Showing posts with label butterfly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butterfly. Show all posts
Monday, June 10, 2019
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunflowers and Rain
DJ and I went for a Sunday evening drive when we came upon a patch of sunflowers that was accessible from the road. I took my time exploring the beautiful flowers and photographing them.
Many of the flowers were being visited by guests in the form of bees, butterflies, and grashoppers.
I found it interesting that each insect I found feasting on the patch of flowers were colored the same as the sunflowers.
The sky rumbled with thunder, and it began to lightly rain, so we headed down the road. I had hoped to catch lightening, but the lightening was sparse and was not centralized in one general area. As we continued on, I watched intently in the hopes of catching something to shoot. Soon, we found a freshly plowed field with a patch of wildflowers, grasses, and an antique tractor sitting in the middle. The rusty colors of the earth compliment the colors of the tractors.
The rain caught up with us once again, and we drove on to find something more to shoot. I was anxious to photograph the beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds. The red earth below contrasted greatly with the blue tones of the clouds.
Many of the flowers were being visited by guests in the form of bees, butterflies, and grashoppers.
I found it interesting that each insect I found feasting on the patch of flowers were colored the same as the sunflowers.
The sky rumbled with thunder, and it began to lightly rain, so we headed down the road. I had hoped to catch lightening, but the lightening was sparse and was not centralized in one general area. As we continued on, I watched intently in the hopes of catching something to shoot. Soon, we found a freshly plowed field with a patch of wildflowers, grasses, and an antique tractor sitting in the middle. The rusty colors of the earth compliment the colors of the tractors.
The rain caught up with us once again, and we drove on to find something more to shoot. I was anxious to photograph the beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds. The red earth below contrasted greatly with the blue tones of the clouds.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Our Mini Oasis
DJ and I went for a drive in order to take a walk in a park. We ended up in the section of Cal Young Park on the other side of the creek than what is normally frequented by patrons. What we found was astounding, a beautiful mini-oasis. Here lives thousands of butterflies, bees, dragonflies, locust, and wasps among many other invertebrates. We listened as the locust and birds sung their songs. The rustling of brush allowed us to guess there small mammals living within the brush. Who would have ever thought that there could be such a peaceful place untouched by man in the middle of the city? Who would of ever guessed that there would be a lush oasis in the center of a dried up drought ridden ecosystem? I wouldn't have. Below are some photos of what we were lucky enough to find.
DJ and I walked through our mini oasis, with me snapping pictures all the while. Memories of playing at the creek bed in Haskell seeped through the vestiges of my mind. I remembered leech filled legs after catching tadpoles. The prizes outweighed the pain of feeling the little bloodsuckers pulled from my tender flesh. I was reminded of exploring every little plant, every little flower, and every little creature. DJ reveled in the joy of watching my face light up when I discovered something new to photograph.
The heat was bearing down on us, and the still winds stifled the air. Our glasses of ice water did little to cool our overheating bodies, so DJ and I decided to move on to another place to explore.
We further explored the overgrown park, and found several city blocks where buildings once stood, but now crumbling concrete is barely noticeable due to being overgrown with brush. We made our way to a trail that snaked around the creek bed when I noticed something that I had not seen since a child. The home next to ours in Haskell, which would be the home of Mr. and Mrs. Clark, had a large Horse Apple tree that dropped its fruit over the fence and into our yard. We knew as children not to eat the fruit from the tree, but we did play with the hard fruit by playing catch with the Clark's grandchildren and one another. Very seldom did the sisters leave the Clark's yard, but Jay frequented our home on a regular basis. I believe the younger sister was named Katie. The older sister's name escapes me although she was my favorite of the three. I knew no one as eccentric and fun to be around as she. I made DJ pull over, so I could show him the horse apples. DJ said that he had never heard of such fruit and always thought that horse apples were horse poop. I find it amusing how different our language can be depending what part of the country you are from.
DJ and I decided to head back toward home as the day had grown hot, and the bright sun continued to scorch the earth.
Sunflower and Bee
Ecosystem
Rose Mallow
Dragon Fly
Trumpet Creeper
Hornet
Plains Coreopsis is part of the sunflower family.
Cedar Creek
Allium
What a Web
Texas Bluebells
DJ and I walked through our mini oasis, with me snapping pictures all the while. Memories of playing at the creek bed in Haskell seeped through the vestiges of my mind. I remembered leech filled legs after catching tadpoles. The prizes outweighed the pain of feeling the little bloodsuckers pulled from my tender flesh. I was reminded of exploring every little plant, every little flower, and every little creature. DJ reveled in the joy of watching my face light up when I discovered something new to photograph.
The heat was bearing down on us, and the still winds stifled the air. Our glasses of ice water did little to cool our overheating bodies, so DJ and I decided to move on to another place to explore.
We further explored the overgrown park, and found several city blocks where buildings once stood, but now crumbling concrete is barely noticeable due to being overgrown with brush. We made our way to a trail that snaked around the creek bed when I noticed something that I had not seen since a child. The home next to ours in Haskell, which would be the home of Mr. and Mrs. Clark, had a large Horse Apple tree that dropped its fruit over the fence and into our yard. We knew as children not to eat the fruit from the tree, but we did play with the hard fruit by playing catch with the Clark's grandchildren and one another. Very seldom did the sisters leave the Clark's yard, but Jay frequented our home on a regular basis. I believe the younger sister was named Katie. The older sister's name escapes me although she was my favorite of the three. I knew no one as eccentric and fun to be around as she. I made DJ pull over, so I could show him the horse apples. DJ said that he had never heard of such fruit and always thought that horse apples were horse poop. I find it amusing how different our language can be depending what part of the country you are from.
Horse Apples (Osage-orange/Hedge Apple)
DJ drove further along the trail where we saw such a pristine wilderness. Trees were downed across the trail in places. The creek was in full shade from the canopy of the trees that stretched high above us. A large mammal scurried across the trail and up a tree. The creature was so quick that I was unable to determine what I had seen, and DJ did not see the creature at all. I was astounded that this area is located in the middle of our city.
DJ and I exited the park, and we made our way around to the downtown area. We came across the new addition to Evermans Park, The Cat in the Hat. We walked around the park, and I photographed the statue, fountain, and new plants and flowers. I also photographed the sweater knitted for the the historical marker at the park.
Evermans Park
DJ and I decided to head back toward home as the day had grown hot, and the bright sun continued to scorch the earth.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Cinco de Mayo and Super Moon
For Cinco de Mayo, DJ and I searched and searched for the Cinco de Mayo celebration. I wanted him to experience a Cinco de Mayo celebration and to see the Folklorico Dancers. I finally looked up the Abilene Reporter News Mobile site on my phone and found that the celebration would be at Saint Vincent Pallioti Catholic Church. We went to the church, but there were no dancers and there were very few booths. I checked the church's website and saw that the dancers would be dancing later in the evening, so we went home for a few hours.
As evening neared, I became antsy and asked DJ if we could go ride around before going on to the celebration. We decided to head for the little park next to the old train station in the downtown area. We noticed that there were a lot of kids at the park dressed in formal ware. Some of the kids donned masks, and I remember Damien saying that the prom for Cooper was going to be a masquerade ball this year. I took a few pictures of the flowers and some butterflies, and we decided to go on.
When we got back to the truck, I saw interesting molding on the building we parked on.
We made it to Saint Vincent Pallioti's, and I photographed the dancers while DJ looked on. The crowd was energized and the dancers were excellent. There were three classes of dancers, pee-wees, junior, and senior. Of course the pee-wee dancers were adorable, and they all did a great job.
The junior dancers looked like they were having fun as they danced, and a little girl that we saw dressed up at K-Mart earlier was with this group. I recognized one of the little boys dancing as well. The skirts of the dancers flowed through the air and billowed out from them as they would do their twists and turns.
My favorite dancer with the senior group was the eldest of the dancers. Not only was she a great dancer, but she also looked like she was having a great time. The other dancers were great too. I loved watching the women dance in perfect synchronization.
After we left the Cinco de Mayo festival, we stopped at Sonic for drinks and a hot dog. We took our dinner and drinks to Lake Kirby where I hoped to photograph the Super Moon. Unfortunately, the clouds blocked the Super Moon. DJ and I talked while we watched the sun go down. We watched the clouds watch tumble across the sky, and we threw our hands in the air and allowed the wind to brush across our skin. Cinco de Mayo was a day and a super night.
As evening neared, I became antsy and asked DJ if we could go ride around before going on to the celebration. We decided to head for the little park next to the old train station in the downtown area. We noticed that there were a lot of kids at the park dressed in formal ware. Some of the kids donned masks, and I remember Damien saying that the prom for Cooper was going to be a masquerade ball this year. I took a few pictures of the flowers and some butterflies, and we decided to go on.
When we got back to the truck, I saw interesting molding on the building we parked on.
We made it to Saint Vincent Pallioti's, and I photographed the dancers while DJ looked on. The crowd was energized and the dancers were excellent. There were three classes of dancers, pee-wees, junior, and senior. Of course the pee-wee dancers were adorable, and they all did a great job.
The junior dancers looked like they were having fun as they danced, and a little girl that we saw dressed up at K-Mart earlier was with this group. I recognized one of the little boys dancing as well. The skirts of the dancers flowed through the air and billowed out from them as they would do their twists and turns.
My favorite dancer with the senior group was the eldest of the dancers. Not only was she a great dancer, but she also looked like she was having a great time. The other dancers were great too. I loved watching the women dance in perfect synchronization.
After we left the Cinco de Mayo festival, we stopped at Sonic for drinks and a hot dog. We took our dinner and drinks to Lake Kirby where I hoped to photograph the Super Moon. Unfortunately, the clouds blocked the Super Moon. DJ and I talked while we watched the sun go down. We watched the clouds watch tumble across the sky, and we threw our hands in the air and allowed the wind to brush across our skin. Cinco de Mayo was a day and a super night.
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