lloydslensphotographyllc

Nature’s Fall Games

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Bumblebee & Pink Asters 92821a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The big blue truck cruises down old Route 19 as I enjoy the fresh air. Windows down and my favorite music on a quiet road is the best way for me to find inspiration in early Fall. Across from the old general store that has sadly closed is a small lot that is ablaze with asters and Goldenrod. Fall is the season of color and every little patch of clear earth is alive with the Fall flowers. The native bees and butterflies gather for a feast and to carry away bee bread for their precious broods.

The Fall breeze challenges my focus as I explore this tiny kingdom with my lens. In my imaginations I can even hear a giggle of mischief as wind moves flowers out of frame and changes the depth of focus. Nature loves these kinds of games but eventually settles a bit to reward my struggling patience. She sends the little bumblebee to just the right spot and whispers “Now” as the shutter snaps and the image is captured. We play the game over and over throughout the afternoon. Butterflies dance with the flowers in the breeze and play games of their own when the wind changes their landing zones. The game will last forever in my mind but sooner or later the asters will need their turn as they cast their seeds into the air where wind will plant them in just the right place at just the right time for them to sleep beneath the frost. As tomorrows change into yesterdays the time for such games will come again and with God’s grace I’ll be there to witness it again.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.

We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

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Lloyds Lens Photography web link — Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️

A Little Trivia About Thistles

black and white photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Thistle Launch 91921bw” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The dry air and cooler days begins the countdown. Guarded by foreboding spines the launchpad opens to reveal an armada of airborn pioneers ready to seek out new territory for colonial conquest. For most gardeners and enthusiasts of native landscape the thistle is a dreaded invader. But is it really an invader? Well that depends.

When we think about thistle the image that most comes to mind is the Scottish thistle of legend. If you’ve never heard the story it recounts the invasion of Scotland by the Normans and its said that one of the invaders for whatever reason was barefoot and stepped on a thistle. When he cried out in pain it alerted the Scotts to the enemy’s position and the sneak attack was thwarted. Henceforth the thistle became the emblem of the Scottish and is even known in some circles as guardian thistle. How it got to America is something I’m not sure of. Most likely it was by accident. However, there’s the mystery of Cherokee blowgun darts that are traditionally fletched with thistle down. A little research shows that North America actually has native species of thistle. The thistle was collected before the seeds form but after the the flowers close. There was a curing process that included clamping the flowers shut so they would stay in compact bundle. When ready they were wrapped onto the darts and used for both hunting and war. What’s more is that native songbirds such as the goldfinches tend to prefer thistle seeds as food. ( store bought “thistle seeds are often not even thistle but an African plant called nyjer)

Being raised around cattle and hay fields means that all thistle is bad. The cattle won’t eat it and as it spreads it reduces hay production. However, native field thistle is often mistaken for Scottish thistle. I’ve not personally checked this yet but the USDA says that native thistle has white on the underside of the leaves and now that I know this I’ll be keeping an eye out for it in the future. I don’t raise cattle anymore but I do absolutely love my songbirds and so in the future I’ll be considering my little flock of songbirds when I do the weed control around my house. I don’t want anything to completely take over but if I can find a native species of thistle and make a spot for them that’s free food for my birds, bees and butterflies.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

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Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

My Escort

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Meadowhawk 91921a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Sunbeams sweep across the edge of the Marsh as the meadowhawk dragonfly plays in the fading reeds. It leaps from its perch and circles a bit before hovering in front of me. I’m certain that he was just curious about who I was and why I had encroached on his hunt. However, since warm blooded mammals like myself tend to draw mosquitos in the swamp he decided to allow my presence as a lure. I continued to stumble about and snap a photo here and there of whatever caught my fancy and to my surprise the little meadowhawk was never far off. He’d occasionally fly a circle near me picking off noseeums from mid air. If there had been a hundred more just like him I’d probably have not come home itching and covered with little polka-dots. But as it is one little meadowhawk just can’t do all the work by himself. I continued to take photos and eventually decided to head to someplace with less insects that feed on humans and as I reached the big blue truck I turned to find my escort circling just a few feet away. Sometimes I a marvel at the great machine that is creation and on this day I was thankful for the ruby red guardian angel in the form of a tiny dragonfly.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Satisfaction And Doing

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Buzz About Autumn 92421” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The warm autumn sun flows gently into the mountains of Appalachia. There’s still plenty of life to be lived in the highland delta. It was Lao Tzu that said “Nature does not hurry. Yet everything is accomplished. ” This past week I’ve taken a que from nature in a personal construction project. It’s the type of work that I haven’t done in a couple of decades. Building a form for cement where there is no place to anchor. Laying out rebar and mixing cement by hand. And being totally exhausted at the end of the day. I didn’t rush my world. That’s not a typo. Although the work was more physically demanding in my 50s than it was in my 20s and 30s it was also more pleasant. I’d forgotten the meditave quality of building something. The simple actions of a project that demands just enough mental energy to escape from the influences of the outside world is somewhat of a refreshing experience. Human beings are builders. Absent of the demand of a production schedule labor becomes almost unnoticed as a person enters “the zone”. Like the humble little bee whose peace of mind comes from living her purpose we too need to fulfill a drive to be active for our own needs. And while I certainly didn’t break any records in my project I did have that satisfied feeling of accomplishment at the end of it. It’s would seem that dirty hands leaves one with a peaceful heart.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Forage Friday #125. Silky Dogwood

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Silky Dogwood 92521” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Please remember that Forage Friday is presented as trivia and not to be mistaken for medical advice.

In my mind’s eye I see them. Bare feet in thick mud pushing their way through the thick reeds. Some of them balance delicately on dugout canoes as they gather the blue drope berries in hand woven baskets. The abundance of the silky dogwood berries won’t last long. They’ll need to race the birds to them. But for the paleo people of North America the silky dogwood is available.

It wasn’t until recently that I even knew that a dogwood with small flowers and dark blue berries existed. I had known that the flowering dogwood with it brilliant red berries was a favorite of wildlife but the tiny hard berries didn’t seem like they were worth the effort. Later I learned of the Cornelian Cherry and it’s also a dogwood but with large sweet and sour berries that are about the size of a grape. I’d learned that if I wanted to find a dogwood in Fall that looking for red berries was a good start. When I found out that some dogwoods have a blue berry I was pretty intrigued. Unlike the flowering dogwood (Cornus Florida) it has a pretty “fleshy” berry and unlike the Cornelian Cherry (Cornus Mas) the berries hang in dense clusters. Another thing that seems unique to silky dogwood (Cornus Amomum) is that it seems to prefer swamps. Not far from where I took the photo I’m told that large shallow stone bowls were found and that they belonged to a people that were probably from the Mississippian Era of North America. They were probably either Hopewell or Adena. I imagine that since no mounds are in the immediate area that this was a place where they camped in summer through early fall and that they processed and preserved the silky dogwood along with the fish and turtles in the swamp. I have found one source that said some people have experienced a rash from contact with silky dogwood but I personally haven’t had any problems. I’m pretty confident that given the types of foods found in the swamp that natives would have used the berries in pemmican and maybe even traded the final product with other tribes as they traveled towards Kentucky and Ohio for winter.

I wish I could tell you from personal experience about how delicious they are. I expect that they’re similar to Cornelian Cherry which for me is kinda citrus but sour like sweet and sour candy. However for 2 years in a row I’ve been beat out by the wildlife. One person has told me that they see deer come to the silky dogwood daily to check for ripe berries.

The berries are said to be very tasty and can be eaten raw or cooked.

The bark was once used as a substitute for Quinine and as poultice for external sores.

The flowers appear shortly after the flowers of the flowering dogwood fade away and so it’s a great landscape plant. However, the flowers are much smaller and resemble elderberry bloom. It’s also more tolerant of wet conditions than flowering dogwood.

That’s it for this week’s Forage Friday!

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw