Thistle
Bridal Veil Falls
Bridal Veil Falls is a 607-foot-tall double cataract waterfall in the south end of Provo Canyon in Utah. Maybe you can see the lady in red near the bottom to give you better size perspective.
Gold Butte National Monument
This national monument located northeast of Las Vegas. The monument protects nearly 300,000 acres of desert landscapes featuring a wide array of natural and cultural resources, including rock art, sandstone towers, and important wildlife habitat for species including the Mojave Desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, and mountain lion. The area also protects historic ranching and mining sites such as the ghost town of Gold Butte. Wikipedia
Tricolored Heron
A medium-sized, delicate and slim heron with a long, daggerlike bill. Its long thin neck curves up to its small head. Wingspan is a little over 3 feet. I find these and other birds in a Federal wildlife sanctuary on Big Pine Key which is about 40 miles from Key West.
Lake Powell AZ
Lake Powell, Page Arizona with sun setting behind me.
Cosmos
Boerner Botanical Gardens
Colorado river
Taken on a nice 1/2 day raft trip south of the Glen Canyon dam in Page Arizona.
Daylily
And a friend, of sorts, I guess.
1910s Church & Community Cemetery
Located in Old World Wisconsin historical site.
Sunrise Palms
A few strands of christmas lights, palms against a nice sunrise made for a pretty sight.
Mangrove Buckeye
Thanks to Google I was able to quickly identify this butterfly.
Teen Owl
A photographer friend called saying there was a Great Horned Owl just sitting on a wall. Expecting the owl to be at a far distance I grabbed an unnecessary powerful zoom lens and headed out. Well this owl was simply sitting 6' off the ground, in daylight and not at all frightened. I learned it was a young owl (clueless teenager) who didn't quite know how to act owlish. Anyway, we took a few eye level photos from 10' away with giant lenses and left.
Mirror
Based on the light sometimes I have to leave the shutter open to capture more light. This one took 6 seconds which had the added benefit of smoothing out the already flat lake.
Outside Zion
This is the Virgin River after it has left Zion National Park. Behind me is the deserted town of Grafton UT which has been partially restored by the Park Service due to its unique history.
Stormy Sunrise
Sun was rising behind my left shoulder while this lightning show was performing over the Gulf of Mexico.
Monarda
From my mother's garden in Wisconsin.
Simple Sunset
Key West sunsets are wonderful and even the simple ones are nice if you throw in a couple palm trees.
Road Runner
Red Mountain Ivins Utah
Silver Bismarck
The palm, common in Florida, grows slowly to 30 feet or more...and each thick, fan-shaped frond can reach 10 feet in diameter.
High Altitude Prairie
Located near Cedar Breaks UT the prairie at the 10,000 foot level is covered in wildflowers if the previous season received adequate rainfall.
Sunset Key
Standing on Sunset Key, which is a short 1/4 mile ferry ride from mainland Key West FL, I'm able to take some wonderful sunset photos from the beach.
Orchid
11,318 Feet
From here on Brian Head Peak UT you look over Arizona and Nevada. At the base is Cedar Break National Monument and in the lower left corner is Brian Head ski slopes. It takes a fairly sturdy vehicle to venture up here and at this altitude, combined with the awesome views they will literally take your breath away.
Scenic Drive
Somewhere along Hwy 89 between Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park.
The Lone Cypress
The Lone Cypress is a Monterey cypress tree located in Pebble Beach, California. Standing atop a granite headland overlooking Carmel Bay, the tree has become a Western icon and has been called one of the most photographed trees in North America. Wikipedia
Gunlock State Park
Located near Ivins Utah.
Peaceful sunset
Key West FL
Key West Florida
Good Morning Sunshine
A giant hybrid sunflower grown in a botanical garden. Hard for you to appreciate the size but it is massive and the height of the plant had to be 10 feet.
Great Egret
Great Egrets wade in shallow water (both fresh and salt) to hunt fish, frogs, and other small aquatic animals. They typically stand still and watch for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Then, with startling speed, the egrets strike with a jab of their long neck and bill.
Daylily
They get their name from the fact that each flower lasts only one day. I took these photos at the Boerner Botanical Garden in Milwaukee.
Purple Dawn
Arizona Slot Canyon
Navajo Sandstone and resident
The power of Irma
September 2017 Hurricane Irma made landfall in an area 20-50 miles north of Key West as a Category 4 with 140mph winds with recorded gusts of 180 on Big Pine Key. About a month after the storm passed I visited this area on Long Beach Road. This home received the 5' water surge plus wave tops relentlessly pushing until it broke through the house. Everything in the home was swept into the mangroves behind me.
Prickly Pear Cactus
A beauty and a beast, prickly pear is beloved for its blossoms and feared for its vicious spines. Its yellow, red, and orange cup-shape flowers last just one day, but a large clump of prickly pears will bloom for several weeks in summer, providing delicate beauty among the thorns. If you break off an "ear" and simply push it into the ground it will grow roots allowing a new plant will form.
Egret
This is a Reddish Egret in the Florida Keys
Key West Squall Line
Coming in from the West produced big wind and rain.
Black-eyed Susan
Wisconsin
Dakota
This area of South Dakota was so desolate there were no homes or farms to be seen yet there was mail.
Daylily
They get their name from the fact that each flower lasts only one day. I took these photos at the Boerner Botanical Garden in Milwaukee.
What are you looking at?
Female Great Horned Owl in Utah. She was watching over her 2 babies which made it easy to find and photograph them in daylight.
Wisconsin Dawn
California State Route 1
State Route 1 is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At 656 miles, it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Montana Highway 200. Wikipedia
Ready to fly
Key West Wildlife Center rehabilitated hawk about to be released
Sunset Key
Sunset Key is a small 27 acre island with a hotel and individual homes. It is reachable by a short ferry ride from Key West. It was originally developed by the US Navy to hold fuel tanks but later sold to a developer.
New Day Comes
Back on Pewaukee Lake
Utah sunset
Took this in Gunlock Utah
Foggy fishing
Not being a fishing guy, I do admire their dedication to the hobby. Pretty much an early morning all weather sport that requires a large investment in equipment. It is similar to photography in that some days you catch a good one but most are just average.
Wisconsin farm garden
Note the fence made of woven buckthorn branches.
In a dark woods
In July (10,500 feet) went to Cedar Breaks National Monument for the spring wildflower bloom. Due to low snowfall and rain the fields were pretty sparse but walking through the trees there were many flowers of different types. This is an Indian Paintbrush.
Standing in one place, shoot right then left
On this rare snow covered morning I quickly set up my camera on the edge of a wash. I turned right and shot up the wash towards the Red Mountain that borders Snow Canyon State Park then turned the camera left and took another down the wash towards the Beaver Dam mountains. I spent the previous 2-3 hours in the park taking other photos of snow covered red sandstone, sand dunes and black lava. I had to move fast because in Ivins Utah snow like this only falls every couple of years and is gone in as many hours.
A Close-up
There was enough cloud, fog and Canadian fire smoke to create a natural filter allowing me to take this with a very powerful lens without my camera and eyeball melting. If you are seeing this on a larger device screen you'll even be able to clearly see a sunspot on the right side above trees. I take quite a few photos, especially sunrises and it amazes me that a photo can easily capture trees 5 miles away with a sunspot 93 million miles behind them. This is the kind of stuff that makes this an enjoyable hobby.
Aspens in Fall
Gold aspens in Utah at 7,000-8,000 feet.
Arizona Slot Canyon
Looking up about 80'-100' from the canyon floor you can see a log jammed from a flood. The sandstone canyon was formed by erosion and flash floods over 8-60 million years.
Determination
Walking through the Botanical Gardens in Salt Lake City on a day the air was thick with smog this one brilliant flower said "photograph me". In my home I print, frame and hang photos. I change them all out 1x a year as a form of redecorating. I happen to have this photo hanging on my wall and it's always an eye catcher when I walk by.
Desert morning color
Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada about an hour after sunrise.
Key West Sunset
These usually happen when I don't have a camera.
Great egret
The great egret, also known as the common egret, large egret, or great white egret or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Recently it is also spreading to more northern areas of Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water. Wikipedia
Great Blue Heron
Taken while visiting Horicon Marsh in WI. The wingspan can reach 6.5 feet.
Navajo Lake Utah
Navajo Lake is a small lake in southern Utah at an elevation of about 10,000 feet. It is shallow, reaching depths of only 25 feet. The lake was formed by a lava flow across the eastern end of the valley. The lake drains into both the Great Basin and the Colorado River drainage systems through sinkholes in the lake floor.
White-Naped crane
The white-naped crane is a large bird about 4 ft long, and 4.3 ft tall, and weighing about 12 lb, with pinkish legs, a grey-and-white-striped neck, and a red face patch.
It breeds in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern China, and adjacent areas of southeastern Russia, where a program at Khingan Nature Reserve raises eggs provided from U.S. zoos to bolster the species. Different groups of the birds migrate to winter near the Yangtze River, the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and on Kyūshū in Japan. They also reach Kazakhstan and Taiwan. Only about 4,900 to 5,400 individuals remain in the wild. Wikipedia
I took this photo while visiting the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin.
Osprey
The osprey known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 24 in length and 71 in across the wings. Wikipedia
I took this photo in the Florida Everglades.
Natures Artistry
Black Crowned Crane
Black Crowned Cranes are found in eastern Africa, centered in Senegal and Gambia. I took this at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo WI.
Big Horn Sheep
Valley of Fire Nevada
Lake Powell AZ
Lake Powell was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon by the Glen Canyon Dam, which also led to the 1972 creation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area,
a popular summer destination of public land managed by the National Park Service. This photo was taken from Observation Point. A couple feet in front or to my
right is a sheer 800 foot drop.
Mojave Desert
Gold Butte National Monument covers nearly 300,000 acres of remote and rugged desert landscape in southeastern Nevada, where dramatically chiseled red sandstone, twisting canyons, and tree-clad mountains punctuate desolate stretches of the Mojave Desert. The brightly hued sandstone provides a stunning canvas for the area’s famously beautiful rock art. BLM
This remote area is a favorite of due to the colors and feeling of remoteness. By Park Service design there are no services and access requires a capable vehicle. There are these beautiful Joshua trees, numerous abandoned mines, ancient rock art and endless new discoveries.
Manatee Nose
Walking along the seawall I saw this very large Manatee under water so I waited for it to surface for a breath of air. As it surfaced I took a few photos but I liked this one the best.
Lillies
From my mother's garden in Wisconsin
There should be music
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizon. This morning twilight period will last until sunrise, when direct sunlight outshines the diffused light. Wikipedia
I think a colorful dawn like this, mirrored by a lake, should come a soundtrack composed by the famous John Williams.
Predictably Curious
Taking bird photos at one of my favorite spots on Big Pine Key when I spotted this osprey a block or two away. As I was the only human in the area I knew he had to come check out me out. I changed the camera settings from long range to a few feet over my head and in about a minute it swoops in and makes 2-3 circles right over my head. Satisfied or just wanted its picture taken, it flew away.
Soft Wisconsin Dawn
Key West Postcard
Great White Heron
Up-close sunset
Standing on the beach last week photographing a Key West sunset the sky looked wild as the sun moved below the horizon. I had a strong lens on the camera so I just zoomed in close and this is what the camera saw.
Roadrunner
Usually hunts by walking rapidly, looking for prey, then making very rapid (15 - 20 mph) dash forward to catch prey in its bill. May leap straight up from ground to catch insects or birds flying over (has been seen catching hummingbirds this way). They are primarily carnivorous but will eat cactus fruit and some seeds.
Harbor Shower
Small shower moving over the Key West harbor.
Sky on fire
Another brilliant key West sunset.
Unusual One
This is an unusual sunrise and the reflection in the lake really enhances it.
Egret
Reddish Egret in Big Pine Key FL
Sunrise fishing
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park Utah
An off-the-radar expanse of photographic bliss, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is where weekend warriors can leave footprints in soft sand or adventure on the vast off-road playground. You can also walk among old juniper, and pinion and ponderosa pines. The dunes were formed by the continual erosion of the nearby Navajo sandstone cliffs and estimated to be 10,000 to 15,000 years old. The state park which stretches 3,730 acres was first opened to the public in 1963. The park has an elevation of 6,000 feet. Park Website
Sunrise in Wisconsin
Ready to rumble
American alligators inhabit most of the southeastern United States. They live in freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes. There are an estimated 1.25 million in Florida alone. Alligators can grow up to 800 pounds and 13 feet long on average.
Light Painting
Pewaukee Lake WI
Busy Bee
My mother in Wisconsin has quite the elaborate perennial garden. Every summer I really enjoy taking photos of the color, structure and sometimes the wildlife.
Water Lily
Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee. This lily is a Nymphaea.
Simple Sea Grass
Walking on the Florida Keys reef at low tide in 4-10 inches of water one...
Look Up
Standing at the bottom of a slot canyon in AZ about noon. The sun lights up the sandstone but blocks the bright sun making for interesting photos.
ISO50 Leica 35mm f/16 8 seconds.
Smiling for the camera
Walking along the harbor in Key West he must have seen my camera so it surfaced for a photo, not really but it appeared that way. Manatees never leave the water but typically come up for air every 5 minutes. When it is resting, the aquatic mammal can hold its breath for up to 20 minutes. When it is exerting great amounts of energy, it may surface as often as every 30 seconds.
Whoo are you?
Mom and 2 Great Horned owlets in Ivins Utah.
Sandhill Cranes
Parents on the left and offspring on the right. I'd seen them sleeping, eating and preening on this mulch bed for a few days. With the sun brightly reflecting behind them I couldn't get a picture with any detail or color so I tried B&W.
Brown Pelicans
A large grayish-brown bird with a distinct pouched bill. During breeding season, the plumage turns bright yellow on the head and white on the neck, which fades to dull yellow and brown during non-breeding. They feed by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun small fish before scooping them up. Found year round in Florida, they can reach a 7 foot (213.4 centimeters) wingspan.
Refueling
Enterprise
One very cold morning we drove over the mountains you see in the distance. Here in Enterprise NV it's flat endless hay fields. This sunrise was beautiful, lighting up ground fog/haze and the vegetation picked up the sky color as it was frost white. My fingers froze working the camera quickly to capture this.
Rudbeckia
If this is correct it's also called a Black-eyed Susan. I took the photo in Wisconsin.
Angry Skies
My usual serene sunrise setting is upset about something.
Key West
Land of wonderful sunsets.
Melting Sun
Rolling Lake Fog
Wisconsin