Monthly Archives: August 2011

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

I rarely give this plant any name but bindweed and I spend a lot of time pulling it out of my garden. I do have to say, though, that for colors in the deepest registers, this is just about as good as it gets. The morning glory (along with the lowly petunia) has some of the most beautiful, deep, rich, colors in the world of flowers.

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Katydid

Katydid

Katydid

I went out into the woods next to my building today and took a few pictures. As I was heading back I came across this Katydid, probably a Pterophylla camellifolia, who flew up onto the trunk of a tree as I approached. He somewhat reluctantly allowed me to get close enough for a few pictures.

I remember Cathy had one of these on her shoulder one time and when she noticed it but before she knew what it was, she totally freaked out. Pretty funny.

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Cabbage White

Cabbage White

Cabbage White

The cabbage white (Pieris rapae) is cosmopolitan and ubiquitous. This one is in my back garden.

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Sphinx Moth

Sphinx Moth

Sphinx Moth

Taking pictures of bees and butterflies on flowers is hard, but at least they land, if only momentarily. This is a sphinx moth and I’ve only very rarely seen one actually land. Certainly when feeding on flowers they tend to hover. Unfortunately this one was not in the sun, so it’s not shown as nicely as it might be, but beggars cannot be choosers. I’m guessing that this is Hemaris diffinis, the snowberry clearwing, but I really don’t know.

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Alec and Audrey

Alec and Audrey

Alec and Audrey

This afternoon we had a nice visit with my cousin, Lisa, and her lovely family. This is Alec and Audrey, her two children and Dorothy’s second cousins. We certainly don’t see them as often as we should but it’s always a treat when we do. We shouldn’t need the extra incentive but Dorothy actually does have more reason to visit Tampa now, so perhaps we’ll make our way south sometime.

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Hot Dog Bun People

Hot Dog Bun People

Hot Dog Bun People

OK, this is a little obscure. On the way to the beach back on July 30, while waiting in traffic on I95 south of Woodbridge, Virginia, we noticed an SUV with two bins and two coolers on the back. In one bin were games and in the other were lots of hot dog buns and a couple (clear) containers of Fruit Loops. They were going faster than we were so naturally we lost track of them.

About 220 miles further along on our trip, we stopped, as we always do, for barbecue at Parkers in Wilson, North Carolina. I dropped mom off and went to park in the only shady spot in the parking lot and guess who was right next to us? The Hot Dog Bun People. I even took a picture showing the back of their car.

Fast forward to today, seven days later. We’re driving west on I-40 out of Wilmington, North Carolina. We are about a hundred miles from Parkers, heading back home. The girls are quiet in the back seat, zoning out, when all of a sudden Dorothy had some sort of seizure. I actually saw the van about the time she did but the rest of the car had no idea what was going on. She was pointing out the window and babbling incoherently in a loud (very) voice.

As you can see from the picture (which matches the picture from last Saturday exactly except one cooler and one bin are gone) we had just been overtaken by… The Hot Dog Bun People.

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Wakin’ Up Is Hard To Do

Dorothy

Dorothy

We didn’t really do anything today but it’s the beach, nothing is what you do there.

This picture makes it look like it’s cold but it’s actually been quite hot here. Dorothy had just gotten up and was still wrapped up from being inside (where it IS pretty cold, particularly first thing in the morning).

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Another Sunrise

Another Sunrise

Another Sunrise

Another sunrise at the beach. Every day is different but different in a beautiful way.

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The Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder

The Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder

The Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder

Sleeping in is one of the nice things about being on vacation. That being said, getting up at 6:30 has its advantages, as well. It isn’t exactly the road to Mandalay (and there were no flying fishes, as far as I know) but even in North Carolina, the dawn sometimes comes up like thunder.

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Green Lynx Spider

Green Lynx Spider

Green Lynx Spider

In the Green Swamp, green lynx spiders (Peucetia viridans) live on pitcher plants, enjoying the insects that don’t quite make it into the death trap. Bwah-ha-ha!

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Beach Umbrella

Beach Umbrella

Beach Umbrella

This is a beach umbrella reflected in a thin film of water on the sand. I like it as an abstract image.

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