Photos:Winter 2012

Looking forward to winter 2013

These photographs were made in Southwest Arkansas the day after Christmas 2012. This is unusual for South Arkansas and East Texas.

"Spreading Beauty"

"Working the Garden"

The day before the rain the bumblebees swarmed the wildflower gardens.
  

"Swarms of Beauty" 

I never tire of the beauty of these flying gardens, they seem to change species throughout the day. 

Fall Has Arrived

I look forward to the changing seasons and a new set of critters to photograph, however, it has an air of sadness also.The  Butterfly,Mississippi Kites and Hummingbirds are  preparing or have already departed for the warmer locations. The leaves are starting to show a little color and soon the eagles will start to arrive.This means I will start to travel north while the critters go south.

  

PHOTOS: Pre- Fall Frenzy Hummers and Bumble bees

Nature Happenings: PHOTOS; "BUTTERFLY DANCING"

Nature Happenings: PHOTOS; "BUTTERFLY DANCING"

PHOTOS; "BUTTERFLY DANCING"

Gator reflection on an unusually cool august morning

"Reflections"
I went to my "Walden Pond" this hot August day to escape  the rigors of  life in a fast high flying society of superficial  thoughts and actions by humans that care only for greed. 
In the solitude of the swamps and boonies much reality can be found and savored like fine wine without the clatter and non-sense of humanoids that chatter on subjects whence they have ought knowledge.
This gator was sunning on this log and the reflections caught my attention. When I see these things I cannot refrain from thinking how beautiful simple nature is and what a blessing God gives us for free.

"Peace and Tranquility"

Sunrise from Arkansas Grand Canyon

This is the way I would like to start each and every day, with a view of Gods beauty, absent the mental and physical clutter of mankind. Nature can clean the soul of all phony thoughts obtained in a plastic world and give one the desire to seek more of the beauty that is free for the taking. We let  society  dictate and fill our mind with things that matter not. Humans loose sight of what is real and what is important, but in the solitude of nature one finds time to sort through the trash and decide what to keep and what to discard. For me, the free beauty outweighs all the material things we purchase and hoard.

Photos; Wildlife, Summer Tanager, Blue Martins at Pond Creek, Arkansas

Monday I traveled north to Pond Creek Wildlife Management Area for some "Wildlife Time" with my camera. Early in the morning the temperature was nice, however we experienced our first ninety- plus day. The recent rains here and up north in Oklahoma had the two rivers (The Skull Crusher and the Little River) out of bank and rolling. This put a damper on the gator photography and most of the other wildlife. However, it was a fair day for photographing "Wild thangs". We viewed many deer and one doe with a newborn  nursing, it was too far for a good shot and we did not want to stress mom any more than she already was.

We have our lunch on a high bluff over looking the Little River on "Yellow Bluff". On this day the water was almost to the top of the bluff. While we were resting after lunch (napping) the Blue Martins put on a show for us and I practiced on shots in motion. Shortly afterwards we found a Summer Tanager, a rare find for me.

It was a great day for owls and hawks also, most of all it was nice to be in solitude with nature. We experienced the company of only two souls the entire day and they were moving through the area and in a hurry.

Red Slider---(Trachemys Scripta Elegans)

From:Yellow-bluff across to the slough

                                                   Blue Martin catching an insect

Beauty and the  Beast

Summer Tanager