Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014May10

I just never seem to get a sharp (macro) photo of one of these Larch tree baby cones, but I thought this was too pretty not to post. These flower-like baby cones always fascinate me. If you happen to know where there is a Larch tree, take a look at the branches at the right time of the year. They have a number of these along the branches and when you see them up close, they really are very attractive. They start off a deep pinky purple and become paler as they open fully. Photographed at the Reader Rock Garden on 7 May 2014.

Yay, this image is not from the archives, lol! I was really slow getting going yesterday, after a busy day before. I'd been taking a few photos in the morning and later afternoon after my volunteer shift, and discovered that holding up even a light-weight point-and-shoot camera makes arm and shoulder pain SO much worse! Yesterday, though, I did manage to get out for a short drive, SW of the city. Rain was forecast for today and tomorrow, so I thought I'd better get out while the sun was shining. So glad I did go, as I found this male Mountain Bluebird near the nesting box I loved last year : ) It absolutely made my day. This was a very distant shot and the heavy cropping didn't exactly improve the quality, but I did like the striped background, which I don't usually get. Several Tree Swallows were flying around the nearby nesting box, so I got a few chances to photograph them, too. "In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_bluebird www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... Not too much else to be seen, other than a Coot, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, a pair of Barrow's Goldeneye - and a Muskrat. Felt so good to enjoy a real spring day, especially after something like 10" of snow fell over the weekend - almost afraid to check the long-term weather forecast in case it shows snow, ha.