Tag: lens-artists
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The Flower Hour #50: WXYZ – The Cheeky Yellow Quartet
The Cheeky Yellow Quartet I’ve skipped the rare botanical names,And played a few semantic games.For “W,” Wood-Sorrell stands,The sweetest star in shaded lands. For “X,” a xanthic Dandelion grows—A xenial welcome that everyone knows![A bit of dry and clever(?) wit,To make the tricky letter fit]. Then Yellow Archangel takes the “Y,”With cheeky charm and a…
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The Emerald Sentinel
Yesterday morning I “met” a new bee species: The Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee. She is spectacularly beautiful, she is native, and I shot 300+ images of her. “Bicolored” because her head and thorax are a brilliant shade of emerald green, whilst her abdomen is stark black and white stripes. Female because males have bright yellow…
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Lens-Artist Challenge #414 – Harmony: “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day”
Leya wrote: “For this challenge, this week, I want to give us more freedom by using a wider explanation of the concept: Harmony is the combination of separate but related parts in a way that uses their similarities to bring unity to a painting, drawing, or other art object.” Like, perhaps, an orchestra? From harmony,…
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The Flower Hour #48: STUViewing In Essex County
STUViewing In Essex County The woods awake in April showers,To host a quirky hour of flowers.First Springbeauty wakes up bright,To carpet forest floors in white.Then nodding Trillium takes the cue,With triple petals, clean and true. But look! A strange, inverted sight:An “Upsidasy”—blooming, right?She grew askew, head to the dirt,A cheeky, woodland floral flirt!Thank goodness Valerian…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #413: Favourite Footbridges
Ontario’s landscape has an abundance of rivers, creeks and streams, meaning that bridges are a major feature of our beautiful province’s viatecture. The curves, angles, sculptural and functional aspects of bridges appeal to the very young, the very old and everyone in between. Bridge design and construction is only possible because of the imaginations of…
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The Flower Hour #47: The Sunflowers
Fun Fact: Vincent van Gogh is probably most well-known for his paintings of sunflowers. Indeed, they were a “lure” of sorts, for his good friend Paul Gauguin. When Van Gogh rented his famous “Yellow House” in Arles, France, in 1888, he desperately wanted to create a communal artist colony. To that end, he invited the…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #412 — Calf Pasture Point at Presqu’ile
This week’s challenge: Share up to six waterscapes— images where water shapes the scene. The name Presqu’ile (Provincial Park) is the French word for peninsula. Originally an island, this peninsula was formed when a sand spit (tombolo) formed by the refraction and diffraction of the Lake Ontario waves around the island. A bucolic park that was…
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The Flower Hour #46: PQR – One of Each
A single little wildflower standing bright and free,Is all the floral beauty our Flower Hour needs from me! Fun Fact: Because it blooms early in the spring, it is a critical food source for butterflies, when many other plants are still dormant, specifically Swallowtail Butterflies. Fun Fact: Legend says Queen Anne pricked her finger with…
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Sunday Stills: It’s National #Beach Day— Inland Seas and the Wandering Heart
Whether it’s been playing and frolicking with family or slow, introspective walks alone, I’ve spent many an enjoyable hour on a beach — with or without my camera. I’ve found sea glass, shells — even a perfect starfish on Clearwater Beach — driftwood, glass bottles (no messages), and so much more. I enjoy my beach…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #411 – The Paradox.
It’s beautifully paradoxical that for challenge #411 (information number), the whole point is to give zero information. Well-done Sofia! This was really enjoyable. I don’t have many (any, really) “mysterious” images so I’ve given reality a bit of a twist this week. ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ Solutions below. Thank you to Sofia for imagining such…
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The Flower Hour #45: Absolutely no advice whatsoever from the Wild Sunflowers of Essex County!
Here in Essex County we have three varieties of wild sunflowers: Woodland or Rough Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus): Sunchoke or Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus): False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides): At this time of year there are glorious, orangish-yellow pops of colour seemingly everywhere – roadsides, meadows, woodlands — you simply cannot escape their vibrant beauty (and why…
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The Flower Hour #44 M, N, O — Quaint Quadrilles
Wild and Free Soft grass bends beneath our feet.Milkweed smells so cool and sweet.Thistles form like little drums.Bees fly past with gentle hums. Trees stretch high to catch the sun.Silver brooks gurgle and run.Asters wear their sapphire ring.Bumblebees begin to sing. Petals brush our wandering knees.Oxeyes flutter in the breeze.We are wild and we are…
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Sunday Stills: Hope
Hope is the thing with feathersThat perches in the soul,And sings the tune without the words,And never stops at all,* “Hope”, written by the divine, American poet Emily Dickinson circa 1861, uses the metaphor of a bird to represent hope, which persists in the human soul and provides comfort during difficult times without requiring anything…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #409 – My Wannabe Best Ever Images
I scoured my MacBook for five perfect views,By Lens-Artists standards, there’s not much to choose!A laneway a skyline and a barn of stone,An eagle, a crown where a butterfly’s flown. My photography skill is a work in progress so, being perfectly honest with myself, “best-ever” is, as yet, a goal not an actuality. But I…
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The Flower Hour #43: Random August Amble
My Green In-Between Beyond my pillow and my desk,Lies something grand and picturesque!A secret lane where bees carouse,And nodding blossoms gently drowse. I snap a picture of a bee,Chat with any neighbours I see.No longer strangers passing by,We watch the busy Hoverfly. Away from chores and indoor care,We weave our stories through the air,A little…
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The Flower Hour #42: Six Steps Through the Alphabet Garden
A lens, a challenge, a creative quest,To find the blooms the alphabet blessed.Right in the middle, where letters align,Six pretty frames of botanical design. The journey began with the letters of J,Where wild Joe-Pye Weed was swaying away;Beside it, the Japanese Peony grows,With layers of silk in a stunning repose. An herbaceous perennial of the…
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The Flower Hour #41: Hardly a Planter to be Found
Welcome to the Dead Plants Society.† Full disclosure: I have two “black thumbs” — I’ve managed (usually quite rapidly) to kill the plants in any and every planter we’ve ever had. Forty-two years’ worth!!! Ergo, there weren’t many pictures to choose from but yes, Terri, I do dare! This is a scan of a photograph…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #406: The Lazy “Daze” of Summer
Summer Daze Summer is the flutter of a painted wing,Where sleepy pollinators and beetles sing.A rustle in the stalks of emerald corn,As raindrops reflect the light of early morn. Summer is feathered, marine and furry folk,Within and beneath the shade of ancient oak.Where petals proudly unfurl in vibrant hues,And painted boats go cruising Lake Erie’s…
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The Flower Hour #40: GHI — A Triple Trio Gone Wild!
Wildflowers are the stuff of my heart.* Where wildflowers bloom, so does hope.1 Thanks to Terri for another Flower Hour challenge, her weekly reminder to be sure to notice the flowers along the way (borrowing from the great Walter Hagen2). Please take a few minutes to read Terri’s lovely post and see her purely amazing…
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#405 — Adventures: Fantastic and Fascinating Finger Lakes
Personally, I think every day is an adventure.* One of my favourite aspects of the Lens-Artists’ posts are the photos you share of your travels. Living vicariously is me. Your adventures appear exciting, and enlightening and exotic and breathtaking and transformative and enjoyable — all at the same time. I love the pictures and the…
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The Flower Hour #39: Orange you glad?
Orange is the happiest color. [Frank Sinatra] Knock, knock.“Who’s there?”“Orange.”“Orange who?”“Orange you glad Terri picked this challenge?” [Sorry! Couldn’t resist. Favourite childhood joke, bar none.] Thanks to Terri for our weekly glimpse at floral beauty – quite the loveliest weekly challenge of all, IMHO. Please take a moment to view Terri’s post and admire her…
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The Flower Hour #38: DEF – initely a fun challenge!
Daisy: Becky Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum) Echinacea: Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Foxglove: Foxglove (Digitalis) Thanks to Terri for another enjoyable weekly floral challenge. I’ll bet there’ll be lots of Echinacea this week! Please take a moment to visit Terri’s site and enjoy the three beautiful pictures she’s featuring today: The Flower Hour #38:…
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The Flower Hour #37: Patriotic Florals
Thanks to Terri for this sweet and timely prompt. Please visit her site to see her lovely take on Patriotic Florals: The Flower Hour #37: Patriotic Florals ‘Til next time, y’all…
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Lens Artists Photo Challenge #404 – Carolinian Kaleidoscope
Lens Artists Photo Challenge #404 – Subjects that begin with the letter B Thank you to Beth for this challenge: It’s my turn to host the challenge this week. Let’s have a little fun and feature subjects that begin with the letter B. What subjects can you find that start with the letter B? Please limit…