lloydslensphotographyllc

Small Wonders

Sunny days make for Sunny dispositions. Especially when that day holds no particular agenda. We all need a chance to simply exist as part of creation and fresh air in combination with sunlight is the best option. I’ve been told that it’s the little things that matter most in life. My mountains are full of little things. Things that often go unnoticed until we slow down a bit. Like the little yellow inch worm hiding in plain sight on a daisy. His camouflage is so effective that I didn’t spot him until I was processing the image. It brought to memory a poem written by a classmate in grade school. ” If you don’t see me it’s not my fault. I’m no bigger than a grain of salt. ” I wish I could remember who it was so I could give them credit. The assignment for art class was to draw a picture and write a poem about it. The poem was accompanied by single dot in the center of the page.

Now I realize that in reality inch worms are pests in gardens and they damage our plants. Most notably the cabbage loopers that roll the leaves into little cocoons for protection. But in the innocence of childhood they’re so much more. And let’s face the facts. It’s fun to watch them as they undulat their way to wherever they’re going. I remember that more than once they were gently captured and placed side by side so they could race up the tree. One inch at a time. Or if found clinging to an article of clothing that it meant God was measuring you for your robes in heaven. Even today when I spot an inch worm I have the urge to stop and watch it do it’s thing.

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

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

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!♥️

Forage Friday #111 Wild Hydrangeas

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Wild Hydrangeas 60921a”. All photos found on my website are my original work unless otherwise specified and are 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.
⚠️ Wild Hydrangeas are associated with gastrointestinal distress, Dizziness and chest pain. Peterson’s Field Guide says that hydrangeas produce a cyanide like poisoning.

Late Spring and Early Summer are almost indistinguishable on my mountain. We normally awaken to the sound of rain and a roll of thunder as my little buddy Scout (my dog) snuggles closer for safety.

As the day progresses the sun reclaims the rain as mists that rise from the ridges and hollers. The forest is lush and green from the replenishment of the sun/rain cycle. It’s at this time that the trails and edges begin to sprout clusters of little white flowers.

While wild hydrangeas are listed as edible in some sources they don’t really rank well as a food. Nevertheless they have been consumed. (See Warning above) The twigs and branches are used in teas and the new growth can be peeled and boiled until tender. Then removed from the water and fried. I presume that the boiling process is intended to be an attempt to remove toxins as well as softening the cellulose to a point where it can be chewed and swallowed. But it doesn’t seem to have been used often as a food. In fact a very large amount of it can result in poisoning.

Where Hydrangeas seem to come into their own is in medicinal values. There isn’t a large range of uses as with most plants that I cover. It’s mostly used as a treatment for urinary issues as a diuretic. The roots are valued by diggers who sell them to the supplement industry. And my honest opinion is that the selling of the roots is probably the best way to benefit from wild hydrangeas unless you’re a beekeeper converting the bloom into honey and propolis. If you read the warning above ( And you really should.) You’ll see that it does seem to have an effect on the cardiovascular system. Native Americans did in fact use wild hydrangeas as a heart medicine. They also seemed to use it topically for burns, sprains and muscle soreness.

So would I actually use hydrangeas? Well, in an apocalyptic situation where I had no other choice I might. Otherwise I think that our Appalachian forest has so many different plants that offer the same benefits without the hazards that it’s not really worth the risks. Now there is a Japanese variety that is being looked into as a treatment for diabetes and malaria but that doesn’t mean that all varieties will be acceptable for this use.

That’s it for tonight’s #foragefriday. 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?

The Days Of Battle Run

Color Photography, Summersville Lake, West Virginia

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Battle Run 60921p” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The afternoon sun floods through the parking lot of the big lake. Youthful memories rush back as the hourglass of my mind flips over allowing the sand to flow back to the top. The song coming from the speakers would have been “Good Times Roll” by The Cars. The door opens and the music stops. In those days you could only open the trunk with the key. Not the one that starts the car but the little one with a round head. The trunk hinges squeak as the lid raised and the smell of suntan oil hits me in the face as I reach for the large towel. We really didn’t need much more than a towel to sit on. And I We didn’t really sit on the shore much. The Keys were dropped in the toe of a shoe and the shoes were laid next to towel. Perhaps there would be an igloo cooler with a few snacks and something to wash it down with. All was left in the grass without a second thought that it might not be there when you returned from a swim. The water would be slightly warm in the shallow but as we waded in deeper it was cool on the bottom. Take a breath and let yourself fall into the deep. I was always a person that kept his eyes open underwater. I’d look around for any items that might have been dropped and left behind under the water. Occasionally we’d find a pair of sunglasses or something lost by another swimmer. We’d hear the clicking of the screws on the big boats as they idled into the campground. The water was the best way to stay cool on hot days. And you had to swim from the beach to the campground and back at least once before packing up and going home for dinner. It’s traditional! Summer is meant for carefree days and no schedules. There’s no place better than the lake to accomplish that.

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?

Waiting For Harvest

black and white photography, West Virginia

The warm June air is full of the aroma of roses as the big blue truck roams the hills and valleys of my beloved mountains. The flowers that once announced the arrival of Spring have retired to gestate their fruit and seeds. Some have already completed the cycle and now lay as dormant roots below the duff of the forest. Missing from the air is fleet of green June bugs of my childhood. The shiny metallic exoskeleton seemed to glisten like gemstone in bright sunlight. A simple leash made from a length of thread would be tied around a leg and the large beetle would be a pet for the day and released at dusk. Aside from the cheap entertainment of having a large bug fly in circles around the yard the farm equipment would be prepared for the first cutting of the hay. Severe allergies prevented my participation in the cutting and putting up a store for winter but I was always fascinated by the equipment. In those days the bales were rectangular and in the season every farm had rows of giant organic Lagos in perfectly straight lines thanks to the rakes like this one. Whenever I see the tines all lined up like pinwheels I become a child again watching out the windows as the tractor pulls the tall grass into rows. Later in life years of shots allowed me to participate for a limited time but shortly thereafter the large round bales replaced the blocks but the rakes were still ever present.

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?

Aliens Among Us.. How multiflora rose became a problem.

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Aliens Among Us 53021a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The big blue truck eases through the graveled county road. Recent rains have beaten down the dust and when you’re traveling a back road that means you can leave the windows down. The sweet scent of roses carries well in the humid air however this time its not one of the Native pink roses that I’ve come to know and love. It’s the invasive multiflora rose that was brought to North America in the 1880s.

At the dawn of the computer age someone stated in a humorous alteration of Newton’s third law that “For every action there’s an equal and opposite malfunction.” The sentiment definitely holds true for the multiflora rose. Because they have an aggressive root system the multiflora rose was brought in as grafting stock. Native roses are self limiting and prior to the introduction of multiflora rose this kept the ecosystem in balance. The number of wild roses were kept in check because it needed just the right conditions to flourish. But this also resulted in a challenge for those who wanted to cultivate the native roses for its larger fruit. Of for avian habit. In Victorian years roses were also a food crop as well as flower. The leaves and petals were made into various teas and beauty treatments and the fruit made into jams and teas. They were never a staple crop but there was large niche market. So the idea was to graft the native roses onto the more aggressive roots of the multiflora roses. The multiflora roses escaped from the captive conditions of the nursery and began to dominate the landscape. Because they grow so aggressively and produce more seeds than native roses they began to push out the native population. In fact I only know of a couple of places where the native roses have held their grounds locally.

Government officials didn’t help much either. They encouraged us plant the alien roses as a form of erosion control and wildlife habitat. This only made things harder on the native roses. In fact even into the mid 90s Government handbooks on soil conservation still listed multiflora rose as an endorsed species that was beneficial.

Aside from the mass produced chemicals that are effective against the spread of multiflora roses one thing that can be done to help get rid of them is to plant trees from the Juglanddacae family. These are the Walnut, Pecan and Hickory trees that exclude a substance from their roots that can kill other plants and especially roses. Of course we don’t want to do this around our ornamental roses or anywhere that we we have desired flowers but in places like forest edges and such when makes sense these trees can help fight the spread of multiflora roses and other undesirable species.

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