Brookside Gardens - July 2013

Brookside Gardens in July - full of lush green backdrop to colorful blooms. I’m starting off this post with critters rather than plants - because I was so pleased with the images I captured. The first was a dragonfly perched on a water lily flower that was just beginning to open. Instead of darting away, it seemed to pose for a picture.

The hummingbird moth on the butterfly bushes was always on the move. This one was red and black and a little larger than the one on my Blazing Star flowers included in my July 10th post. I had seen this same type of moth at Brookside in 2011 but had missed seeing one last summer.

And finally - there were robins everywhere. I took a few pictures and was surprised to discover when I got home and reviewed my images on a large screen that one of the robins was banded - on both legs!

There was a bit of whimsy in the pool with the lily pads: toy ducks. Two of the little ones looked to be sinking. The large one had been given a straw hat.

The lotus plants were full of large leaves. The white flowers were close to the railing - positioned well for photographs.My favorite was one that showed a flower with a seed pod just beginning, a seed pod that had already shed the rest of the flower and a bud. I'll check the lotus patch every time I go to Brookside until frost! A flower with pink edges nestled among the leaves almost hidden from view.

And now for the slide show with the rest of the best from my July walk around the gardens.

Adventures with a New Camera Part 1

I am experimenting with my new camera - a Canon PowerShot SX280 HS . So far - the experiment has included only the simplest aspects of the camera: using the zoom of my own position to frame the picture want. So far I am impressed with the results.

At first I expected that the camera would not focus for the close-up flower shots that I have enjoyed capturing with my older camera (a Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS)….but I was pleasantly surprised that it did so well with the azaleas at the left. I like the way the flowers pop out of the image with the light glowing through their petals.

How well would the camera capture ripples in water? I experimented with an Asian-type composition shown below. I like the results but will have to try again on a sunny day to see what the camera automation will handle the glare from water in brighter light.

The big improvement with the new camera was touted to be the ability to capture clear images with the zoom feature. Plants are easy since they are still (if the breezy does not interfere). The dandelion and fiddlehead were good tests. I liked the clarity of both images - and that I didn’t have to expose myself to the poison ivy that surrounded the dandelion!

Images of birds and small animals will be easier to capture with this camera. It will take some practice but the automatic settings are quite good. My initial attempts with some birds and a squirrel are below. The challenge will be to frame the animals in their natural setting - avoiding things like the twig in front of the squirrel’s nose in the image below.

I am going to enjoy this camera! Maybe I’ll gradually use some of the fancy settings too.

Around our (Maryland) Yard in May 2013

Spring is a few weeks behind the norm but it is quite lush at this point. The iris bulbs that I moved to a sunnier bed last fall have very fat buds. They are quite happy with the change in location and will provide fill for the area until the new azalea bushes we planted this spring can reach their full size.

Our tulips were mostly browsed by deer very early. We only had two that managed to bloom.

I forgot all about the chives that have come up for years where we now have a young sycamore. There is some weeding that will need to be done there.

The usual bird’s nest under the covered deck had multiplied this year; there are two at opposite ends of the support beam. The cats will glare through the boards of the deck at the robin chicks - unable to do more than catch a glimpse of the drama under their feet.

There was a slow moving bee on the dandelion. The air temperature was just warming enough for insects to become active.

The tulip poplar blossoms are still tight buds. I was surprised at how intact the shell of a bloom from last year still seemed to be after the buffeting of winter and spring winds.

Most of the violets that grow in the deep shade under the deck were done but one lingered.

The sweetest scent of the walk around the house was from a bush in bloom. I was surprised that insects were not buzzing around it. Usually they are. Perhaps I timed the walk perfectly - when it was still cool enough for the insects to be sedentary.