Huron River and Watershed
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Iris ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious." ~ Brandon Gill
Irisplantflowerpurpleflowering plantshowy flowersrainbowgardennatureperennialgrow from creeping rhizomesalso grow from bulbslong erect flowering stemornamentalspringstate flower of Tennesseemacrobirthday
From *master gallery
House Finch ~ Haemorhous mexicanus ~ Huron River and Watershed
"I once knew a man who built his own railroad. It was completely straight. Not one curve in it. He had a reason for that. I don't remember what it was. Reasons get forgotten." Baldabiou, *Silk*
House FinchFinchHaemorhous mexicanuslongtwittering sonsmallbodiedfairly large beakflat headshort wingsmalerelatively shallow notch in tailbouncy flightstreaking on flanksbirdbirthday
From *master gallery
Magnolia Blossom ~ Huron River and Watershed
“Have you ever looked at the bud of a magnolia flower? It’s a tight little pod that stays closed up for a long time on the end of its branch until one day, out of nowhere, it finally bursts open into this gigantic, gorgeous, fragrant flower that’s ten times bigger than the bud itself. It’s impossible to imagine that such a big beautiful thing could pop out of that tiny little bud. But it does.” ~ Joanna Gaines
fragantmagnoliablossomflowerflorasweet fraganceplantnatureoutdoorsmacrotreebloombirthday
From *master gallery
American Goldfinch ~ Spinus tristis; White-breasted Nuthatch ~ Sitta carolinensis ~ Huron River and Watershed
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” ~ Iain S. Thomas
goldWhitebreasted NuthatchbirdSitta carolinensisagilechestnut underbellyoutdoorsnatureanimalAmerican goldfinchyellowSpinus tristisfinchspringacrobaticbouncy.flightsongbirdbirthday
From *master gallery
American Goldfinch ~ Spinus tristis ~ Huron River and Watershed
"I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings…" ~ Gustave Flaubert
American GoldfinchbirdyellowSpinus tristisnatureoutdoorsfinchspring malespringacrobaticbouncy flightsongbirdanimalbirthday
From *master gallery
White-breasted Nuthatch ~ Sitta carolinensis ~ Huron River and Watershed
"You are continuously discovering how you can ooze more Spirit into your personal life and there's no end to that process. It goes on and on and deepens and deepens and deepens." ~ Arjuna Ardagh
Whitebreasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisbirdagile chestnut underbellyoutdoorsnatureanimalbirthday
From *master gallery
Nature ~ Huron River and Watershed, Michigan
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." ~ William Shakespeare
rose.of.sharonseedpodsnatureplantbokehfloraHuron River and WatershedMichiganmacro
From *master gallery
Chipping Sparrow, Feasting After the Rain ~ Spizella passerina ~ Huron River and Watershed
"If you're small and on a search
I've got a feeder for you to perch on."
~ Mark O. EverettfeederHuron River Watershedafter the rainoutdoorsnaturechipping sparrowSpizella passerinasparrowbright rufous caploud trilling songbirdfeastbirthday
From *master gallery
One Bright Spring Evening
"He said, 'One life on this earth is all that we get, whether it is enough or not enough, and the obvious conclusion would seem to be that at the very least we are fools if we do not live it as fully and bravely and beautifully as we can.'" ~ Frederick Buechner
antique rose bushold garden rose bushcolors of the worldoutdoorsnatureplantbushgardenmacrobirthday
From *master gallery
Daffodils ~ Huron River and Watershed
Regarding daffolils: "I thinke none ever had this kind before myselfe nor did I myself ever see it before the year 1618 for it is of mine own raising and flowering first in my own garden." ~ John Parkinson, *Paradisus Terrestris* 1632
daffodilsnarcissusplantperennialfloweryellowdaffadowndillyjonquilwellknown.in.ancient. civilizationsnatureoutdoorsarose.in.the.Iberian.peninsulaasphodelnative to meadows and woodlandsornamentalgardensymbol of springnational flower of walesmacroeaster
From *master gallery
Downy Woodpecker ~ Picoides pubescens ~ Huron River and Watershed
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it." ~ Peter Pan
downywoodpeckerpicoides pubescensHuron River Watershedbirdacrobaticforagerblackandwitered patchundulating flight pathbirthday
From *master gallery
Welcome to My World! ~ Huron River and Watershed
"A single crocus blossom ought to be enough to convince our heart that springtime, no matter how predictable, is somehow a gift, gratuitous, gratis, a grace." ~ David Steindl-Rast
crocusflowerplantbloompurplefloweringiris.familyperennialgrow from cormssaffron yellowturmericsaffrongardennatureoutdoorsnarrowgrasslike leavescupshapedsolitary flowerlilacspringsalverform floweryellowthree stamesmacrobirthday
From *master gallery
stand of crocus ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic." ~ Laini Taylor
crocusflowerplantbloompurplefloweringIris.familyperennialgrow.from.cormssaffron yellowturmericsaffrongardennatureoutdoorsnarrow grasslike leavescupshapedsolitary flowersalverform flowerthree stamensspringyellowbirthday
From *master gallery
another view
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa
Oriental Shorthaircatfelinegreen eyesanimalpetkittyMauidomestic catalmondshaped eyestriangular head shapemuscular bodysocialintelligentvocalrelated to Abyssinians and Siameselarge earsmammalsoft furfelis domesticusfelidfelis catussvelteebony silver spottedsleekkittenportraitbirthday
From *master gallery
Charms in Winter ~ Huron River and Watershed
"...there are things which nobody would see unless I photographed them." ~ Diane Arbus
dormant rose of sharonempty seedheadsplantnaturebirthday
From *master gallery
Maui Focus
"When I am playing with my cat, how do I know she is not playing with me?" ~ Michel de Mongaigne
MauifocusplayingcatkittykittenOriental Shorthairfelinemonochromebirthday
From *master gallery
Orchid
"The camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
orchidplantflowerfloralbloompurplecolorfulflowering plantbilateral symmetry of flowermany resupinate flowershighly modified petalfused stamens and carpetssmall seedsperennial herbbirthday
From *master gallery
The Structure of Things
"Photography gives us...a feeling of the structure of things with an intensity which the eye...has hitherto been quite unable to perceive." ~ Otto Steinert
plantgreenwhitegardenslightflowerfloralbloomsdrippingbotanicalpetalsleavescorollacalyxsepalsstamenscarpelsblossomclusterfloretefforescenceflourishingshootnaturebirthday
From *master gallery
Amaryllis Flamenco Queen
"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." ~ Ansel Adams
AmaryllisFlamenco Queenflowerpetalsdeep red brushmarksfrettingedgingcalm whitecool greenfloralflowering bulbplantbelladonna lilyJersey lilynaked ladyamarilloEaster lilyMarch lilybulbous plantcrimson veinsHippeastrumperennial herbacious plantornamentalbirthday
From *master gallery
Mute Swan in Winter ~ Cygnus olor ~ Huron River
"Beauty, picturesqueness, and all loveliness are the food of art." ~ Henry Peach Robinson
swanmute swanCygnus.olorwinterHuron RiverexoticelegantRussian balletsEuropean fairytalesnot native to North Americanatureoutdoorsriverbirdwaterfowlorange bill with black basewhitefloatingmonogamousThe Ugly Ducklingbirthday
From *master gallery
Cattails ~ Huron River and Watershed
"In nature, everything looks so imperfect and unscaled, but the formation is so beautiful." ~ Bhavesh Chhatbar
cattailswetland plantsflowering spikeplantmarshbulrushreedmacepunkscorn dog grasscumbungirhizomes are edibleherbaceousperennialwinddispersed seedsdominant competitorHuron River Watershednatureoutdoorsbirthday
From *master gallery
lone dwarf Alberta spruce in winter ~ Huron River
"...so small a space contains the image of the universe..." ~ Leonardo da Vinci
spruceAlberta sprucewinterloneHuron River Watershedtreeevergreenknollnatureoutdoorwhite.spruceconiferneedlesgreenriverbirthday
From *master gallery
Green-eyed Blue
“Meow” means 'woof' in cat.” ~ George Carlin
Oriental ShorthairBluegreen eyescatfelinekittypetcomfortdomesticfurrycarnivorousmammalanimalhouse catfelidsocial speciesblueticked tabbycompanionsoftindoorsgood sense of smellalertbirthday
From *master gallery
Blue-Rimmed Vase with Reflection
“Il n'y a d'heureux que ceux dont l'âme imprègne, illumine le corps et vit en symbiose avec lui.” ~ Pierre Charbonneau
hall treeglassvasemirrorreflectionsbluecontainerornamentjarvesselreceptaclelooking.glassazurecobaltindigobirthday
From *master gallery
Blue
"Cats are connoisseurs of comfort." ~ James Herriot
catOriental Shorthairfelinecomfortdomesticfurrycarnivorous mammalhouse catfelidsocial speciesblueticked tabbypet companionsoftgreen eyesindoorsgood sense of smellcover
From *master gallery
Here's Looking at You, Kid
“Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." ~ Humphrey Bogart, *Casablanca*
winetoastwinter's dayindoorsrefreshmentcrystalglassesglassliquidsnowalcoholfermented grape juicepinto grigiofriendshipdrinkspiritsrelaxingglasswaretablesettingwidowchaircheersbottoms uphere's looking at you kidbirthday
From *master gallery
Blue LIght
“The mind is ablaze with light if we will look.... what we see outside is what we project from inside, and were we to not only look outside in life for truth, but also turn our gaze within, we would find that same Milky Way of light reflected inside as well. In fact, we would also realize that the outer is the reflection of the inner, and not vice versa.... If the mind is like an ocean, let's not spend all of our time in the shallows.” ~ Michael Erlewine
From *master gallery
"Waiting 'round the bend...."
"Moon River, wider than a mile.
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way.
Two drifters, off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end.
Waitin' 'round the bend, my huckleberry friend,
Moon River, and me.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way.
Two drifters, off to see the world,
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after that same rainbow's end.
Waiitin' 'round the bend, my huckleberry friend,
Moon River, and me."
~ Johnny Mercer, Henry ManciniriverHuron RiverautumnMichiganwaterfallcolorsreflectionsriver bendtreesleavesyellowredfoliagesereneoutdoorlandscapechallenge
From *master gallery
Something of Value ~ Great Egret ~ Ardea alba ~ Huron River and Watershed
"I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value." ~ Hermann Hesse
Great EgretArdea albaHuron River WatershedMichiganholding pondbirthday
From *master gallery
Happy Morning Glory ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Happiness... not in another place but this place, not for another hour but this hour." ~ Walt Whitman
blueflowermorning gloryConvolvulaceaetwiningnaturebacklightvelvetiridescentcolorbloomvinefloralflowerssummerlightplantgardenflorabirthday
From *master gallery
Cedar Waxwing, Juvenile ~ Bombycilla cedrorum ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Cedar WaxwingjuvenileBombycilla cedrorumHuron River WatershedMichiganbird
From *master gallery
The Harmony of Starlings ~ European Starling, Juvenile ~ Sturnus vulgaris ~ Michigan
"After a visit to the Wordsworths in the Lake District,
Coleridge caught a glimpse from his stagecoach
Of a gigantic flock of birds as it swooped, rose then fell
Above the frozen, wintry fields of a passing farm.
It was November 1799 and he described the phenomenon
As “a vision” in his Journal, then detailed the way
This “vast flight” drove along “like smoke, and expanded
Then condensed”, then continually shifted shape.
First he saw the starlings as an arc, then as a globe –
A force field of matter that changed from an oblong
Into an ellipse, “glimmering & shivering, dim & shadowy,
Now thickening, deepening and blackening!”
The vision stayed with him all his life – a mystery as to how
“The one be many.” How thousands of creatures
Operated as a single entity, performing extreme stunts
Of swirling acrobatics – free from gravitational pull.
Coleridge was at the time devising an ideal community,
A utopia, which he called a Pantisocracy,
And which, together with his fellow poet, Robert Southey,
He planned to introduce to America.
Now here were starlings creating a miraculous order
Just by instinct. It was an object lesson,
Spelled out by nature herself, as to how human beings
Might happily interact and co-operate.
Watching starlings, on Otmoor, two hundred years later
I saw them spelling out the same lesson:
A towering organism was moving in perfect formation
With no discernible leader. No President.
It whooshed through the air at forty miles an hour.
Each bird reacted to another bird’s movement
In a hundredth of a millisecond. They tumbled and banked
In synchronized, spatial symmetry – collision free.
They moved like iron filings drawn by a magnetic field
To create their sophisticated, aerial society;
A society that flies, instead of creeping along, suborned
By unnatural pressures and alien orders,
And the flock’s structure echoes the physics of magnetism
With each particle’s electron spin
Aligning with its neighbor’s in a symbiotic harmony
Like a metal entity becoming magnetized.
It hints at the discovery of a universal principle
Which seems to tap into a natural order:
A physiological mechanism, happening almost simultaneously,
In birds that are separated by hundreds of feet.
starling 2
Since they can mimic us with an unusual facility
It shouldn’t be too hard to mimic them:
To rise high on nature rather than wrecking it;
To enjoy a life that no one can condemn.
There are no controlling starlings exercising force;
Not a single bird’s left behind in isolation.
Not one wastes time voting – they’d lose height if they did –
It’s anarchy in motion, and a glorious revelation."
~ Heathcote Williamsperching birdMichiganEuropean StarlingSturnus.vulgarisShakespearesongbirdbirddazzlinglike fourpointed stars in flightserial balletDarwinian dancemurmationjuvenileslender beakoutdoornatureanimal
From *master gallery
Summer Gold ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." ~ Dorothea Lange
floraHuron River and WatershedMichiganflowerswildflowerspetalsgoldensummertime
From *master gallery
Thick with Lilies ~ Michigan
“I know a little garden close
Set thick with lily and red rose,
Where I would wander if I might
From dewy dawn to dewy night.
And have one with me wandering.”
~ William MorrisliliesMichigangardenlilyliliumherbaceousflowerplantbeautifulbeautyperennialbulbsrhizomesyellowlatespringnaturebotanicalleiriontrueherbaceous borderTurk's Capfloweringoutdoorflorabloomsbirthday
From *master gallery
Canopy of Wisteria ~ Michigan
"Under a canopy of dangling wisteria...." ~ Lisa Fantino
wisteriawistariawysteriaflowersplantnaturedrippingwoody climbing vinevinetwining stemsfabalesfabaceaefaboideaemillettieaepea familypurplefraganttoxiccanopyoutdoorgardenbeautydanglingcover
From *master gallery
Lesson for a Canada Gosling ~ Branta canadensis ~ Huron River and Watershed
"What if I fall? Oh, my Darling, what if you fly?" ~ Eric Hanson
Canada goslingbranta canadensisgooseHuron River Watershedyellowyoung
From *master gallery
The Light and Dark of Water Lilies ~ ~ Huron River and Watershed
“We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates.” ~ Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
water lilieswater lily padsHuron River WatershedMichiganflorawaterlake
From *master gallery
wind chimes
"Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing." ~ William James
From *master gallery
red leaves in winter ~ Michigan
"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence." ~ Ansel Adams
From *master gallery
all the beauty ~ Huron River and Watershed
"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." ~ Anne Frank
From *master gallery
