Monday, July 16, 2012

We Are Nature

Nature rejuvenates so quickly, so completely. Though we often view ourselves otherwise, we are nature. ~Jeb Dickerson



daisy underside
As pretty as their faces are, I like the look of some flowers from behind. The simple daisy is one of them.





feathery sprig
A feathery spring of.. something. It was swaying in the breeze and it's soft pink tones asked to be photographed. How could I deny it?






dam after the rain
After a very heavy rainfall, the dam is a churning, swirling puddle of water.






ducklings and mama
A proud mother mallard with her sweet little ducklings.






ducklings
Here's a larger group swimming close to the edge of the dam.






ducklings curious 2
The next day, they were all at the bottom of the dam. That one little cutie was awfully curious about the people watching from above.






garden sun
This cheery turquoise sun sits in my neighbour's front garden.





clematis bud 6
A clematis bud in Frank's back yard.






clover
A pretty purple clover with bright yellow flowers in the background.





sumac flowers
Sumac flowers. You have to get up really close to see that there are all these individual buds on the usual cone shaped bloom.






eastern yellow swallow tail missing
This Eastern Yellow Swallowtail has lost half of its left hindwing. It didn't seem to slow him down any.





full moon june of 2012
The full moon of June.


More in a bit

50 comments:

Cloudia said...

so easy to get lost in your pictures, your sensibility, Hilary.

AGAIN you anticipate me; I've been shooting flowers from behind, side...

Remember to swing by today to get your 'props' at my place :-)


Wishing YOU a sweet week
with Aloha, from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
<(-'.'-)>

Anonymous said...

So much beauty! Fabulous shots.

Out on the prairie said...

Your moon shot is real nice. What a nice selection of photos.

Unspoken said...

OOOOOOhhh the sumac blooms, hands down!!!

Rob-bear said...

Such delightful pictures. The close up of the sumac, expanding the experience of its cone. The ducks by the dam. The bright of the moon in the month of June. And so much more.

Rob-bear said...

P.S.: We are, indeed, nature. What happens to the other parts of nature happens to us. Joyfully. And ominously.

Pierre BOYER said...

So lovely....
Thanks a lot to share !
Greetings from France,

Pierre

Nadezda said...

Hilary, this photo of daises reminds me the ballerinas, I love them too. Nice pics!

Dan said...

Awesome perspective of the daisy.

Sad to see the build up of bubbling phosphates in the water.

Marco shots of flowers reveal intriguing aspects we normally don't see with naked eye. Very cool!

stephen Hayes said...

Your pictures are visual poems.

Indrani said...

Love the clarity in these pics. I don't get to see these flowers here.

Bob Bushell said...

You are the best photographer I've seen, the details of each one is superb, please produce more of it.

printing business cards said...

Those Sumac flowers looks cool. Its uniquely beautiful. Anyways, you are such a talented photographer. Your shots are simply breathtaking.

Sueann said...

Such beautiful photos...a feast for my eyes and soul. Thank you
Hugs
SueAnn

Anonymous said...

Nicely done on the clematis! Well, okay. I have to admit that these photos are all nicely done, but the clematis sort of took my breath away. :-))

Brian Miller said...

oo the sumac looks so cool and fuzzy delicate...def some beauty there hilary...

Rita said...

I always love to see what you see! Can hardly wait for the next installment. :)

Kerri Farley said...

Outstanding!! and that Moon shot .... well....it just puts me "over the moon" :)

Leah J. Utas said...

You find such beauty, Hilary. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Crabby McSlacker said...

Wow. These are beautiful.

And I just had an epiphany: I always marvel at your photographs, and then a little voice in my head asks "why can't YOU ever take beautiful photos like Hilary does?"

The answer I come up with: "Because, Crabby, you are not talented, intuitive, artistic, proficient or dedicated like Hilary is!"

All true, but not exactly encouraging.

Today I answered the question differently: "Because, Crabby, you don't HAVE to take lovely photos, you can come here and enjoy them."

Much better answer!Thanks so much for these!

Gary's third pottery blog said...

OH THE DUCKLINGS! :)

messymimi said...

Purple clover is my favorite, and ducks. We love ducks around here.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Such beauty you enable us to see through your lens. Butterflies seem so fragile, but they are amazing little creatures. The duckling with his eye on you was adorable. And that moon...so beautiful.

Liz Mays said...

I love the churning water photo so much!

DJan said...

Beautiful! I especially fell into the pictures with the ducklings. They are adorable. And the clover picture's bokeh caught my eye, too.

TexWisGirl said...

i just love the peaceful beauty you bring to us. :)

Ruth Hiebert said...

Great bunch of photos. Foe a moment I thought i was seeing snow as I scrolled down through the pictures. Glad to see it was water instead.

Daryl said...

Sumac is poisonous .. bad sumac

lovely everything else .. I am ignoring the moon shot .. la la la

Sharon Wagner said...

The sumac photo has such a glowing texture. And the clematis bud. I wish I could touch the fuzzy surface.

photowannabe said...

Sweet little ducklings and their proud Mama.
I really like the feel of the Clematis bud too.
Amazing detail of the Sumac flowers.
Your photos are a great pick-me-up this morning.

ellen abbott said...

beautiful shot of the moon. well, they are all beautiful.

Gail Dixon said...

Boy, you've been really busy with your camera. Enjoyed seeing all the beauty surrounding you. The clover is nicely highlighted by the yellow flowers. So many standouts here!

Suldog said...

The shot of the clover gave me a slight pang of melancholy. We used to have clover all around our neighborhood when I was a kid, and it was always a vegetation companion (I think I just made up a term) when we played ball or other kid games. Hadn't really thought of it for years, but I always enjoyed it. And seeing it in your photo made me strongly for days gone by. Does that make sense? I think it does, but maybe not. In any case, nice photo.

Sage said...

Lots of beauty here--love the sumac flowers

Jayne said...

Catching up w/you, Hilary! Everything here is beautiful and inspiring as ever. I love the sumac flowers.

Oh, and Whit, your knew companion from the other Hilary, well, he's just darling! Always a pleasure to peek in here to see what's new. ;)

yaya said...

I love your neighbor's yard ornament..so pretty! But my fav has to be the moon shot. I swear, I think I see stuff left behind by astronauts..it's that clear a shot! Your amaze me every week!

ds said...

That moon takes my breath away, but I'm equally impressed by the water--it is moving even when stilled. Fabulous stuff. Thank you.

Red said...

As always awesome photos and topics.
However the one quote I have some difficulty with. Nature does rejuvenate and we are part of the environment. However much of the native habitat is being destroyed so nature can not rejuvenate. Only some of it comes back. Too many people forget about the micro life which is the basis of it all.
There I've made my rant . I am finished.

Jo said...

The sumac flowers are so interesting...they look like they're made of wool. That moon is really something, Hilary.

Steve Gravano said...

Beautiful collection. The back side of the daisy is beautiful. It really stands out against the dark background.

Anvilcloud said...

I like the daisies from the back.

Kerry said...

One after another, such beautiful shots. That clematis bud is amazing close-up, so cool-looking and mysterious. And of course who can resist baby ducks? It's not easy getting good pictures of those little guys: great job Hilary!

Reb said...

The little ducklings are so cute! Makes me wanna take one home ;)

Fragrant Liar said...

What a great shot of the moon. With that little "bud" on the bottom, it looks like some sort of fruit. Doubt it's too juicy inside . . .

Barbara said...

love the ones of your duck family! we finally realized that's what we have down the road, too. our baby has grown so quickly though!

Hilary said...

Thanks very kindly, everyone. :)

Christine said...

so many little sweeties :)))

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!!
When are you going to publish a series of books that I can display on my coffee table? Sometimes I think world peace could be achieved simply be every single person gazing into your photographs.

Linda said...

Too hard to pick favorites here, but I think it has to be the duck babies. They are SO CUTE!

The moon is pretty awesome, too.

Zuzana said...

Beautiful images. Your photography always shows the mundane and ordinary around us as the most beautiful and extraordinary natural wonder of life.;)
I too have my own clematis buds still, while some has already sprung, and of course, I am still in love with the moon.;)
xoxo