Color Photography – Page 98 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

The Moment Of Living

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Flame Azalea 51920d” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

As the sun beams down on my little slice of Appalachia between two mountains I wander around the lawn just taking time to center myself. Almost two full months without any daily commute has left me rested but feeling a little constrained. I stood out next my Flame Azalea and closed my eyes to listen for what the wind might whisper of the outside world. The warblers and wrens are busy building and maintaining their nests. The little fly catchers that seem to nest on my downspout every year have a nest full of hungry babies. Further up the mountain a woodpecker is putting on a drum solo that would be the envy of any rock concert. I removed my shoes so that I could feel the cool earth beneath my feet. The ground is alive with unseen and wondrous things. Things that reach and grow and connect with all of God’s creation. The wind speeds up and plays with my hair for only a moment’s teasing as clouds begin to roll in. I can smell the ozone left behind by the lightning and a distinct thunder shakes a neighboring mountain. I opened my eyes to see the new spring leaves turn themselves in preparation for the rain.

I caught the flash of the second lightning bolt and counted as 10 seconds passed by. The storm is 10 miles down river. The humid breeze shifts slightly wafting the sweetness of the Azalea my way. I have a few minutes of peace before the weather rolls in and I use the time to get lost in the sea of bloom on the little bush. Now fully open the Azalea is working as hard as it can to draw the pollinators in. Once it has reached this stage the flowers will fall away to make room for the lush green leaves.

The seasons are shorter than we’ve ever suspected and soon the storms will change the world again. I have learned that the time to appreciate life is always now. We have only this moment to live in there’s no time to mourn tomorrow’s loss without giving up today’s joy.

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

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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.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

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The Swallowtail Yard Party, Memorial Day Weekend 2020

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Puddling Swallowtails 52320a” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The air is thick and steamy on my mountain today. After several days of rain the ground is saturated and the water pools in the low spots. The rain came before I could work the clippings from the lawn but out here in the country that’s no big deal. But if there’s any advantage it’s that the downed grass acts like a sponge and at the same time releases minerals and sugars into the water that. It holds back. That’s a perfect world at a perfect time for the local butterflies as they begintheir breeding season. The minerals and salts are important for their reproduction. It seems that the females can even detect which males are able to provide the most and best quality salt and he’s given preference above the others.

Image Titled “Puddling Swallowtails 52320b”.

The majority of the butterflies that gather are males. I did notice one female Pipevine while sorting through the photos. Judging by size of this gathering and knowing that in general the female butterflies outnumber the males it looks like the potential for a massive brood this year.

Image Titled “Puddling Swallowtails 52320c”

The mix seems to be mostly Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail and I confirmed at least one Spicebush Swallowtail all gathered in this one spot

They are so interested in this particular puddle that they barely paid attention to me as I crept up on my hands and knees for the closer shots. I have been researching ways to keep them around for the summer and hopefully we have more photos soon.

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

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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.

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Forage Friday #58 Ground Ivy

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Ground Ivy 4220a”. All of the photos found on my blog are my original work and are available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I have only recently discovered that Ground Ivy is in fact edible. I have not eaten it in any qualities at this point and therefore can’t really attest to quality it provides.

In the end, my Forage Friday posts are only presented as trivia and should not be mistaken for an endorsement of treatment when medicinal herbs are discussed.

I never cease to be amazed by the bounty of nature. The Appalachian Mountains are almost a garden of Eden. When most Americans look to the landscape for nourishment we have a tendency to ask how the indigenous peoples may have used a plant. I suppose that’s because of the Thanksgiving story about the failed crops and it’s true that the natives had to rescue the colonial settlers. But we have to remember that they were aliens in a landscape with a that most of their seed was not adapted to. A few of the plants they brought with them have actually done so well that they’re now considered invasive “weeds”. Such is the case with Ground Ivy.

Image Titled “Ground Ivy 41620a” shows just how prolific Ground Ivy can be.

Once it has a foothold ground ivy is tenacious! It will spread out and set root at every opportunity. At this point I have not learned if it was brought here on purpose or by accident. Two things make me think that the herb was brought here on purpose.

1. The Anglo-Saxon name for this plant is “Alehoof” which is said to mean “Ale-herb. And, it was a prime ingredient for brewing before hops was adapted.

2. The accidental import theory is that it traveled here in the stomach of livestock. But ground ivy is toxic to livestock so it wouldn’t be a good fodder and most livestock don’t like the taste of ground ivy and wouldn’t have eaten it.

So it looks like it was intentionally brought aboard the ships.

Ground Ivy is said to be rich in Iron, potassium and Vitamin C as well as flavonoids common to the mint family and the square stem on Ground Ivy puts it in the mint family. Because it’s an evergreen herb it would have been available as a good source all year round.

Historically it was not only added to ale but also to jams and marinades. According to a couple of online sources Ground Ivy mixes well with Garlic, honey and lemon, sesame, the cheese and clove. It’s main function seems to be as a seasoning and more than source suggested using it on grilled meat.

Image Titled Ground Ivy 51920a. Although a creeping plant it does bolt from time to time.

As a medicinal herb ground ivy has a reputation for use with lung ailments and bronchitis like most members of the mint family. According to the USDA/NRCS Ground Ivy has been used to treat disorders of the the bladder and kidneys, digestive problems, gout, coughs and colds, poor vision, tinnitus, partial insanity, asthma and jaundice and much more. (They even say that a wreath woven from ground ivy and other herbs strengthens the eyes enough to reveal witches that might be hiding in your village according to the Swiss. )

Several sources also warned that pregnant women should avoid ground ivy because it can cause a miscarriage which makes me think it’s got some strong phytosterols too.

Another warning comes from my personal experience. The ground ivy seems to provide a good habit for spiders. While obtaining some of tonight’s photos I managed to get a mild spider bite. No super hero powers (Just my luck) but a lot of itching. The bite completely healed in about 3 weeks with the aid of antibiotics and I only mentioned it to encourage you to be cautious. We do have black widows and brown recluse in my area but thankfully it seems to have been just a plain old jumping spider that got me.

This little guy isn’t quite as friendly as Lucas the Spider on YouTube. This isn’t the exact spider that bit me but it’s the same species that I suspect did the biting.

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

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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.

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Umbrella Magnolia in Spring 2020

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Umbrella Magnolia 51920a” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I woke to sound of thunder that shakes the very mountains. Before I could pull back the blankets the roar of hard rain beating the roof overtook the echoes of the thunder. The creek that once giggled playfully as it raced by my home now growls as it rages through.

Image Titled “Magnolia In The Rain 51420”

The hard rain washed away my waking thoughts and I was lulled into a deep sleep.

Sometime later the mockingbird song urged me to awaken and step outside to refill the feeders. I have not trained these birds to set still for a portrait yet but they have certainly trained me to prepare their breakfast.

On my way out with a bottle of feed I happened to look towards my umbrella magnolia and notice that the flowers were starting to open.

Image Titled Magnolia Flower Buds 51320

Image Titled Opening Magnolia Blossom 51920a

The leaves on this tree are nearly 2 feet long making them great for hiding under during a spring shower. Locally we call this a Cucumber Magnolia because of the shape of the fruit but it’s usefulness during a rain has lead to it also being called the Umbrella Magnolia.

Image Titled “Umbrella Magnolia 51420b ”

I have always thought that flowers resemble some exotic bird. They are beautiful when they’re in bloom and the colorful fruit is a wonderful accent to the lush greenery of my forest in the summer but in the fall they turn black and fall to ground. At this point they resemble scat and as kids we would try to convince each other that they were panther droppings scattered under the trees.

Between the lockdown and the rain I’ve found it a bit of a challenge to obtain a fresh photo for each day but my magnolia came through for me.it never seems to let me down.

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

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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.

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Encounter With A Forest Curmudgeon

Color Photography, digital art

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Walt The Dryad” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

A soft breeze sweeps through the old homestead site as ebb closer to the spot where the old chimney stood like a spire. In this place there always seemed to be the echoes of yesteryear and the promise of what may be coexisting. To those who are still a child at heart the forests of this world speak with a voice as true as any that was heard in classroom. I was a little bit peaked from my day’s adventure and decided that it was time for a snake. I retrieved a bottle of water and a packet of trail mix from my gear bag and surveyed the area for inspiration. As looked down the hill I leaned a bit and balanced myself by clinging to a nearby tree. “Would you kindly remove you hand from my nose!” A muffled but raspy voice demanded. My compliance with the demand was sudden indeed. The simple truth is that I rebounded from the tree so hard that fell backwards and uphill. I looked up from my position of indignantly sprawled out on my back like a misfortunate turtle to find the blue eyes glaring at me from a bark covered face. His brow was deeply furrowed and his sparsely toothed mouth was twisted into a frowning grimace. “It’s bad enough that the crows are constantly holding Congress in my branches and that I have to wait for rain to clean up the mess those starlings leave behind and now there’s a human literally in my face!” By that time I had managed to recover from the inverted turtle stance I had found myself in. “Well, speak up child! What have you got to say for yourself?” The tree continued. “Child!” I exclaimed. “I’m a full half century old!” I retorted. To which the face in the tree chuckled. “Most of my family is at least 150.” He sneered. “Great! I thought.” Thousands of acres of forests in the mountains and the tree that speaks to me is a curmudgeon.” “Look, I’m a conservation advocate. I’m a friend of the forests.” I announced. “Friends don’t go around grabbing others by the nose and swinging from it!” The tree observed. “Not that I have any friends but if I did they’d call me Walt.” The tree proclaimed. As the conversation progressed Walt’s edge softened a bit but not much. He eventually expounded on the secrets of the forests and how his brothers and sisters kept in touch through the fungi that fed his roots. About how regularly the deer pass and which paths t hey trod. About how the woodpeckers were a bigger nuisance than even the starlings. But the songbirds were okay because they kept the beetles off of him. I can’t really say that conversations with Walt are pleasant but he does seem to have a lot of knowledge to share. Perhaps when he’s in a better mood he’ll give us some interesting stories.

The only alteration that I’ve made to this tree was to add the eyes. The “face” is the work of God through nature.

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

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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 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/

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤