Poetry of the Earth

Journaling: Hints of autumn are renewing my energy for nature photography! Cool nights and warm days are also renewing my flowering plants. I am thankful for the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds who visit my flowers; coming together as poetry of the Earth.

CVW_QuickStarts_1, font: AMC_ChalkTalk.

All photos: Canon 60D, RAW format, handheld (except hummingbird photo).

Click on photos and layout to enlarge.

ISO 500, 100mm, f/7.1, 1/160.

Dark pink blossom from my Grandmother’s Pincushion plant.

ISO 1000, 100mm, f/4.0, 1/1250.

Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail visiting the Butterfly Bush.

ISO 400, 100mm, f/3.5, 1/250.

Ruby-throated hummingbird surveying the territory before drinking at the window feeder.

ISO 400, 100mm, f/2.8, 1/200.

A bumblebee intent on gathering pollen.

ISO 400, 100mm, f/5.6, 1/1000.

Sweet William blossoms. A favorite of butterflies and bees.

ISO 500, 100mm, f/5.0, 1/200.

Sungold cherry tomato plants. The stalks have grown wild; allowing some fruit to rest on the retaining wall.

ISO 500, 100mm, f/8.0, 1/500.

Another favorite of bees, Sedum blossoms start out very light pink and darken over a period of weeks.

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Wild and Cultivated

This has been a difficult summer for my photography. Blazing bright sunlight, temperatures that rarely dipped below the mid 90s, and serious allergy symptoms made the prospect of nature photography undesirable. When I did venture out, it was mostly in my backyard. Luckily, I have a bit of color there and recently captured some of my favorite wild and cultivated subjects.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail enjoying the nectar from my Sweet William plants. He was not as calm as the female I photographed a few days ago, but finally paused long enough for me to take a handheld macro photo. f2.8,  ISO 200, shutter speed 1/640.

A cooperative effort this year produced our tasty heirloom tomato varieties. I started seeds in February and nurtured them to the seedling stage. Then Larry took responsibility for watering, pruning, natural insect and fungus control, and harvesting. I cooked two large batches of spaghetti sauce to freeze, many entrees and salads using fresh tomatoes, and batches of roasted tomatoes that we enjoy adding to heirloom bean dishes. We also gave tomatoes to several neighbors every week.

The squirrels in our backyard are mostly a nuisance; eating the birdseed and sometimes chewing the feeders. But they are cute and I caught this happy guy munching sunflower seeds.

I started Sweet William plants from seed this year and decided to plant them in large pots. They bloom continuously in pretty shades of purple, pink, white and a multi-colored blossom of pinks. We keep them in the shade most of the time because of the heat, but they bloom well with morning sun and little other care except watering. Their lovely fragrance is one I have not enjoyed since childhood.

Flip Book

I have completed my Flip Book for Christy VanderWall’s Project Joy 365. After adding my photos above the prompts, I uploaded the cover and 52 4×6 pages for printing. Christy provides all the tools to complete the project quickly and easily.