World Bird Sanctuary – Chrys, a Long Crested Eagle, is one of several captive raptors at the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, MO. The Long Crested Eagle is a relatively small eagle, much smaller than our native Bald Eagle. Even at this small size, the Long Crested Eagle is a beautiful bird. Mostly brown, the eyes are quite intense as you can see here. The birds are natives of Africa. Chrys was confiscated when someone tried to illegally import him into […]
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Jul
25
Jul
24
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Waterfall Photo, posted 2012-07-24
Missouri Botanical Garden – Waterfalls – a subject open to many photographic interpretations and presentations. They can be shot at high speed, freezing individual drops of water in mid-air; the photographer can take a very long exposure giving the water an almost cotton candy like appearance; they can be shot at different speeds in between, each speed giving the water a slightly different texture. There can be shots like this one that show the upper portion of a waterfall; shots […]
Jul
23
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Flower Photo, Missouri Botanical Garden, posted 2012-07-23
Missouri Botanical Garden – As the excessive summer heat and lack of rain in St. Louis continues, the number of brightly blooming flowers at the Garden decreases. Still, there are photo opportunities throughout the Garden if one takes the time to explore. This photo takes advantage of backlighting to pull out some of the detail in the blooms of this flower. Other subjects that will catch the eye of many are the pin cushion gardens where extremely small succulents are […]
Jul
22
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Lantern Festival Photo, Blissful Wedding, posted 2012-07-22
Lantern Festival, Missouri Botanical Garden – Another of the displays from the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden this summer, this one entitled “Blissful Wedding“. It depicts the wedding banquet which is sometimes considered more important than the actual wedding ceremony. During the banquet, the bride presents wine or tea to her parents, her new in-laws, guests, and her spouse as symbolized here by the cups held by the bride and groom. In this display, the bride and groom […]
Jul
21
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Butterfly Photo, posted 2012-07-21
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House – As I was trying to decide what to write about today’s image, the title of a 1972 Goldie Hawn movie, “Butterflies Are Free” kept popping into my thoughts. The movie really didn’t have anything to do with butterflies yet it seemed appropriate for what I wanted to write. While there is an outdoor butterfly garden, most of the butterflies at the Butterfly House are not truly free. Instead, they fly freely within the confines […]
Jul
20
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Flower Photo, Missouri Botanical Garden, posted 2012-07-20
Missouri Botanical Garden – “That’s a beautiful flower. What kind is it?” (pause) “Uh…a red one…” Okay, I admit it. If you ask me about most of my flower photos, the answer you get is likely to be something like the one here. While I can identify most North American mammals with no problem and most birds (especially when I have my Audubon Society Field Guide handy), I’m terrible with plants. It’s not just plants in the wild, it’s true […]
Jul
19
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Porcelain Dragon Photo Album, posted 2012-07-19
Porcelain Dragon – These photos are a supplement to today’s Image of the Day. The Porcelain Dragons were created using a variety of porcelain dinnerware (plates, platters, saucers, cups, salt and pepper shakers, and porcelain spoons) over a heavy steel wire frame. The dinnerware is connected to the frame using string, similar to what we would call kite string. One of the interesting things about the assembly is that the pattern created by the string is consistent throughout the display. […]
Jul
19
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Lantern Festival Photo, Porcelain Dragon, posted 2012-07-19
Lantern Festival – While most of the displays at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Lantern Festival are constructed of brightly colored silk stretched over wire frames, two large dragons near the Climatron are unique. These two, one of whom is shown here, are constructed of porcelain dinnerware tied to a steel frame using kite string and a unique knotting system that is consistent from piece to piece. Look carefully and you will see plates, platters, saucers, cups, salt and pepper shakers, […]
Jul
18
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Butterfly Photo, posted 2012-07-18
Save the Last Dance – Last night I attended a meeting of the Missouri Nature and Environmental Photographers (MoNEP). The organization has existed for about seventeen years with a mission “to provide a forum for individuals interested in the field of nature photography and the environment, provide education, gather and disseminate information, and promote nature photography as an art form and medium of communication.” At the beginning of the meeting, we were reminded that watering our lawns and flower gardens […]
Jul
17
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Whitetail Deer Photo, posted 2012-07-17
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center – Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, or more commonly Powder Valley, is a 112 acre oak and hickory forest nestled within a urban, residential area. It is the home to whitetail deer, rabbits, squirrels, a variety of birds, and, as I found out earlier this year, at least one red fox. The area has three walking trails of various lengths along with a visitor/education center and a blind for observing the bird feeding area. While […]
