It is such a joy for me to photograph tiny parts of plants, enlarge them, and see structures that were not visible to my eyes before. These plants are part of the living collection of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota.
Bromeliaceae Pitcairnia grafii
Bromeliaceae Catopsis morreniana
Orchidaceae Pleurothallis grobyl
Orchidaceae Dichaea pendula
Melastomataceae Pachycentria glauca
Orchidaceae Cadetia ceratostyloides
My digital painting of flowers, clouds of butterflies and a leafy background with accents of leaves inside of circles
The Sandhill Cranes raised two colts this spring.
They found a sweet spot behind our house under a date palm tree.
The colt is checking out what its parent is finding
Both colts are checking out what their parent is digging up
It appears that they are having a conversation!
The parents are ever vigilant
For me, art is seeing with imagination. I see the world and modify it with my imagination.
Orchidaceae Rhyncholalia cultivar Arbin, Honduras with Painted Background
Orchid Painting
Orchids, Feathers, and Fur
Walking Iris
Backlighted Orchid with Painted Sky
Tiller is nearly 16 weeks of age. His eyes are hidden under his hair. We notice that much of his hair is coming in the wheat color of wheaten terriers. He weighs about 18 pounds and has taught himself to jump up and down off the couch bringing toys back that we have thrown across the room. He is not easy to photograph!
Tiller is a Whoodle, a soft-coated Wheaten Terrier and French Poodle mix. Since neither breed sheds, it means lots of combing and soon a puppy cut.
This is the first time my jade plant has flowered. The flowers are about a half inch across and resemble flowers from other succulent plants I have.
My jade plant has three clusters of flowers. The plant gets morning sun from the east and shade for the remainder of the day. The main trunk has grown to about three inches in diameter. I have pruned and propagated it many times. The more sun it receives the redder the leaf tips become.
According to a Naples zoo keeper, female giraffes live together in herds. The male giraffes leave at puberty, live on their own and visit the females when they want some lovin’.
On a warm afternoon the giraffes took their turn eating endive right from the hands of visitors. A young girl shyly offered a giraffe a treat while her mom enthusiastically took photos, blocking a good shot, but definitely made a good memory.
One giraffe was 16 feet tall. The protrusions from their heads are not horns, but rather knobs to protect their heads. I was impressed how gently and languidly they moved. They enjoyed a shower from a hose. One rubbed the back of her head against a tree branch.
Notice how long and dextrous their tongues are! What a treat to have a telephoto lens and have the viewing stand so close to these beautiful creatures!
For all the creative problem solvers in the world, In What Ways Can We Help the Ukrainian People Thrive Again?
In the colors of the Ukrainian flag
My maternal grandmother’s sister gave this cactus to her in the mid 1930s. My grandmother gave this cactus to me in 1981. It has moved with us from Michigan to Atlanta to New York back to Georgia and now to Florida. I have pruned and propagated it many times to share its beauty. I used to call it my Christmas cactus, but now I have a different species that blooms at Christmas and this one blooms later, so I have renamed it my New Year’s cactus. This is the first bloom of the season. Rather than a side view, I decided to make the photos lying on my back looking up towards the sun to see inside and through the petals. I played with the backgrounds to give it a variety of moods.
Looking up to the sun
A bluer cast
A darker background
An imaginary background
Blurring the green leaves
Into the center with a dark background
Into the center with an imagined background