I had some free time to photograph outdoors with flash and a scrim to soften the sunlight. This orchid still has a beautiful spray of flowers, although they are beginning to show signs of age; aren't we all? I hope you enjoy them.
Mtssa Shelob Tolkien V3, color
Mtssa Shelob 'Tolkien', color
Mtssa Shelob 'Tolkien', color
For those who love big, showy flowers, here is Miltassia Shelob 'Tolkien', named after the giant spider in "The Lord of the Rings". It is the epitome of orchid hybridization gone crazy, in my opinion, with genes from 4 or 5 genera and who knows how many species or cultivars interspersed in this baby. Especially prominent are the characteristics of the spider orchid genus, Brassia, evident in the flower shape that resembles its spider namesake. Not only are the flowers showy, but they're also fragrant, with notes of spice and pepper that permeate the area immediately around the plant in the morning until early afternoon. This spike has five flowers and a bud, but as the plant matures, I anticipate up to 15 flowers per spike, with two spikes blooming at a time. That would be a sight worth seeing.
Thank you for stopping by, and please feel free to leave your thoughts.
Best wishes,
Bob
Oncidium boothianum, color
Oncidium boothianum, color
While I enjoy orchids hybrids, I am a sucker for species plants. They tend to be more difficult to maintain and are often not all that glamorous, yet there is something special that attracts me to them. Case in point: Oncidium boothianum, an orchid from the cloud forests of Venezuela. I acquired this plant over a year ago not knowing what to expect. To be honest, it's kind of a ratty, nondescript plant even as orchids go. But its flowers are something else. While they're small (dime sized), there are hundreds carried on a multiply branched flower spike that, in my plant's case, is about 5 feet tall. It looks like a fountain of yellow, red, and umber flowers right now. I'm still waiting to smell what is reported to be a "strong honey aroma" from these blooms, but even it that doesn't happen, I hope you will agree that the flowers are quite nice.
Oh, one other thing: this plant is not for the impatient grower. That flower spike first appeared in early February when my plants were still indoors. That's seven months waiting for the darn thing to bloom!
Best wishes,
Bob
Miltonia clowesii, color
Miltonia clowesii 2, color
Here's another of my orchids that recently bloomed. Miltonia clowesii is a native to Brazil producing 4 or more flowers on a single flower spike. The small flowers are mildly fragrant and have a rather waxy surface, but are richly colored in purple, bronze, and white. This particular plant surprised me with its flower, as it has had a rough time this summer, with our unusually wet and hot weather. There are three other buds (off camera), giving me hopes that this orchid is here to stay.
Thanks for stopping by.
Best regards,
Bob
Here in Maryland, we expect about 80% of the solar disk to be covered by the moon, reaching a maximum at 2:42PM EDT. I had practiced getting my camera set up days before hand and had everything ready for the event. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the best: it clouded up and sprinkled a bit right up to 2:10PM, just 22 minutes before maximum. Luckily, the rain stopped, and the sun appeared. I immediately set up my camera at the spot I had marked off in my backyard to capture this timelapse of the eclipse as seen from the Baltimore area.
US Solar Eclipse of 2017, color timelapse composite
I hope you enjoyed the eclipse and my photo.
All my best,
Bob
Blc. Willette Wong "The Best", color
Here's another one of my orchids currently in bloom. Blc. Willette Wong "The Best" is an old, award-winning hybrid that's been around for decades. As orchids go, this plant is huge, and its flowers equally large. I'm guessing they're 11 or 12 cm (~ 5"), and certainly the biggest blooms in my collection. Although big and beautiful, the flowers are not fragrant. I have only recently obtained this plant, so I can't say much else, save that it sure is pretty. I hope you'll agree.
Best wishes,
Bob
Rhyn. 'Helene Belas', color
In the early 1990's, around 1992 (if my memory is correct), I crossed Cattleya schilleriana and Blc. "Ruben's Verde", and propagated the seeds. Years later, I have 8 or so plants from this cross that is registered with the Royal Horticulture Society as Rhyncholaeliocattleya Helene Belas, in honor of my mother. This hybrid is a vigorous grower that reliably produces two to three large, highly fragrant flowers per spike twice a year (summer and winter). It is beyond measure the most fragrant orchid I own, and I personally find its scent to be out of this world, with a near-perfect blend of spices and sweetness. When it's inside and blooming, you can smell it from just about anywhere in my house. It's flowers strongly resemble those of Laelia species despite the heavy dose of Cattleya genes in its genome. All in all, she's a beaut.
Best wishes,
Bob
Leptotes bicolor, color
Here's another orchid currently in bloom: Leptotes bicolor. It's a miniature, with flowers approx. 2 cm tip to tip, and a native to Brazil, Paraguay, and other areas of South America. I understand that the seed pods of this species have been used in past as a substitute for vanilla (also from the seed pods of another orchid). Many sources say that L. bicolor is fragrant, however so far this has not been the case with my plant. Nonetheless, it does produce handsome flowers imho. I hope you will agree.
Thank you for stopping by,
Bob
Tillandsia bulbosa, color
A few of my Tillandsia plants, aka air plants, are showing signs of blooming for the first time. The one shown here is Tillandsia bulbosa, or at least that's the best identification I have been able to come up with. I'm not sure how many flowers it will ultimately have or how long they last. So, I thought I'd better spend the time to photograph it. The result is from a 71-image stack, and I hope you like it.
Good day to you,
Bob
Laeliacattleya "Tropical Pointer Spot", color
Several of my orchids are in bloom, and one of my favorites is this one: Laeliacattleya "Tropical Pointer Spot". It's a very reliable bloomer, July and December each year for the many years I've had it in my collection. Its flowers are rather small, but dainty, with a wonderful spicy fragrance that appears each morning from sunrise to approx. noon. This summer it really let loose with a multitude of blooms on several individual plants. Unfortunately, we're having a heat wave with temperatures nearing 100F, which doesn't bode well for the flowers, as they're already showing signs of an early die-off. Such are the woes of the orchid hobbyist.
I hope your flowers are doing well, and you're enjoying the summer too.
Best wishes,
Bob
Hollofield Trash 1, color
When I started this webpage several years ago, I wanted to keep it focused on photography, nature, and wildlife, leaving statements to others. However, I feel strongly compelled to say something that affects me as well as any lover of nature and wildlife: the wanton dumping of trash in our state parks and wildlife areas. As a hiker and fisherman, I frequent the Patapsco River area and nearby reservoirs and lakes on a weekly basis. At these sites and particularly at the Patapsco River Hollofield area (downstream from the Hollofield bridge), I have witnessed repeated dumping of large amounts of trash often, as seen in the photograph above, directly next to signs clearly stating that doing so is a violation, not to mention an affront to 'common sense'. If this occurred once in a while, I suppose I'd write it off as an aberration, but it doesn't occur occasionally: I see a manifestation of this every time I go out to fish or hike. Fishermen leave their bait containers, plastic water bottles, food wrappers, spent monofilament line, hooks, and lures. Others leave the leftovers from picnics and parties (as witnessed in the photograph). Still other leave religious artifacts and shrines behind. (I learned of the hindu festival of ganesh after wondering why there were clay statues of that hindu god submerged in the Patapsco last year.) I have seen all of these and more littering the streams, banks and areas adjacent to the Patapsco and bodies of water that we use for recreation as well as drinking water supplies, i.e., Liberty and Loch Raven reservoirs. And it disgusts me.
In particular, the Hollofield area of Patapsco State Park is highly trafficked by fishermen, bathers, tubers and kayakers, as well as others seeking a spot for a summertime picnic or other activity. It's wonderful to have such a place as the Patapsco River and the State Park, and to be able to enjoy it and and the natural environment around the area. I think it is reasonable to assume that people who visit Hollofield do so because they enjoy being in this natural setting so close to Baltimore city. So, why would anyone want to diminish the pleasure of communing with nature by leaving their trash behind? Are they under the false belief that their trash is someone else's concern? That it will be picked up and removed by others? What others? Sadly, there are no others, except for a limited number of volunteers and good samaritans who take it upon themselves to remove the trash others leave behind. I thank them for those efforts, and ask everyone to do their part in helping keep these bodies of water free from trash.
Best wishes,
Bob
Each year my gardens erupt in a brilliant display of floral fireworks as the Crocosmia bloom. Their small but plentiful red flowers attract hummingbirds and insect pollinators, and are a sure sign that the hot, humid summer weather is here to stay, at least for a while. While I think the flowers are beautiful, the flower buds are equally pretty and interesting. I was out a few evenings ago with my macro setup, and took these photos of some of the buds with their wild reds, greens, and yellows. I hope you enjoy them.
Crocosmia buds 1, color
Crocosmia buds 2, color
Crocosmia buds 3, color
Crocosmia buds 4, color
Crocosmia buds 5, color
Cheers,
Bob
Glowing Spider 3, color
Glowing spider 1, color
This species of spider is a frequent inhabitant of my gardens where it makes beautiful orb webs. It's a relatively small spider, probably no more than 1 cm from anterior to posterior leg tips. Oddly, I've never seen the spider's dorsal side, as they build their webs close to plants or other surfaces, making observation of their backs difficult at best. But, their ventral abdomen is really neat: it has patches of yellow that simply glow when light hits them.
I was lucky enough to capture this one while it waited for its next meal by my orchids.
Cheers,
Bob
Walking On Fire, color
'Tis the season of coneflowers and their pollinators. On an evening stroll through my garden, I spied this small fly on top of an opening blossom.
Cheers,
Bob
Droplets, color
You're seeing a highly magnified image of a cluster of tiny water droplets that have adhered to a spider's web in between the leaves of one of my Tillandsia plants. Fascinating, isn't it?
Best wishes,
Bob
This time of year is so special. Daylight extends from before 6AM to 9PM and beyond. Dusk is long and its light luxurious. I often find myself wandering in my gardens at this time, listening to the cardinals chirping away before nesting, and watching the soft light illuminate the flowers. It's still early for many of my plants, but the day lilies are in full bloom and magnificent.
Here are a couple of black and white photos I recently took as twilight approached. I really like to present flowers in black and white, as it removes the color aspect while emphasizing shape and textures. I hope you agree.
Day lily #1, black and white
Day lily #2, black and white
Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment, if you wish.
Cheers,
Bob
Illuminated butterflies, color
Recently, I have noticed numerous 'swarms' of butterflies, many of which have been clustered on damp ground near trails and streams. In various venues near fishing spots and hiking trails, I have seen swallowtails of various varieties, cabbage butterflies, and those small, light blue butterflies (Cupido amyntula), often in groups of 8 or more sitting in close proximity to one another. The sight near fails to delight me.
I captured these swallowtails with my smartphone while at Liberty Reservoir in Eldersberg. I hope you enjoy the photo.
Best wishes,
Bob
Wild Rose, monochrome
I was hiking along the Patapsco River a few days ago, and happened to note a familiar scent in the air. The fragrance brought back memories of similar hikes throughout the years, although for all my efforts I could not place what produced that aroma. With a little investigation, avoiding poison ivy at every step, I discovered that this wonderful smell was coming from wild rose bushes that littered the landscape. They're in prime bloom right now, so take a moment to smell the roses.
Best wishes,
Bob
Cedar Waxwing in Mulberry Tree, color
The cedar waxwings have started to gorge on the ripening mulberries in our neck of the woods. Often flocks of 50 or more birds will descend on a tree for a few minutes and then fly off for a momentary roost in the safety of a taller tree. They repeat this cycle until the last ripe berry is eaten. These birds favor the tallest of branches and seldom stay put for very long; they're always a challenge to photograph. The best approach is to listen for their distinctive song and watch for movement and location.
I captured this lovely bird who had just feasted on some berries at a nearby pond that is a birdwatcher's paradise.
Please feel free to leave comments, and thanks for stopping by.
Bob
Cicada exuviae macro, color
We had an unexpected emergence of 17-year cicadas over the last week. This brood was supposed to stay in the ground as nymphs until 2021 but, for unknown reasons, a portion of these insects has emerged early leaving their exuviae (the remains of the nymph's exoskeleton) on low-lying plants and bushes. (There are hundreds, to give you an idea of their numbers.) I thought it might be interesting to photograph some of these exuviae, and here are early results.
Cicada Dance, b/w
If you're interested in these cicadas, the Washington Post has an article at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/05/17/the-giant-bugs-on-the-sidewalks-are-cicadas-that-rose-from-the-dead-4-years-too-early/?utm_term=.2656716a5b9c
Thank you for stopping by. Your comments are, as always, welcomed.
Bob
