Patterns of the Snow

We don't get as much snow here in Provo as others do along the Wasatch Front, but what we do get is welcome because of its water content. It is interesting to be able to step out my front door and see images like this one.  I thought of rendering this photo as a gray-scale but decided the brown of the tree trunk needed to show. I love the patterns I see in nature.

Morning After the Storm

We have had a series of snow and rain storms pass through Utah Valley recently. When the storms pass and the clouds begin to clear, we get some spectacular views of the mountains in the clear post-storm air. Since this is early morning, I usually run outside without a coat in the cold to take a few quick photos. I have been using my Canon camera more lately. We didn't have room for it and all the lenses in our packed car for our one year move to Annapolis, Maryland so it is nice to get back to having a real camera for a change.

Mourning Dove on a rock

This is a Mourning (not morning) Dove or Zenaida macroura. Most of my life in Salt River Valley, I woke up in the early morning to the sound of these doves. Their call is very distinctive and sounds sad and soulful hence the name "mourning doves." They are fairly common in the desert and I do miss hearing them.

This Photo is not Upside Down

When walking in the desert, you do not usually find water and it is even more uncommon to find a pool with a reflection. This lovely cottonwood tree is a reflection in a desert pool. The black spots are rocks that are under the water. I miss these opportunities now that I live in the mountains of Utah. But there are compensations with views of the mountains with snow.

The Creeping Devil Cactus

As the Creeping Devil cactus or Stenocereus eruca grows it actually creeps across the desert. The stems of the cactus grow along the ground and then take root into sandy soil. If the cactus gets too long, the end or tail dies off and the cactus literally moves across the desert floor. Here is an explanation of the cactus from Wikipedia: Stenocereus eruca.

Stenocereus eruca, commonly known as creeping devil, is a member of the family Cactaceae. It is one of the most distinctive cacti, a member of the relatively small genus Stenocereus. It is endemic to the central Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, and is found only on sandy soils, where it forms massive colonies. 

As with all cacti, creeping devil is succulent, and is reported to contain mescaline and sterols. Growth patterns can be widely scattered as individual stems; in favorable localities they can form impenetrable patches of branching stems measuring several metres across. The creeping devil is columnar, with a very spiny stem which is creamy green in color, averaging 5 cm in diameter and 1.5–2 m long, with only the terminal end raised from the ground. A height of 20–30 cm is normal since this cactus is recumbent (it grows in a horizontal manner). The large, nocturnal flowers are white, pink, or yellow; usually 10–14 cm long with a spiny ovary, and flowering sparingly in response to rain. The spiny fruit is 3–4 cm long with black seeds. 

Creeping devil lies on the ground and grows at one end while the other end slowly dies, with a succession of new roots developing on the underside of the stem. The growth rate is adapted to the moderate, moist marine environment of the Baja peninsula, and can achieve in excess of 60 cm per year, but when transplanted to a hot, arid environment the cacti can grow as little as 60 cm per decade. Over the course of many years, the entire cactus will slowly travel, with stems branching and taking root toward the growing tips, while older stem portions die and disintegrate. This traveling chain of growth gives rise to the name eruca, which means "caterpillar" as well as the common name creeping devil.

This is one of my favorite cactus plants and I always like to say hello to them when I visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. 

A Path in the Woods

There are times when the ordinary becomes extraordinary. This was a beautiful day in Missouri along the banks of the Mississippi River. This is one of those photos that I take automatically that turn out to be remarkable.

Reflections on Beauty

Whenever you are outside, you can see beauty. Albert Einstein is attributed with saying, "Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better." I am not sure that I would agree with the word "everything" but I do believe that we can gain a better insight into our lives by looking for beauty in the things that surround us.

Lock and Dam Nunber 24, Mississippi River

Lock and Dam Number 24, Mississippi River is an imposing sight. It is located in Clarksville, Missouri about 75 miles north of St. Louis. Photos like this come from the way we travel. If we have no particular destination in mind, we follow signs along the road, take detours, wander off into the backcountry and usually are looking for a place to stay once it begins to get dark. If we have a destination in mind, we take the shortest route and seldom see anything except the freeway.

The Morning Breaks, the Shadows Flee

One huge benefit of living right next to the mountains is that a few times a year I see views like this in the early morning. It makes it worth my effort to get out of bed before sunrise and look at the mountains. If I see something like this, I can run outside and take some photos and then run back inside before I freeze to death. Lovely day, lovely photo.

Early Morning at Glen Canyon Dam

This is a downstream view of the Glen Canyon Dam that holds the water of Lake Powell. This is a different viewpoint for me. We discovered this obscure road down to trail to an overlook just recently. It was a beautiful day but chilly with temperatures below freezing. My Sony camera apparently froze and stopped working but fortunately, I had two more cameras; my Canon and my iPhone. Can you guess which one took this photo?

Earning a Halo

Sometimes what you see in nature is just a little bit strange. I don't know what this cactus did to earn a halo, but it certainly needed some recognition surrounded by a crowd of different species. Maybe we need to bloom where we are planted rather than question the reasons we are placed where we are?

Not a cactus

This is not a cactus. It is a Euphorbia plant.  With one limited exception, all cactus originated in the New World, i.e. North and South America. This particular euphorbia originated in Africa. Cactus are defined as plants with spines that are produced from specialized structures called areoles. There are hundred and 27 genera and approximately 1750 known species of cactus Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees. The genus has over or about 2,000 members, See Wikipedia: Euphorbia.

Arizona Iris

Arizona is the home to native Iris which are usually called Blue Flag Iris. The ones shown above are likely a hybrid variety. We grew beautiful iris flowers for many years in Arizona and now that we are living in Utah Valley, we have even more iris. I suppose, if I have a favorite flower, it would be Iris. Actually, every flower that I see is my favorite. 

A Stunning Bromeliad

There are thousands of species of Bromeliaceae spread around the work but they originated in the tropical parts of North and South America.  One species is found in Africa. It is amazing that these beautiful plants are related to Spanish moss, the stuff that hangs down from trees in the South. There are even some species that are native to southern Arizona.

Aloe from Arizona

Some plants are as beautiful as flowers. Their color and form are fantastic. Aloes have a graceful form and the plants are also monumentally beautiful. This photo was taken in Arizona in the middle of the winter. It is possible that the intense color of the aloes was due to the cooler weather. But the plants were gorgeous.

Bloom where you are planted

One of the things I frequently notice is the color and form of plants. If you think about it, every plant on the earth is an individual. Each has it own particular place to grow. In our house as long as I can remember, we have had a saying posted: Bloom where you are planted. Maybe my fascination with plants has come from realizing that they always bloom where they are planted but that we have a choice.

Washington, Utah

Sometimes I'm able to travel without time pressure. In these rare cases, I take the time to stop and take photographs usually with more than one camera. I find that my Canon DSLR is able to take certain types of pictures but I also find my Sony camera and my iPhone take equally as appealing photographs that are different than the ones taken by the Canon. This photo shows a common contrast between the desert and the mountains in southern Utah. You might be surprised to find out there is actually a town called Washington in Utah. This is the view that many people have in the subdivision I happen to be standing in.

A Light Lunch

Photographing insects is a challenge. Basically, they don't hold still for a photograph and you need to be close enough or have a long enough lens to capture that exact moment when they are in the best position. Sometimes, it requires a large quantity of patience. Part of the overall consideration is the background. Photographers discuss endlessly the quality of the background expressed by the term bokeh. In this photo, the highlighted butterfly is surrounded by a blurred out background achieving this blurred out background is called obtaining a good bokeh.