Crab Spider

The other day when i went to open the porch door i found a very small, little finger-nail size, spider on the dead-bolt latch:

I thought it very much looked like a crab from the front and when i went looking for its id: lo, it is a Crab Spider!

Somewhat cute in its own way.

Rabbits, again.

I have always been fascinated by and with rabbits and now they live at the edge of our backyard.

I know there are at least three that live around here. The one above is the one i believe that i see most often.

This one:

was taken in June and his/her ears clearly have tears in both. And he/she looks somewhat old or a bit battered.

The rabbit i have been taking photos of lately has no ear markings, and

appears to be watching the bumble bee that's just in front of her/him

This is the way i most often see her/him. Appearing to sit quietly for long periods of time with almost no movements.

Until it is time to clean him/herself.

Occasionally there are two of them in the yard at the same time and then they do this rather funny thing where they face each other about 3-5 feet apart and then just sit there looking at the other. Then one runs towards the other and the other jumps straight up in the air -as though levitating because it stays level during the jump- and lands facing the other. So far i've not had a camera when that happens so i've no photos of their antics. They often do that a bunch of times ... its very funny to watch.

I have not seen the torn ear rabbit since June.

Subscribing ??

I know little about this blog's possibilities other then it is a freebie owned by Google/Yahoo. Someone asked how they could follow this blog and i don't know the answer to that other then checking in every so often. If you reading this and know how someone can subscribe or i can invite people to view (other then sending a link) i'd appreciate hearing from you.

Chimney Rock Overlook

Morning

This morning at sunup the far southeastern mountain had clouds around it giving it a look of a Japanese Landscape. Sadly, by the time i got the camera/lens out, it had changed - still, i liked it:

Mountain name unknown

This was shot with a 70-300 lens and while sitting on the porch watching the sun rise, i notice that a Pentatomidae, better known as a Stink Bug, sitting on the top of one of the poles that the tomatoes are supported by.

Sitting very still, a perfect portrait of a stink bug.

 And the tomatoes continue to bloom.

Arboretum

Yesterday, i spent sometime at the NC Arboretum which turned out to be a rainy overcast day - my favorite. Still, that didn't deter the butterflies:

I did not read the name of this display but liked it ... seems a good introduction to the variety of plants and art works spread over the arboretum.

And the range of mushrooms was amazing:

And butterflies:

I believe this one and the one below are the same kinda of butterfly but one is female and the other male

There is an exhibit of photographs  there: "A Year in the Life of a Mountain Bog" by Michael Oppenheim. I liked the exhibit and the only criticism, which isn't really a criticism, is that i'd like to have seen less very large images and more images of the mundaneness of the bog. I recommend viewing if you are in the area.

Returning

It has been a busy few weeks starting back with a Lipscomb Reunion hosted by my cousin in Culpepper, VA about 400 miles north of where i live.

I think this'll be the only people part of the reunion i'll post as i'm in this and feel its fine to post; all others i'd want their permission 'fore i made a public posting. There are almost as many missing from the reunion as there are people in the image. It was wonderful to have such a reunion and my great thanks goes out to all those who had a hand in putting -and holding- it together.

On the way back it rained for 3/4 quarters of the drive sometimes hard enough that i was thinking of pulling over until i could see where i was going. By the time we were a short distance outside of Asheville, the mountains had wonderful wisps of clouds at tree levels. This is Rt #26 coming into Asheville and we are only 12 miles from our house.

Initially, i didn't like this photograph -it is a six image panoramic- 'cause the road was in it. But those that have seen it say the road gives it a sense of size and place and i'm coming to agree with that view.

I have continue to photograph the plants on the back porch as i love seeing the dew on the plants each morning and always want to capture them in a way that gives me a feeling of joining them with a cup of tea.

Insects

This morning, after photographing the rabbit, i put on the macro twin-flash attachment designed by Canon to go with their macro lenses. My friend bought this attachment for me three or four years ago and i've used it almost exclusively for table-top macro work. And it has worked very well (thank you Steve!).

I've seen it in videos being used to shoot bugs/insects in the wild -well, around the neighborhood. I was totally amazed at the colors that showed up when using the flash. Oh, i've been doing macro photos of outdoor bugs for years, but, until now, never noticed how poor their color is.

I was, i am, delighted to see and capture such color:

I don't know what this bug is - do you?

Moth ?

Moth, for sure

Roach, i think

See the blue the roach and questionable moth is on? That is the dew on the car that i was about to wipe off when this whole insect-photographing started. I too a few shots of the dew which was pretty trippy:

I love the blueness -the car body is sky blue- and how it comes thru the dew drops

The top shot is at an angle and the middle sharpness is the field of focus. 

This bottom image is shot from directly above the drops and its all pretty much in focus; however, the reddish hue that is running along the bottom i don't know the source of. It is in the original shot, a band of reddish hue running diagonally thru the image. No, there is no red anywhere on the car.

Want to investigate both all those little hair like white thinggies that are sticking up in the top photo and where-in-the-world did that red hue come from?