Charlie and the Nature Factory [Warning: Stunningly Beautiful Large Photo Images]

Silver King

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Here's a picture of a little spider on Asclepias incarnata 'Soulmate'. The flowers smell sort of like cotton candy. The monarch caterpillars loved it last year. Hope for more cats this year.

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Love the colors in that shot and how you describe the flowers as smelling like cotton candy. I wish I knew more about flora and how to identify the various species. One of my favorite images is of an unknown specimen that I had printed and framed. A number of people have asked me what type of flower it is, and my usual response is, "A pretty one?"

I'll post a copy of it in this thread soon, and maybe someone can solve the mystery for me...

This is the hawk that used to dine on the sparrows I was feeding. I named him Thestral. I always felt bad for the sparrows, but damn I loved that hawk.


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It's strange in a way how we cheer the predator's success at times, even though we feel badly for its prey. It often brings mixed emotions and a sense of resignation that reminds us of the way it is, and should be, in the wild.

Love the wood stork! How gorgeous!

SK, the stork image is incredibly beautiful. The peach color on its wings looks like it's glowing.
Thank you. It helped that the wind was so strong at the time that the bird was held in near suspended animation when she appeared overhead. :)
 

Tepelus

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I really need to use a tripod for my macro pictures. They would most likely come out a lot more clear. I have a tripod, maybe I'll put it to use this year when I take pictures of my flowers. I have lots of pictures of my flowers, mostly daylilies, on Photobucket. I like to capture the little creatures in my yard, too.

Here's an old photo of a Spring Azure butterfly on hosta "Summer Breeze" converted to black and white

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Then garden phlox "Nicky" with a little fly on one of the flowers:

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A praying mantis, she was a big one!

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And a few of our goofy fox squirrels:

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Yes, that is corn growing on and behind the dirt mound that squirrel is laying on. The little shits like to plant corn everywhere. If only our neighbor would stop "feeding" them corn, I wouldn't have a corn field growing in my yard. lol
 

Lady MacBeth

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Awesome photos Tepelus. Love the fox squirrel. We call them ground squirrels where I live.
 

Tepelus

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Chipmunks here are called ground squirrels because they burrow in the ground, whereas these guys are typically called bushy-tailed tree-dwelling rats. lol
 

swachski

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Great images, Tepelus. I LOVE the hosta image.

Since this is turning into a flora/fauna photo thread, I may just have to post more of my own too. :)
 

Silver King

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Awesome photos Tepelus...

Great images, Tepelus...
That's what I was thinking also but wanted to throw in excellent, especially the one of the praying mantis.

Since this is turning into a flora/fauna photo thread, I may just have to post more of my own too. :)
Yes, please do. Just about any nature pic from any member would be welcomed.

When I started this discussion, I didn't envision the direction it would take, nor had I planned on posting non-gator related pictures. But it's turned into more than just my concern for a single alligator and edged closer to a place where we can share our love and appreciation for wildlife. And what can be better than that? :)
 

Silver King

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Speaking of nudes, this is the flower I mentioned recently that I can't identify. It's a water species that flourished briefly near the edge of a pond. I came upon it here soon after a hard rain:


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And while my neighbor's German Shepard wasn't on patrol one morning, I sneaked over to his yard and took this picture. The rose bush grows untended, wild and wonderful and spreading in all directions:


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Lady MacBeth

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Chipmunks here are called ground squirrels because they burrow in the ground, whereas these guys are typically called bushy-tailed tree-dwelling rats. lol

We get chipmunks too. I think the official name for the squirrel where I live is the Douglas Squirrel. I've seen them dart into burrows, but I think they probably nest in the trees. They're cute, but noisy little devils.:)
 

Tepelus

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Oh yes, the fox squirrels here are ballsy, we have one that gives us attitude. My boyfriend was "talking" to it one day and it acted all big and bad, yelling at us, and at one time looked like it wanted to leap at my boyfriend. It was hilarious. At the Hayes Presidential Center, the fox squirrels are used to people and dogs, we had one today come up to us when taking our dog for a walk, so we paused and it came within a foot from me, even with the dog right there. If I had a peanut to give it, I'm sure it would have taken it from my hand. I've never gotten so close to a squirrel before. I may have to take peanuts with me next time I go. The older folks often go around giving the squirrels peanuts, so that's how they've gotten so friendly.
 

heyjude

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SK, the flowers are gorgeous. You certainly have the eye!

Our squirrels--I don't know what they are--delight in torturing the cats. They sit on top of the lanai or on the side, inches from the cat, and chatter. One of these days they're going to get a little too close and the cat's going to come through the screen...
 

Silver King

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Some recent close-ups, from a medium sized gator (Charlie) to one about half his size to a much smaller fellow that measured about eighteen inches long, if that:


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Haggis

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Oh yes, without a doubt. They're biters straight out of the egg.

Another view of the future bad-ass: :)



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Oh, yeah. That's an eighteen incher for sure.

*high fives SK and chuckles over the SPRSEKRIT TYPICAL GUY JOKE*
 

swachski

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And now for something completely different...

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*pets puppy's head*

Such a funny puppy.