Monday, August 28, 2017

The Little Things

As I get older, I find more nad more that it's the little things that make me happy. I tend to pass some of these things by, because they're not big and showy; it's easy to miss them.


There are lots of little things at Shabo-Mekaw (to find out more about our country getaway, follow the links at the bottom of this page) this time of year.   For instance, these 'mini-landscapes' that we often walk right over as we hike through the forest. If you stop to pay attention, though, they're really quite beautiful - nature's tiny gardens of shining club moss, sensitive plant, sorrel, and ferns.



False foxglove




 There are a plethora of mushrooms growing here, of seemingly endless types and colors. I've never seen this blue one before.





For whatever reason, this particular stand of joe-pye weed was covered with butterflies...



Purple-headed sneeze weed



Downy lobelia




 Sumac is a beautiful tree with pink or red fruits. I have no idea which species this is - there are 35, including the poison one.



 Naked-Flowered Tick-Trefoil (maybe) and Hairy Hawkweed. The flowers on both of these are smaller than the head of a thumbtack.






 I didn't have time to look up all the mushrooms, but they come in every shape and color. The orange ones are actually much brighter orange than they appear in the photo.




 Mist Flower



  Hoary Mountain Mint



Field milkwort



 Early goldenrod



The eastern rainforest - poplar, oak, mountain laurel, white pine, lots of ferns...



Waterlily pads and some kind of aquatic reed.




Queen Anne's Lace



 Ironweed



 Field Thistle




 Joe-pye weed and butterfly by the pond.






It's almost time to say good-bye to summer... sigh...




11 comments:

  1. thank you for sharing this beautiful walk through your woods!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mo! I wish you could walk with me for real!

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  2. A feast for the eyes! Thank you for taking the time to share your gorgeous photos!
    And I know exactly what you mean - little things make me happy, too.

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    1. Hi Chris! Thanks for visiting, and for the kind words!

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  3. Wow! I want to grow joe-pye weed! I LOVE your new camera!!! Now I want one, too. Only, the photos wouldn't be like yours....now everything is soggy. But when the sun comes up this morning, I'll take some pictures of the water! Your blog is great. Thanks for sending it!

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    1. Thanks, Unknown! Glad you like the blog, sorry everything is soggy! :)

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  4. It is all in the details! I often feel that way in my own backyard ❣️

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    1. That's very true, Patti, no matter where you are. We have all gotten so busy that we forget to pay attention to the little things...

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  5. What a magnificent celebration of nature..my soul is shimmering! Gorgeous photos , yo have captured many inspiring moments of complete magic and infinite beauty! Nature is everything. Beautiful!
    Victoria
    Shine on
    Victoria

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    1. Thank you, Victoria! This is quite a compliment coming from a master photographer like you! I'm glad you enjoyed the post!

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  6. Wow, fantastic. Very nice photography. I think you the way of taking these kind of photography makes you as a good photographer. I like the way of taking the photos of butterflies. i think you will have a great future in photography and i wish all the success for you. Vehicle registration in Dubai

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I'm happy to reply here, but may not always have time for individual emails.