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Crossing the kitchen and looking out the porch window i was the sun just inching above the horizon. Fortunately my camera was sitting on a tripod at the window. Clicking the shoot button and a bit of play with NIK gave me a morning image that i like. I've struggled with all the electrical lines in the photo when shooting sunrises and decided they work fine in this stylized image.

Lately, as a result of having joined a on-line macro club, i've been shooting more bugs/insects then i usually do. This small, about 1 1/2"- caterpillar was crawling around my the porch chair. He was moving way too fast for me to get a photo of his head which was what i wanted to do. I moved the chair, got everything set (the camera was on a tripod and using a 60mm Macro lens) for the arrival and still - no head shot! And, i haven't been able to id the caterpillar yet. If you know its name, type or anything about it would you please leave word in the comments section below - thanks.

On the other hand -other lens?- i got a couple of really good shoots a weekend ago on a local garden walk in the West Asheville area:

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Asian Lady Bug

I try to regularity return to macro work; ie, at least 1:1 if not larger. When i was at a friends house a week ago she had some glass balls filled with colors and shapes - an idea subject to play with macro photographically. So far i've only come up one with one that i like which is this:

 This is the one that i working with currently. The ball is not green glass, that is the color casted by the green rubber that the ball is sitting on (a Lazy Susan which i bought at a kitchen supply store - i allows me to move the subject easily) ... i put white paper under the ball when shooting.

This is what i've come up with so far. For a first effort its not so bad and it is just a beginning.

 This will be my next color to work with.

Birds

I've been doing a bit more bird photographing lately looking to improve both the clarity and sharpness of the images.

Eastern Bluebird with grub

From a park about 80 miles from here. I think the top image was one of the young ones as there seemed to be a whole family out pic-nic just as we were.

Father Cardinal (kinda hiding)

Mother Cardinal (i believe) with worm

Mother with two children.

Berwick's Wren

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.