Frosty Morning

Ice Covered Tree After a cold dreary yesterday with freezing rain overnight, a bright sunny morning provided a visual treat. Thought for the Day: Some old -fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.Laura Ingalls Wilder

Marabou Stork

Marabou Stork Storks enjoyed a favorable connotation when I was a kid. The myth about the stork delivering babies was known world wide, and illustrations always presented them pleasantly; i.e. happy, friendly, trustworthy, reliable, etc. That reputation was shattered when I met the Marabou Stork in its natural habitat -- the local garbage dump in …

Safari Campfire

Serengeti Campfire It was a very tough day, viewing Mother Nature in its most basic form: new born zebra and wildebeest, the Great Migration, predators, every creature searching for food while avoiding not becoming another's meal, exotic birds, survival of the fittest, circle of life, etc. A full day of watching the Nature Channel in …

Monet’s Grave

Monet's Grave Claude Monet is buried in the Giverny church graveyard along with all of his children. As expected, the otherwise simple plot is full of flowers. Thought for the Day: My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in the corner of nature.Claude Monet

Sunflower

Giant Sunflower Sunflowers are in full bloom, peak time for butterflies and Nature's warning that the lazy hazy days of summer are numbered. The first plant to show up in my new "prairie" this year was a volunteer sunflower -- center stage, like it was the star of the show. Not knowing if anything else …

Monet’s House & Garden

Monet's House and Garden Two surprises awaited me when I visited Claude Monet's house and gardens in Giverny, France. One, his house was much bigger than I thought it would be -- a mansion for the times he lived, and two, his gardens were less formal than imagined. Mid summer was the perfect time to …

Crater

Ngorongoro Crater A few gazillion years ago a volcano blew its top off. Given the size of the crater today, 11 miles across and 2,000' deep, the mountain was taller than Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest free standing mountain and just a few miles away in Northern Tanzania. It is the most intact caldera in …

Flood Aftermath

Graske Crossing, Elkhorn River A month after the Elkhorn River left its banks and unleashed Nature's fury on nearby towns and farmland, I visited Graske Crossing, a popular boat ramp near Elkhorn, NE. A small area with half dozen picnic tables, a couple grills, parking for 15 and a very nice concrete boat ramp was …

Cathedral Rock

The sun was up, at least enough to light the peak of Cathedral Rock.  Nothing stirring this early in the morning, no cars, no bikers or hikers, not even a breath of wind to rustle the trees.  So quiet and peaceful, I was afraid the sound of my shutter would upset the entire balance of …

Wild Blue Wonder

One of the things I find most fascinating in nature is patterns. I don't expect to find patterns in nature; i.e. not patterns in the sense of sameness or duplicity.  Sure, pine trees all have the "same" shape, the "same" color, the "same'' needles, etc. but each one is unique.  Snow flakes have the same …

Hibernating

Uggh!  Middle of winter.  Wish I could hibernate 'til spring, although I can't complain about the recent waaay-above-normal temps. Thought for the Day:  Winter is Nature's way of saying, "Up yours!"                                                  …

Kermit

When I used to watch "Sesame Street", I always thought Kermit the Frog's eyes were exaggerated, waaay too big for his body, not to mention Kermit's mouth.  I know it's done for effect in a cartoonish sort of way. Now, I'm not so sure.  My up close and personal encounter with this frog in a …

Yawning Hippo

Happy hippos?  This might give you a different impression of the chubby cuties depicted in cartoons and children's literature.  I took this shot at the Tanzanian hippo pool shown here in an earlier blog.  It's a close-up of the hippo in the center-lower-right part of the pool. Hippos lay around in the water all day to …

Who’s Counting?

Spring break and the grandkids were out of school, so we piled in the car and headed south. Clear skies, light winds and moderate temps -- a perfect day to witness the massive spring migration of waterfowl at Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge, near Mound City, Missouri. Squaw Creek is an ideal place for the birds …

Mr. No-It-All

Wise old owl.  Those eyes stare right through you, like he knows more about you then you do yourself.  He knows what you're thinking.  He's forgotten more than you will ever know. I've seen those eyes; they belong to my third grade teacher, she had a hook nose too.  She had fire-red hair and wore …

Leaf Connoisseur

Raking leavings?  Uggh, one of the worst jobs Ev Ver.  I love trees, but every fall I come to hate them, despise them and wish I had never planted them.  I love the shade they provide in the summer, but why can't they pick up after themselves in the fall?  Why do I have to …

Wasatch Mountains

The Aspens are turning.  As many times as I've been to Colorado, I've never been there in the fall to catch the golden glow of the Aspens turning color.  Since this picture was taken near Park City, Utah, I can say I've still never seen the fall colors of Colorado. Wow, they make a stark …

First Mowing

Ahhh, Spring.  What a wonderful time of year.  You can tell when Spring officially arrives: warm southerly winds, new life, birds chirping, new buds on the trees, garden preparation, and allergies.  People are energized, doing anything and everything they can think of to get outdoors.  Everything about Spring is great ... except for lawn care. …

Burn Baby, Burn!

Prairie Burn Earlier this week I had the opportunity to document the controlled burning of 35 acres of native grasses and wild flowers.  What was once left to Mother Nature, with lightning strikes and wildfires, today's prairies are nurtured with periodic, carefully-planned and controlled burns.       Native grasses can grow over six feet tall.  …