I had a great hike in the Clifton gorge today, along with my good friend Gerd. Lucky for me that I had him with me because he spotted this Red Columbine (aquilegia columbine – Canadensis – Another friend had to help me identify it). I'm pleased to have seen it because we were a week too late to see any trillium or blue bells in the gorge. There is always next year.
These images are inspired by my favorite young photographer, Milla. You can see her image of a gerbera here: Milla's Gerbera.
Milla is a wonderful and fearless photographer. I've been following her for quite some time and her creativity and ability to tackle just about any subject is fantastic.
Coincidently, these are the first images from my camera after dropping it and ruining my 70-300mm long glass. The images appear to be a bit soft and I am concerned that I may have a focus problem with the camera body. I will print out a target pattern today and shoot some test images. I'll let you know how that goes.
Update: Took the camera into the local shop and it was pronounced dead on arrival. The flash shoe was in operative, the focus lock was out and trying to use the on camera flash shorted out the electronics. She was a good camera and will be missed.
While spring cleaning the back patio this evening, Jodi found this curled up fur ball. Let's have a bit of a contest for all of you budding naturalists out there. The first person to tell me what kind of butterfly it will turn into gets a print of any of my photos.
While we are at it, a second print is on the table for whoever can tell me what kind of butterfly belongs to this cocoon. That makes two Tim McMurdo original prints. Go for it, you could get both!
This has been a week of tremendous winds and rain storms. While nothing compared to the devastating storms endured by the poor folks down South, the combination did manage to tear all of the petals from our tulip magnolia. Looks like it snowed pink all around the back patio. The table and chairs caught a lot of the Pepto-bismol pink flakes while the rest settled on the ground.
Now that our rainy April is coming to a soggy end, I am looking forward to some May flowers. They had better be the best May flowers I have ever seen!
I am not sure what this is. I am sure that I don't want to eat it. If you try eating it, I will watch to see if you turn purple and grow a third eye. Part of me thinks it might be a futuristic high rise condo for ants or some kind of artificial insemination device for sheep.
Let's open this one up to the public. Can you identify this fungus? If so, let the rest of us know what it is. Until it has been identified, I am going to steer clear.
Ma Nature does have grey hair. Like those that can be found on my head, they probably started out pretty and colorful.
But then, suddenly, before you know what is happening the hair turns grey.
To make matters worse, if you pluck one out, ten more will grow back in its place. Poor Mother Nature. Time to visit the hair salon and get a dye job.
Here in Springfield, Ohio USA, we have a very nice park that winds along the river. The park is dotted with ponds full of geese and ducks as well as an occasional old victorian building. The boat house is just one example.
This image is an example of how an overcast sky allows you to shoot in the middle of the day, long after the golden hour has passed you by.
As Spring slowly seeps into west central Ohio, the fiddlehead ferns are beginning to unroll. This one is too far along to include in a fresh green salad but, there are others better suited for the bowl. Another sign of spring is the long line of abandoned cars along side the road where ever a large wood is located. The automobiles’ owners have been lured into the forest by the siren call of grey mushrooms located in the deep dark spots amongst the trees.
Remember Cujo, the killer Canadian Goose that nested at my brother's home in Georgia? Well, our local correspondent (My sis in law, Stephanie) reports that Cujo has hatched seven beautiful little goslings. Reports are that mother and children are all healthy. Father is said to be passing out cigars to all of the local ducks, geese and assorted water foul. Congratulations Cujo and thank you Stephanie for the update and image.
For most of us, the name Cujo brings up images of a giant possessed dog with evil red eyes and dripping teeth. Not at my brother's house. At his home, Cujo is the name of the Canadian Goose that has taken up residence in his back yard. Cujo barely tolerates my brother and absolutely detests the sight of my sister in law. If she shows her face, Cujo chases her around. Poor Stephanie… she didn't ask for a Cujo in her life, nor does she deserve one.
tim mcmurdo 