Nature photography – Page 9 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

First Bloom.

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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Some Days Are For The Birds

Color Photography

Recently the warm weather allowed me to get out for a few minutes and visit the bird feeder at my dad’s house. Dad goes all out for his little feathered friends. The TV is on but he has his binoculars pressed to his face looking out the window at all the activity in the chestnut trees on the edge of the yard. The term “yard” is kinda used loosely at dad’s place. In general it’s any place where you mow plus just under the trees where the woods begin. As we observe the feeding dad recounts the events at the feeder over the past few days. He hasn’t actually named these birds out loud but he knows all of the species and individuals who frequently visit his yard. He tells me that the Common Flicker in tonight’s feature image is the boss of the yard and how he even challenges and keeps at bay the murder of crows that are larger and outnumber him. He talks about the covey of mourning doves and how one always lands on the feeder and tosses food down to the ground for the rest of them. A Pileated Woodpecker swoops in as dad talks and lands on a dead limb of a hickory tree. He hits the dead wood like a jackhammer and sends wood chips flying everywhere in his search for insects living in the wood. ( I tried to get a nice shot of the Pileated Woodpecker but he’s far too camera shy and took flight as soon as I stepped outside.) Dad has one mortal enemy at his bird feeder and surprisingly it’s not the squirrels. It’s a mob of Common Grackles that have run the bluebirds out of his yard and have even overwhelmed the Flicker on occasion. The former Marine came out in dad’s eyes when he postulated on how to defend his songbirds from the Grackles. A few minutes later he softened a little and said that God had a place for the Grackles too. Most of shots from the window didn’t really turn out well and so I put my wilderness stalking skills to work and began to ease myself closer to the feeder. Most of the birds scattered at first but soon the chickadees returned. Small and agile the chickadees figure they can be gone with a mouthful of food before the human can react. I remained as motionless as a stone until they began to ignore me. As soon as the others saw that I wasn’t chasing after the chickadees they also returned. Then finally the Flicker decided that it was time to let me know that this was his feeder. The others gave way to him as he came in for a landing. He dug into the seed mix and found the one he wanted. Then he flew directly at the camera so fast that I couldn’t adjust the focus. He pulled up at the last moment and landed on the branch above me. Few a few minutes he seemed to play peekaboo by popping out from the tree with the nut in his beak. Finally he tucked it into his hiding spot on an upper branch.

Common Flicker hiding a nut in a tree branch

I watched him repeat this stunt a few times before I went back inside to visit with dad some more and share the photos with him. I’ve been told that some days are for the birds but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I want to encourage you to spend some time birding. The songbirds not only bring much needed beauty to the dull winter climate but also share their beautiful songs and impart a little peace to your morning.

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The Girl Next Door

Color Photography, Uncategorized

Hello Friends! Tonight’s image is titled “Surprise Visitor” for the bumblebee hiding under the flower and really has little to do with the story. However, if you want to purchase a copy please see the instructions at the bottom of the page.

He sat down somewhere between his yesterdays and his tomorrows. Something has changed and he was trying to figure it out. Before today she was just the bratty girl next door. The one who made mud pies and climbed trees. The girl who just last summer beat him in a wrestling match and made him say uncle before she would let him up. But today when she walked by in the school cafeteria she didn’t smell like mud pies and she didn’t move like a wrestler. She smelled like strawberries and seemed to float as she stepped. Things would be different from now on. A few days later he swallowed the lump in his throat and asked her to the dance. The first dance was awkward but eventually they moved as one. Sometime later that night she gave him his first kiss beneath the tree that they used to play in. It was just a little peck on the cheek but it made him feel like superman. That night he took his pocket knife and carved their initials into the tree. The heart shape wasn’t perfect but it was there. As time passed she would wear his spare jersey as she cheered for him at the high school football games. She maintained the yellow ribbon around their tree the whole time he was in the army and every day she touched their initials inside the misshapen heart and paid attention to the “4 ever” just inside the V of the heart. “A promise is a promise she whispers. One day when she came home from work and went out to check the yellow ribbon she found an engagement ring threaded through it. She heard his voice voice from the back door say “A promise is a promise “. After that day they were never separated again. By the next Spring they were married beneath that same oak and raised a family.

The little girl sat at the picnic table beneath the large lower branches looking at the odd somewhat heart shaped scar on the trunk. Her grandmother came out and sat next her. Looking up with her big blue eyes she asked about the Valentine carved into tree as her brother bounded from a branch. The grandmother smiled and said “Why don’t I tell you while we make a mud pie for your grandfather”.

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A Busy Day With The Honeybees

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s image is titled “Work Ethics” and is available for purchase by using the Contact Link below.

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The Jewelweed behind my house moves like the wind is blowing but there’s no wind in any other part of my yard. I decided to step outside to see what was going on and the hum could be heard at a distance. I knew at once that it was the swarm. The flowers teeming with thousands of little wings darting to and fro with ” saddlebags” full of pollen. At one point in my life this would have been a terrifying experience but since facing up to my fears and learning more about these little ladies it’s a joy to see them. It was almost miraculous to see such a large number of honeybees because this photo was taken when colony collapse disorder was in all the headlines. You see, almost all life on earth depends on the honeybees to pollinate flowers and grow food. Even the predators depend on the herbivores who depend on the propagation of the plants. Since gaining my confidence around the honeybees I’ve found that they react to my presence differently as well. They no longer dive bomb me in an effort to bluff me into leaving. Instead they either ignore me completely or on some occasions they seem to be trying to figure out who I am. One time last year a honeybee followed me into the house, buzzed around the living room and then waited by the door like a puppy waiting to go outside.

I’ve discovered that standing back a bit with a long lens that photographing bees in flight was a good way to practice action shots. They only slow down when they land and they never really stop. Instead of causing anxiety it now brings a strange sense of peace to watch them working.

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The Power Of Change

black and white photography, Color Photography, Uncategorized

If you are interested in a copy of tonight’s feature image ( or any of the images) purchase instructions are at the bottom of the article. 😊

I was commenting with my friend today about negativity in our lives. Negative attitudes are everywhere. They invade our jobs and businesses. Negativity comes into our homes through our television and social media. Some days it seems like we’re surrounded by those who feed on misery.

Titled “Job’s Comforters”. Clicking on the photo takes you to the contact form.

But,I know the the chink in their armor.

Whatever you chose to feed grows and whatever you chose to starve dies.

Sounds like a simple solution right? Just stop feeding the negative emotions and the problem goes away. Well, kinda. Sometimes the negativity takes on a life of its own. It wants to exist. It’s hard at first to focus on the positive but soon the starvation effective kicks in and those negative voices began to weaken. The buzzards that gather around just waiting for us to fall will eventually have to find a new roost.

Titled “The Fleeing Of Fear”. Click the photo to order.

The clouds will part and the sun reclaims the day.

Titled “The Storm Breaks “. To order a copy click on the photo.

The positive thoughts we feed will grow. And soon we’ll have a new companion to keep us company.

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The power of change isn’t in the voices on television or the clever comments on social media. The power of change is in you. It’s in what you chose to give your life’s energy too. Do you chose to feed the buzzard or the parrot? Do we see the dark clouds or the sunshine that peeks through them?

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Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Simply A Buzzard ”and is available forpurchase by using the Contact Form onmy website. ( justclick on the the bell below)

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