Wilting Camelia, I

The camelia flowers have had their run.

Their work is nearly done and their time is running out.

In a few more days this flower will be gone.

Black Bear in Meadow

A black bear forages for food among the wildflowers and fallen logs in a woodland meadow of Grand Teton National Park.

Yellow Flowers By The Lake

These yellow irises are growing near the edge of the lake at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.  In the background is the Conservatory which has something blooming 365 days a year.

Cluster of Roses

This group of roses was one of those small scenes I just couldn’t resist photographing.  The composition probably breaks all the rules but I like it just the way it is.  To me the three roses in the background on the left seem balanced by the larger, fully blooming rose in the foreground and the opening bud in the upper right.

The dark green leaves of the rose bush are riddled with insect damage.  Some photographers might be temped to “repair” them during processing but I like the imperfection of the scene.  It reminds me that, upon close inspection, even the beautiful things in life are not perfect.

Pearl Crescent

This Pearl Crescent butterfly rests peacefully in a bed of white and yellow flowers.  According to “An Instant Guide to Butterflies” by Pamela Forey and Cecilia Fitzsimons, male Pearl Crescents patrol their territory and will fly at other butterflies and insects.

Rose Buds

Sun, rain, plant, earth, and gardener all played a part in producing these magnificent buds.  How many hours of sunlight, drops of rain, atoms of nitrogen, and beads of sweat have gone into them?

Purple Irises

This bed of purple Iris flowers was in full bloom when we saw it.  The dark green leaves and rich purple flowers seem to go on for ever.

Curious Horned Grebe

I spotted this Horned Grebe swimming in one of the canals at The Great Dismal Swamp.  It didn’t seem to mind me watching it at all.  It just swam around, in and out of the shadows and would occasionally dive under water.  I was able to get quite a few photos of it but this is one of my favorites.

Mourning Cloak

This Mourning Cloak butterfly stops to rest and feed in a patch of tiny, purple wild flowers.  I encountered it while hiking with a friend this spring in the Great Dismal Swamp near Suffolk, VA.

 

Bumble Bee on Redbud

Over the weekend I sat on my roof to get a better view of the bumble bees pollenating our redbud tree.  These trees never cease to amaze me.  They are in full bloom in Richmond and quite beautiful right now.  The bees will be all over them for the next few weeks.  Some of the birds will even eat the flowers.  Then, late in the summer they will start to produce seed pods and become nature’s perfect bird feeder.  Of course the trees benefit immensely from feeding the birds.  We have one full sized tree in our yard and we must get a hundred saplings sprout up every year.