Symbiosis

Color Photography

Hello Friends. The feature for tonight is titled “Symbiosis” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

The cool misty rain floats in air and gently settles onto the forest floor. Because the ground temperature is warmer than the air the fog rises up almost immediately. The fresh scent of the moss wafts through the woods. As the rain slows to a halt the birds resume their songs. I decided to take advantage of the break in the weather and venture out. Throughout the sea of soft green that carpets the forest the tiny orange speck catches my glimpse. At first I thought that it was a gumball or piece of candy dropped near the trail but when I was close enough to focus on it I saw the tiny mushroom. To get a positive ID was a little beyond my reach but because of the location and growth medium I believe it’s some kind of Mycorrhizal fungus. No. Not “fun Gus”, fungus. Believe it or not Mycorrhizal fungus are a pretty important part of God’s design for planet earth. There’s a whole lot of impressive vocabulary connected with describing it’s job but for the purpose of this post it’s job is to deliver nutrition to the plants. In return the plants turn the nutrients into food that the fungus can eat. They don’t just grow next to each other. They share a root system. For most of us the word symbiosis is one of the first natural science terms that we learn. Just in case you were busy shooting paper balls through a straw at your classmates that day it means a partnership between two or more organisms. They are stronger together working as one than each would be on it’s own. The relationship means not just surviving but thriving.

Today’s world is pretty rough. Everywhere we look there are divisions and competition between people who have different angles on life and how it should be lived. Each side has it’s own talents and the potential for success in survival of the world but is there something more? If we could really come together in true partnership with each other and organize are talents while respecting each other’s needs what could be achieved? Because of the relationship between the fungus and the plants that surround it the underlying soil is far more productive for both. It’s productive enough to improve the life of organisms that are not directly connected to either the plants or the fungus. The fertility from the union helps the plants produce higher quality nectar which feeds the bees that produce the honey that fuels their flight to an other type of plant growing in a garden that gets fertilized by the bee and grows into a fruit that is eaten by us. We benefit from the strange little mushrooms that we’ve never seen.

And we might benefit from the relationship the doctor who cares for us has with the person who brews his morning coffee and ensures that he has a productive day even though that person might be someone who we don’t see eye to eye with in any options.

In closing I want to plainly say that my intention here is to encourage everyone to treat each other with kindness and respect. Because that person on social media that just makes your blood boil could be more important to you indirectly than you think. But even if they are not it’s still best to not engage with them and give your attention to someone and something that does have a mutual benefit so that you can get that positive return. 😊

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First Bloom.

Color Photography, encouragement

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “First Bloom”. As with all of feature images on my copies can be purchased by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

Tonight we’re having a little cold snap and as expected there is ice, snow and cold rain all on the same day. But I’m actually encouraged by the turn in the weather because historically there’s always a couple of snowy days before winter actually ends. Today’s snow means there’s only one or maybe two snows left to deal with. The next sign will be the emergence of the Serviceberry. Also known locally as Sarvis tree Serviceberry is probably the first thing to bloom in the Appalachian Mountains. As I understand it, the name comes from the old days when traveling during the winter months dangerous at best. Oftentimes when a person passed away in the winter the body was burried whenever it could be and the memorial service was delayed until Spring. There was little in the way of flowers to bring to the grave and thus the bloom of the Serviceberry tree filled the need. The tree would have been planted near churches and graveyards to ensure that flowers were available for those who came to the service. There’s other stories about how the tree got it’s name and there’s a long list of names for this family of trees. If I remember correctly from my forestry classes ( 20 years ago) the trees do hybridize frequently making exact identification of species and strains best left to tree nerds.

Because of the early bloom these trees are an important source of food for honeybees. It’s a mistake to think that honeybees sleep the winter away. They are busy all through the winter keeping the hive warm with their bodies and that means that they need fuel. A quick Google search says that a hive might need as much as thirty pounds of honey to make it through until Spring. TALK ABOUT A SUGAR BUZZ! By the time the weather warms up they’ll be ready to resupply and a good crop of Serviceberry bloom is just thing to tide them over until the rest of the flowers wake up. Honeybees feed the world so if you’re the kind of person who plants ornamentals and your local environment will support Serviceberry then you can do something that will actually make the world a better place by planting Serviceberry. Not only will you feed the bees that pollinate crops that feed the world but you’ll be rewarded with crop of your own. The Serviceberry fruit is edible and delicious! When I was a kid we would eat the raw when we could beat the wildlife to the berries but there’s a whole list of puddings, pies and preserves that use the berries.

I’m betting that some of my fellow Appalachians have some wonderful stories about picking Serviceberry fruit in late Spring and early Summer and I’d love to hear about your memories in the comments! If you’re reading this in one of the Facebook groups that have comments turned off then come on over to the Lloyd’s Lens Photography page on Facebook and tell me your story there. The weather is bad outside but we can look forward to seeing those delicate white flowers soon. The feature image for this post was taken in the last week of March a couple years ago.

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On Thought Patterns And External Influences

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Awakening On The Mountain “and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

The early morning hours seem to be the best time seek out a quiet place where I can find my center. I like to get out away from the house for this when I can. A lot of times when I stay in I’m tempted to turn on the news or I’m distracted by the to do list. It’s impossible for me to pursue a moment of peace when the rest of the world is whispering a list of problems into my ear. Sometimes I turn on some music and sometimes I have a podcast playing but mostly I shut off all stimulation just for a while. The point of the exercise is to let go of the outside world and rest my mind so I prioritize my day or search for inspiration. The outside world has so many voices vying for your attention that your own voice can be lost in the crowd. I remember singing”Oh Be Careful Little Eyes” in Sunday school class as a very small child. We would learn the lesson by song and as young children but did we comprehend it? I’m not really able to go into a lot of detail without the post becoming unbearably long but those things that humans are exposed to by what we see and hear can become a part of our self identity. If you notice the first two verses are passive actions. Namely watching and listening. The rest of song is proactive. Those actions are speaking, doing, going and thinking. When taken as a whole we see that what the children ( in the song) see and hear influences what they do. This is a real phenomenon that’s not limited to children. It’s more pronounced in children but adults do it as well. And think about all the negative thoughts that we’re exposed to on a daily basis. Angry voices in the news, in music, on T.V. shows and in the movies and now on social media. All this anger becomes normalized and internalized to the observer. It’s like a parasite of the spirit. But there’s good news as well. Positive thoughts can take the same route and become internalized as well. And by taking a few minutes every day to break the negative cycle and weaken that pattern it becomes less prominent in our subconscious easier to overcome.

I’m not always able to get out and find those quiet places. In fact it’s actually a challenge. So when I am able I use my camera to bottle that moment and tuck it away for later. I pull out the photo and recall that moment of peace whenever I need that boost of solitude.

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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 message me on Facebook or use the contact form on my website and tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊

This Moment Is Mine

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Peaceful Resolution” and is available for purchase by using theinstructions at the bottom of the page.

The big blue truck veers from the highway and comes to an abrupt halt on the berm. The rain clouds have dissipated and the roads are clear of debris. It’s time to sit by the Kanawha River for a few minutes and recharge in the fresh air and warm sun. Down river Glen Ferris basks in the Sun beneath the dormant kudzu. The trees are still sleeping but the soil is starting to come to life deep beneath leaf litter. And the frogs are awake! Even though it’s broad daylight the forest is alive with the croaking and chirping of the males singing for a mate. I can also hear a cardinal high in a treetop declaring his love for his lifelong mate. The sun is at just the right angle to produce a nice reflection of the Methodist Church in the distance on the water. The breeze blows just enough to feel fresh but not enough to chill. I take a deep breaths and savor the atmosphere. There’s no rush today and the big blue truck ism going anywhere else for a while. Today is mine and I will take full advantage of each moment while it’s available because those moments when a person can clear away the mental clutter is just as important to health as diet and exercise.

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What Did She Say?

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is of Fayette County as seen from Nicholas County West Virginia. The image is titled “First Winter1” because it was the winter photo that ever took with a serious camera. If you would like to purchase a copy please see the instructions at the bottom of the page.

I woke up this morning with a cold chill running down my spine and stared blankly at the ceiling. Yesterday’s story played out over and over again in my head. It has finally happened… I was wrong. How could I ever face the day? Well. Actually it’s pretty easy. All humour aside I do need to straighten out an inaccurate statement from my last post. The ” 4 days until Spring statement. The funny thing is that I knew better. Yes Spring is close but it’s still about a month or so away. The first “official day of Spring is March 20th. Not March 1st. So how did it happen? I was able to locate a term for what happened but there should be one. I committed a basic internet rookie error. I trusted the answer provided by the Google Assistant without using a common sense filter. In my defense let me provide exhibit 1. A screen shot of Google’s misleading answer.

Now honestly I knew better and I got caught up in confirmation bias. You see, I wanted the answer that I got and turned a blind eye to the accuracy of the search results. Which brings me to the main point of tonight’s post. How much should we trust technology? In the age of instant knowledge can we be so quick to abandon objectivity? Well, last night’s post is an example of why we need to be vigilant about checking the source of information. For me the result was some minor embarrassment and looking silly. Y’know what? That happens to everyone for one reason or another and it happens more often than most people care to admit. There’s no real harm done. But what if I had been researching something more serious like first aid or how to make an emergency vehicle repair? The list can go on but the point is that the answer you want to be hear may not be the right answer. As for last night’s post I did update the word “calendar” in the second sentence to the word “Google” and added an update to bottom of the article for the purpose of honesty. And, while the countdown to Spring is a little longer than 3 to 4 days it’s not as long as it was when the days were shorter and the nights were colder.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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/

I have new way for you purchase photos!

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 message me on Facebook or use the contact form on my website and tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊