Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Peekaboo 90821” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Beneath the roar of traffic passing by on the overpass is a small oasis of wildflowers. Mixed in with the black eyed susans are small purple flowers with a frilly bloom. Although alien to North America the knapweed does offer an interesting bloom and so I ease the big blue truck to the edge of the road and kneel down to look. A longhorn beetle pokes his head out from behind the flowers a few times to get a better look at the giant coming his direction. With a wave of antenna he disappeared back behind the flowers. The game of Peekaboo was short lived but the beetle seemed to enjoy it. He simply had no time for more than a moment of fun before returning to the duty of making sure each and every wildflower in the mountains had been explored and pollinated. He can’t let the bumblebees see him slacking!
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.
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.
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! Simplyuse 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!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Tranquility In Yellow 90521” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Soft light falls gently across my Appalachian Mountains as the afternoon drifts into evening. The day is still very warm but with the ebbing of the season the night is cooler than it has been. September brings the end of August’s rage and the cooler days beckon the call to wander through the mountains seeking solitude. The tall fall flowers sway as the bees and other pollinators accept the invitation to come and feed. The solitary bees seem to do the lion’s share of the work. After searching through internet images I’ve decided that the one in tonight’s Feature Image is a leaf cutter bee although the specific species it is I’m not certain on.
I’ve mentioned before that for a long time I was terrified of bees. A bad experience with European Bald Face Hornets as a child left me with a phobia for anything with wings and stingers. The fact that I now see bees as a symbol of peace and tranquility is the result of my adult self forcing me to push the environment on my tolerance to be near them. Even now to point where I can be calm and allow huge Carpenter Bees and evil looking Mud Daubers to fly up to me and satisfy their curiosity. The presence of more docile bees like the leaf cutters has actually become a bit of comfort to me.
The opposite of fear isn’t bravery. Bravery is actually action in spite of fear. No the opposite of fear is a combination of love and knowledge ( fear is oftenboundtoignorance). Knowledge gives us the framework to apply love and love gives us a reason to move forward in any plan to act. And it’s my love for the natural world that gives me an appreciation for all the wonderful bees on my mountain. Everything in nature was created for our benefit. Even the challenges.
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.
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.
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! Simplyuse 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!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Thistle 90521” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
The door of the big blue truck opens and I’m greeted by the jarring of grasshoppers as I step out onto the single lane road. The Light breeze is warm and balmy but without the humidity of the past few weeks. The harsh sun and thick air of mid to late summer is about as popular with me as the frozen depths of winter. But the as the sun lowers its arch cooler days approach. I noticed that the thistle is now in bloom and that is a signal to me that changes are coming.
As I study the texture of the thistle I find myself with a choice. The beautiful spray of pinkish red to purple flowers flowers are airy and lighthearted but they’re encased with prickly spines that fobid a touch. The paradox became do I see them as the beautiful bloom or as the foreboding thorns?
Often in life we’ll be faced with a duality. Objects, situations and even people ( especially people) are a mix of positive and negative aspects. How we see things depends on our focus. If we want to change a situation we first have to change how we see things. Some people would advise us to accept the thorns, ignore the pain of the prickly thorns and focus on smelling the flowers. Others of course would advise that the sweet scent is beyond our grasp and that we just have to learn how to live without smelling this time. But it’s a false choice. As humans we’re gifted with something that most creatures have only in small amounts. Creative reasoning. We find that we don’t need to choose between pleasure and pain if we adapt. We still need to be cautious but we can either use a tool such as a stick to draw the flower in close enough to enjoy or we can simply gently hold the stem between the thorns. Either way the point is that there’s always more opportunity than we see on the surface and we can often find a way around the negative.
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.
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.
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! Simplyuse 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!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Sweet Endeavors 90321” 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.
⚠️ WARNING. Butterfly Weed is listed in my source materials as both toxic and edible. Most sources say that it should only be used in small amounts. Please do further research from multiple sources before considering Butterfly Weed as forage. For tonight’s post we’re speaking specifically of Asclepias tuberosa.
When I first learned that Butterfly Weed was listed as edible I was fairly surprised. Butterfly Weed is in the milkweed family and as such I was always told it was toxic. Milkweed’s association with the Monarch Butterfly further reinforced that belief because in eighth grade science we all learned that Butterflies get their toxins from the food they eat as caterpillars. Here’s what to consider. Caterpillars concentrate toxins in special organs and carry that poison throughout their lives. And as caterpillars they consume the most toxic part of milkweed. And while Butterfly Weed is in the milkweed family it lacks the milky latex sap that gives this group of plants their name. Butterfly Weed sap is clear and that’s a good identification trait to remember. Also consider it to be important that the parts safe for humans isn’t the leaves and stems. Those are toxic to us and should be avoided.
The parts of Butterfly Weed that are Forage for humans are the unopened flower buds and the young shoots. One of my gotos for information is Green Dean of Eat The Weeds and he does recommend changing the water a few times when foraging the milkweed family. With that in mind let’s take a look at Butterfly Weed.
The unopened buds should be harvested when young and are said to taste like peas. They are toxic when raw even though they lack the milky sap. The other thing that I found interesting is that the nectar contains no toxins. Butterfly Weed yields up so much nectar and it’s so sweet that the sugars will often crystallize on the flowers. These lumps of sugar can be eaten on the spot or evaporated down into syrup the same way molasses is. I do also see the potential to simply collect the lumps of hardened nectar to be powered up and stored as a natural sweetener or if you’re a bee keeper with access to Butterfly Weed in sufficient quantities it might be stored and fed to the bees at times when you do your supplemental feeding. I certainly think it’s more likely to contain micro nutrients than sugar purchased at a store and more organic than corn syrup. If you’re a person who has plenty of room to raise Butterfly Weed and can meticulously harvest the lumps when they’re available then there might be a niche market for such a resource. However I should point out that unless you are able to develop a technique or technology to make it extremely efficient it may not be worth the effort to do on an industrial scale.
Old timers would often speak of “Pleurisy Root” and that is one of the names for Butterfly Weed. Traditionally Native Americans used the plant for a variety of lung ailments as well as Rheumatism. The powdered roots were applied externally to heal bruises and wounds.
Butterfly Weed is a native of the Appalachian Mountains and the bright orange flowers are a wonderful addition to native landscaping. As the name suggests it does attract butterflies and other pollinators. Like the common milkweed that seed pod contains a fluffy mass of fibers that were once used in life jackets by the Navy. And while we don’t need it for life jackets anymore I do wonder if it would make a nice natural textile.
That’s it for tonight’s Forage Friday! 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.
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.
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! Simplyuse 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!♥️
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Treasured Moment 90321” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.
Cool rain washes the summer heat from my mountain home and it’s a great opportunity for tranquility. The door is my threshold between my house and my home. The scent of the rain is still in the air as I venture out into the wet grass and let the breeze pull away the mental clutter of the day. The real world is made from stone and living wood and holds all of our greatest blessings. Truly it’s a treasure to find a simple moment and hold it for as long as you can.
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.
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.
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! Simplyuse 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!♥️
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 