lloydslensphotographyllc

A Treasure In The Clearing

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Sunshine In The Distance 91120” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

To walk along a forest path and feel the trail pulling me towards a new world is freedom. There is no agenda or schedule to maintain. Only nature’s caress in the soft touch of a new leaf that brushes my shoulder as I slip through the opening in the dense vegetation. The scent of moss which is still wet with the morning dew under the shade of a thick canopy of hardwoods. The small birds flit about clearing out of my way as a come through. But their curiosity anchors them to the lower branches. They look on in wonderment at the camouflage of my shirt and hat. Surly they think that a tree has uprooted itself and now walking through their domain. A blue jay is enraged by my showing up unannounced and circles my position while calling out a dire warning that whatever that walking thing is he doesn’t trust it. The chickadees snicker at him and continue to do as they please. Only, they do it a little deeper in the bushes. Out beyond the place where storms toppled a massive tulip tree the sun beams in with full glory. A single yellow butterfly commands the attention of each and every wildflower that grows in the clearing. This is the treasure that the path has called me to today. A simple bit of golden sunbeam that has sprung to life.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement:

I am adding additional social media to my network. Eventually, I’ll be leaving Facebook behind for a multitude of reasons. Even though the Lloyd’s Lens Photography page is strictly non-political I have been restricted from interacting with followers with no explanation for why. But it’s not just that. For years now Facebook has throttled content providers in general. They encourage us to grow our audience and then want to sell us back the access to them. In addition, they collect and sell the data from our interaction. So Facebook has become an entanglement of thorns. In response I have created the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe. We can still interact directly on the blog but starting today I’ll be looking for more platforms that respect the privacy of my followers and don’t limit who gets to see the post.

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

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

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=238248269630914251

Lastly, 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 photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Life Sake Of Living

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Viceroy Butterfly In Joe Pye Weed 91220b” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Warm floral scents waft over the wetlands as I simply stand in the sun. All around me the butterfly population is exploding in brilliant, glorious colors. They’re territorial chases with each other seem like playful games of tag and in some cases I think it is all about fun as they ride the wind. One of them always breaks away from the others and returns to the same spot on the Joe Pye Weed. It’s only interest is to simply enjoy life for the sake of living. And that’s a good way to live beyond existence.

Announcement:

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

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Lonely Road

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Old Route 19 11221” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The old road stretches out before me like a lonely friend who has been too long without company. It seems to ask if I’d forgotten about all the places we used to go together. My old friend has been there on nights when I just needed to wander through and seen my home again. It’s shown me small miracles that stray from the cover of the forest and lay almost motionless in the tall grass with only the flick of a sensitive ear to give it’s hiding place away. It was the old road that turned myth into fact the day it showed me that the panthers still stalk the mountains. We sat together for several minutes. I with the passenger side window open just enough to see the eyes and long tail in the high grass. The driver and the old road were my only witnesses. The old roads know well my destination and talk to me in the sounds made by wheels in rain, slush and snow to let me know how fast or slow to go but on ice the road speaks very little and I have an abundance of caution if the road is silent. On mornings of travel the old roads always greet me with a smile in the rising sun. The same road bids me to rest well as I’m delivered home once more. And today, the road asks for one more adventure. One more day with no particular time to be anywhere. Just let the road pick the right place to be for a while. There’s life in the hills and the road knows where to find it.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement:

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

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Stillness

Color Photography, winter

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Grapevine In Winter 120220” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The silent forest lays covered in ice. It’s so quiet that I can hear the individual snowflakes impact on dry leaves. No wind blows. No bird chirps. Just the steadily falling snow. Hanging before my eyes is a single dry leaf of a skeeping wild grapevine. They say that the deepest sleep is just before morning. I look around at the quiet woods and realize that I’m the only one who stirrs on the mountain. The deer would be bedded down in an evergreen thicket. The birds are all in their various nests. Beneath the hollow of a fallen tree a mother bear snuggles close to a cub. All of nature rebuilds its energy waiting for the change in the wavelength of the sunlight to signal the emergence. All things will be new again in just a few short weeks. For now, rest up and dream of the new days ahead.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement:

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

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Forage Friday #92 Heartleaf Foamflower

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Heartleaf Foamflower 40720a” 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.

Mottled light spills over the forest floor in the little forest sanctuary on the edge of my property. I am knelt down on my knees and elbows as I focus in on the new growth that has appeared.

That was last April and I held back the images in the knowledge that from the end of January until about the end of March there was very few plants I could photograph. Plus I can post a few images well ahead of the coming Spring and give you my dear friends a little time to learn more before they emerge.

The Heartleaf Foamflower is a tiny but beautiful woodland wildflower. The leaves first began to appear in mid March on my mountain.

Image Titled “Heartleaf Foamflower 33120”. 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.

I first noticed this little clump around St. Patrick’s Day and by the end of the month it was forming flower buds. After such a long winter it’s a true joy to see something green and growing on my mountain. Normally my Forage Friday post is about wild edible or medicinal plants but there’s a psychological aspect of nature as well. Especially for hill people like myself. It’s not just the dark of October to the end of December but the lack of the fullness of the forest that brings me down a little. To see life in full bloom is really what I live for. It’s a source of contentment for me. But I digress.

I’m not aware of any edible uses for Foamflower. It’s listed as an evergreen and found in shady areas which means that it would probably adapt well as an indoor plant. It’s got a fairly low profile and grows in clusters.

Image Titled “Heartleaf Foamflower 40720b.”

The small flowers grow in spikes and really are quite pleasing to the eye. I think that they’re well suited for a native terrarium. For best results you’ll want to include living soil with anything you bring in out of the wild. Just be aware that you might have some insects or undesirable fungus in that soil and be prepared for dealing with it. Otherwise I think it would be a lovely idea.

Foamflower in general does have some medicinal value.

The Iroquois used the mashed roots to poultice on minor wounds and made a tea from the cured leaves to sooth sore eyes.

The Cherokee made an infusion with it for treating thrush.

Other uses are as a diuretic to flush out bladder infections and kidney stones.

That’s it for tonight. Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement:

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

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.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/