Popping in from hiatus to post this beauty. This is liverwort (Anemone hepatica) & it's one of my absolute favorites. I look for it in early #spring on #ClearCreekTrail. Usually find 1-2 plants but this yr found a whole patch.

In from hiatus just to post this pic of a native plant called prairie smoke (Geum triflorum) that just started producing blooms in my garden. B4 opening the flower turns upright. When one opens I'll post a pic.

Got lots of projects going on right now so I'm gonna say buh-bye to SM for a snidge.

See ya all in week or two. Play nice. Here's a black-capped to keep you company in my absence.

One of the best aspects of #photography is that you spend a lot of time noticing. Prior to photography, I never paid attention to overwintered plants like these seed pods (sweetgum?) from Friday. You miss a lot when you don't notice. Like the beauty of overwintered plants.

The tulips and tabbies are coming along nicely

"I'll have one with just a smidge of purple here and there."

Elm bark landscape.

Chicago drawbridge.

This was taken on the Chicago Architecture Center's architectural boat tour of downtown Chicago. Well worth it if you visit Chicago and have the time.

Black-capped chickadees are in constant motion, flitting here/there & hopping around trees. Always have a tough time catching a good pic.

Except on spring days, like yesterday, when they're "distracted" & defending their territories from interlopers.

The highly suggestive, perhaps even erotic, center of an impatiens flower. And that's coming from a gay man.

My technique and general philosophy of flower photography consists of the following steps.

Step 1:
Aim for the sexy bits

That is all the steps.

I love Gerbera daisies but my garden is way too hot (surrounded by buildings/concrete) & not too far into summer they go dormant. That's okay but it stays too hot in the Fall for them to truly come back so I may have just use them as a houseplant

Favorite photo from Chicago a few yrs ago. Had recently purchased a Nikon 40mm macro lens which is also an excellent street lens. This trip I decided to restrict myself to the the 40mm only. It was a great challenge and I learned a lot.

The joy of photography is having infinite subjects. The tragedy of photography is not having enough time to photograph them all. This is from two yrs ago. Definitely need make some time to look for more jumping spider's in my garden this year.

Light tunneling and squiggles.

Like'n that lichen.

#SilentSunday

#SilentSunday

#SilentSunday

This is native (for me) wild hyacinth. Planted it in my garden2 yrs ago. As you can see it has a unique coloration that almost looks as though someone hand painted white streaks on top of lavender petals. Part of my attempts to find native alternatives to traditional garden favorites.