Spiderweb chandeliers!

I never dreamed of anything as lovely as a dogwood hung with frozen spiderweb chandeliers melting in this morning’s advection fog!

White ground vs. black ground!

Your yard may be white with snow but ours is black with grackles! River is frozen beyond them.

Great Blue Herons in the cold!

We couldn’t have kayaked up Pomonkey Creek during the Christmas bird count. It was frozen solid. But our local Great Blue Herons didn’t want to miss the count. They were huddled together in the marsh, hiding from the frigid North wind. How many can you count?

Sunset and moon set to start 2018!

Sunset on 1/1/18 followed by moon set 1/2/18!  The Potomac River is frozen south of Washington, DC. Happy New Year to all! Stay warm!

Hi Moon!

12/21/17 the southern sky bid goodbye to the Sun. Why does the real cold hit when the sun turns North?

Meet the invaders!

Men have been in forests forever. And there is no escaping reminders of our presence.  I won’t interfere with a surveyor’s tape but if you pick up whatever trash you can, you won’t ever see it again! You don’t need anyone but yourself to pat you on the back for removing trash. You know it’s gone. The next time you walk there, that trash won’t interfere with your enjoyment. Seeing trash that is out of my reach is very aggravating and I often spend way too much time trying to figure out a solution. But solving that kind of problem is so rewarding! Fellow pickers: keep  up the good work! And Merry Christmas!

Thoroughwort is a weird name for a flower!

Thoroughwort is a member of the aster family which is a member of the daisy family! What a strange name for such a lovely plant! Here it is in December, chilling out, enjoying bug-free time! I could look at this plant forever!

Urgent: Find the Winter Solstice sunset!

Try to get a sunset view tonight or tomorrow night! The Winter Solstice is 12/21. But my husband says tonight is the longest night and it’s supposed to be cloudy here.  Photo is of 12/20 sunset. Tonight it will set a little bit to the left of where it is in photo. Then the sun will pause and return to the north.

Please let me know if your sunset search is successful!

Compare colors in photos before and after sunset

Before sunset the colors are difficult to capture. Date 12-4-17.

Once the sun is covered, colors reappear.

After sunset the clouds are in power. Now the sun’s light is reflected rather than blinding and in your face.

Enlargement of clouds low on horizon after sunset.

What could possibly happen in 15 minutes?

What could possibly happen in 15 minutes? The photos above were taken at 5 PM and 5:15 PM. Try it yourself. Take a photo of anything. Then take a photo of the same thing 15 minutes later. What has changed? Amazing! Please let me know what you chose to photograph. (Photos were taken 2/8/17)