when they reach adulthood, they will live in the water to breed. The frog sightings were more prevalent as the weather grew warmer. I was actually able to snap a stand-alone photo that I had imagined earlier in the spring before the frogs were even out. |
I saw a broken branch lying on the edge of the pond water. My first thought was to pick it up, but then thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool if a frog sat on that?." Low and behold, a few months later, my request was granted.
I found a snail shell along our daily walks. I moved it slightly into the sunlight for a better photo.
To my surprise, it was actually inhabited. I was generally amazed, because I usually only discover the shells after the occupants were gone.
I found a snail shell along our daily walks. I moved it slightly into the sunlight for a better photo.
To my surprise, it was actually inhabited. I was generally amazed, because I usually only discover the shells after the occupants were gone.
Chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly
Meanwhile back at the neighbor's pond, several dragonflies provided photo opportunities. I observed that one day there were only three or four flying around. The next day many more had hatched and there were too many to count.
I noted that I generally see chalk-fronted corporal dragonflies during the first week in June. This year it seemed their appearance was approximately two weeks early.
I noted that I generally see chalk-fronted corporal dragonflies during the first week in June. This year it seemed their appearance was approximately two weeks early.
Lady slipper orchid
In the woodlands, the lady slipper blooms were starting to fade. Without any goats to distract, I was able to get a few more close-ups of the native orchids.
 Bumblebee feeding on foxglove  Wood satyr butterfly  Red-spotted purple butterfly | In the garden, a pair of color complimentary irises stood out against the background. Meanwhile, the foxglove blossoms were being visited by various pollinators. Due to its aggressiveness in spreading, the plant was seen in both the woodlands and garden areas. Speaking of pollinators, various butterflies were out and about. A wood satyr stopped its flitting long enough for a photo. After seeing several red-spotted purple butterflies flying around, I was able to finally get a photo of one. While the photo wasn't necessarily the best, it was still better than the first attempt. There had been one flying around the dog kennel area. When I grabbed the camera, my settings were set too dark, and the photo didn't turn out. I was discouraged, but immediately perked up when the butterfly came back for second chance. The settings were good, I just had to wait for it to land. However, Lil' Bit, the cat had other ideas and pounced on the butterfly. I had to abandon my photography efforts to release the butterfly from the cat's grasp. That's just the nature of things 'round here. |
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