A rare and beautiful Monarch Butterfly plus a Bumble Bee on a Scotch Thistle

By on 11-26-2010 in Original photos

One bright and sunny day a Monarch came to visit. It spread it’s wings just long enough for me to snap a photograph.

monarch

When I was young they were numerous and you would see them almost every day. Now it is rare to see one at all and we have seen two this year. I will use this photo in a collage, soon, to honour this beautiful butterfly.

Bumblebee on a Scotch Thistle in the rocks of the Ottawa River

A Scotch Thistle that is growing in the rocks by the Ottawa River is sporting a bumble bee. What a pretty colour these thistles are.

Pileated Woodpeckers came for breakfast and pretty Brown-Eyed Susans

By on 11-26-2010 in Original photos

This pretty, huge woodpecker and two others were hammering away at our willow tree early in the morning. This photo was taken from my window. Hanging out the window, trying not to scare away these terrific visitors and still keeping hold of the camera all at the same time was hilarious.

pileated woodpecker

This was a new family of woodpeckers, Mom, Pop and the youngster. They kept moving to the other side of the tree, so getting a good photo was almost impossible. so glad I did manage to snap a decent one.

brown eyed susans

Brown-eyed Susans are one of my favourite flowers. So sunny and bright, growing wild in among the grasses in the field. They would be so pretty embroidered onto a bright and sunny quilt along with white daisies and Queen Annes lace.

brown eyed susans

The play of shadows along with the flowers creates a beautiful photo.

brown eyed susans

The last of the Brown-eyed Susan photos. They make my heart skip a beat they are so pretty.

Rain drops on day lilies, new fungus growth and ripe grasses

By on 11-26-2010 in Original photos

After a heavy downpour the sun came out and every plant that had a drop of water reflected the light. It was a beautiful sight.

rain drops on fungus

I almost missed these pretty mushrooms. They are huddled, growing on an old root of a Chinese Elm that has since grown back. Stunning growths that were gone two days later. It looks so peaceful under them, I wonder…..is that a rain fairy I see in their shade?

rain on day lillies

My day lilies are stunning at any time with their bright orange petals. Add a few raindrops and they outshine any other flower in the yard.

rain drops on day lilies

More lilies, growing in clumps in the borders along the fence, make for a magnificent display. They were breathtaking after the rain.

mature grasses after the rain

This photo was not taken just after the rain, but on a bright and sunny day, in the field behind our yard. Even grasses have their place among the wild flowers.

June flowers and a fallen willow

By on 11-26-2010 in Original photos

A very pretty ground cover grows under our Chinese elm tree. The variegated leaves below the flowers gives the photo a painted look….the photo was taken from above in the shade of the elm.

flowering ground cover

This wild asparagus plant has been growing for over 40 years. We had a little dog that used to seek it out and chomp it down as quickly as it could grow, she loved it. It grows into this huge tall fern every year and this year it has numerous blossoms.

wild asparagus flower

These little bells give a misty quality to the photo, so many different shades of green.

fallen elm

Our weeping willow still has one living side, for how long I don’t know….it is one of my favourite trees. It is over 40 years old as well. Poor old tree has been hit several times by lightning, lost large limbs during the ice storm in 1998 and the half that is missing was blown down during a winter wind storm. It would make a good subject for a landscape quilt.

Nature collages….series of four

By on 11-26-2010 in Original photos

collage

Number four of the series. The forest collage was done with a rock background coloured green on the bottom half and blue on the top half with a transparency. I layered maple tree flowers, mushrooms, fern and a piece of bark. This was moved onto another background of spruce boughs which was lightened.

river rocks

Number three of the series. This collage started with a filtered photo of Ottawa River rocks, then a sky of migrating Canada Geese moved onto it.

canada geese on moon

Number 2 of the series. The same sky of migrating geese was moved onto a full moon background and made transparent. An unusual time to see geese flying.

birch tree and moon

Number 1 of the series. This stand of birch trees was filtered and then moved onto the same full moon and then made transparent. A very eerie collage.