Thistle Quill

Hawk

2009-11-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

Not the best shots, I cleaned the pics up a bit it was very foggy out this morning when I took these, we rarely see hawks here in town.

Fall 2009

2009-10-24T16:08:00.001-07:00

Ledges State Park

2009-10-18T18:09:00.001-07:00

Sleeping Sunflower

2009-08-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Storm Front Moving In

2009-08-09T13:49:00.001-07:00

Herb

2009-08-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

Click on photo for larger image of plants.

I found this growing next to my driveway, it has squre stems and smells of balsam when crushed. It had one lonely flower on the hole plant.

Native Plants

2009-08-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sunset at Doolittle Prairie

2009-08-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Birds on a Wire

2009-08-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Yellow Majesty!!!

2009-08-01T17:24:00.001-07:00

Taken at the Marietta Sand Prairie Reserve in Marshall County, Iowa

Moon over Boone County

2009-07-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

John took this shot of the moon for me while we were out on a country drive - I was driving.

Cup Fungi

2009-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Fungus

2009-05-21T17:52:00.001-07:00

This just showed up in my yard under the crab apple tree it is completely encircling the tree. I believe this may be Peziza succosa but I am not sure. The fungi do not have hairs etc., on the interior in fact the centers are almost shiny.

Cup Fungi

2009-05-21T18:06:00.001-07:00

Side view

Just fruited

Older fruiting body

Wild Ginger Blossom

2009-05-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have yet to see a blossom that doesn't have sand on it! In a fairy tale on could conclude that wild ginger creates sand!

Bluebells

2009-05-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

Violets

2009-05-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

Native Violets

Hepatica

2009-05-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Lots of lovely hepatica in the woods this evening!

Violet

2009-04-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tendrils

2009-04-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Mystery Hole

2009-04-30T13:23:00.001-07:00

Moss and Lichen

2009-04-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Snake Heap

2009-04-17T12:21:00.001-07:00

I think these are garter snakes here on this mossy covered rock and I think they are mating. The sound was unreal I keep forgetting that I have video capability on my digital camera!!!

Year without a Summer???

2009-04-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Things are lining up that we end up with no summer this year, in most places! Why you might ask??? In the past month the earth has seen an unprecedented rise in volcanic activity five of which were major eruptions and three other major eruptions are pending. What consititutes a major eruption you might ask? One or more eruptions that puts ash 25,000 - 50,000 feet into the atmosphere. The five recent eruptions have been closer to 50,000 feet!

Check out Volcano Live http://volcanolive.com/news.html for recent activity

Mount Redoubt - Alaska
Colima - Mexico
Llaima - Chile
Chaiten - Chile
Tonga - Pacific Rim
Galeras, Colombia
Kamchatka - Russia

Pending eruptions that looks as if they will erupt in the coming days if not weeks:

Arenal - Costa Rica
Karymsky - Russia

Scarlet Cup or Sarcoscypha Coccinea

2009-03-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

Sarcoscypha Coccinea or Scarlet Cup (ascomycetes)

Found this guy sticking out of the ground, poked gently at first with a small twig to see if it was a plant or not. Once I ascertained that it was a fungus I dug out the stick it was attached for better photographing ops. I put it back where I found it, in the mud under some oak leaves. Taken at Soper's Mill on the north trail.