Young Hunter

I usually only see Praying Mantises when they reach their full size in early Autumn here in Michigan, but I happened to spot this young hunter in the front flower garden. ~*~

Spare Umbels – Weekly Photo Challenge: Spare

Although my focus on the day this picture was taken was to capture the lovely spring ephemeral flowers, the spare heads of umbelliferae family plants, most likely Queen Anne's Lace, caught and held my attention for long moments. They looked like the afterimage of fireworks, frozen in time.  I especially like how the dry remnants …

Lichen and Beech Abstract – Weekly Photo Challenge: Abstract

The shapes and tones in this photo of lichen and fallen Beech leaves seemed to fit perfectly with the Weekly Photo Challenge: Abstract by The Daily Post.  Sunlight's play of light and shadow made a natural vignette effect, enhancing the abstract feel.  This photo was taken while on a spiritual retreat last summer in Le …

Tentative Growth – Weekly Photo Challenge: Optimism

Prompted by The Daily Post's Weekly Photo Challenge: Optimism, I chose this picture from last April of delicate new leaves on young Box Alder trees that had been hacked down the previous summer.  It is truly astonishing how fast Box Alder Maple can grow in spite of poor conditions or trauma, and this trait of …

Abundant Harvest – Weekly Photo Challenge: Weight(less)

Trees bent down to eye level by the weight of Wild Grape vines heavy in their abundance at the nearby park we love displayed the Weekly Photo Challenge: Weight(less) to me. On our first few ventures to the nemetons there, we could not fail to see the thick vines in each location.  We did not …

Springtime Offerings – Weekly Photo Challenge: Trio

For honoring the Spring Equinox, we painted eggs and, after drawing an Ogham few, wrote our Ogham letter onto our offering egg as a way of bringing the gifts of that Ogham out into the greening world. Post prompted by the Weekly Photo Challenge: Trio by The Daily Post.

Naturally Ornate – Weekly Photo Challenge: Ornate

The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge this week: Ornate ~*~

Slowly Set Ablaze – Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

The Daily Post's Weekly Photo Challenge: Change asked bloggers to find "change in progress".  I'm going to be incredibly unoriginal and post this picture of the Greenworld's transformation from Summer greens to Fall colors. I took this photo after making a contemplative trek along a wooded trail to a huge and beloved cottonwood tree.  The …

Beauteously Creepy – Weekly Photo Challenge: Creepy

In a list of the top 10 creepiest things, I am fairly certain most people would add insects and arachnids.  This photo of the brilliantly-colored Venusta Orchard Spider immediately came to my mind when I saw this week's Weekly Photo Challenge: Creepy from The Daily Post.  I had the unfortunate luck to walk right into …

Spring Training of the Fruit Tree – Weekly Photo Challenge: Off-Season

Near a small, untended apple orchard, there are a few thriving Autumn Olive trees. This was approximately a month ago, just before the pale yellow flowers had started to open. These trees are named for their very small, edible, olive-shaped fruits that begin to appear in Autumn, and both the leaves and the fruits of …