WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting

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Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “fleeting”. Remember you can click on each image to see a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

Nature is full of fleeting moments and that’s what makes it challenging to photograph. Of course, animals are the hardest to photograph as they may be right in front of you one moment, and gone by the time you pull your camera out. Bees collecting nectar are a good example of a fleeting moment. I got lucky with this shot, where I managed to photograph a bee collecting nectar in the bags on its legs.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - bee collecting nectar in bags
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – bee collecting nectar in bags

Dragonflies are notorious for flying around for hours without taking a break. I got lucky with this orange dragonfly who decided to take a very short rest on a tree branch not far from me.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - orange dragonfly resting on a tree branch
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – orange dragonfly resting on a tree branch

This baby koala was a nice capture of the fleeting moment a couple of weeks ago, as he turned his head towards me for a few minutes so I could capture this photo.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - Baby koala sleeping
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – Baby koala sleeping

Butterflies are the perfect expression of a fleeting moment, as they’re often difficult to capture since they don’t stand still for too long. I was lucky to get a photo of this giant owl butterfly.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - giant owl butterfly
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – giant owl butterfly

Not just animals are fleeting in nature. The morning dew is another example of something that doesn’t last a long time and is gone by the time the sun is out and shining.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - morning dew on grass blades
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – morning dew on grass blades

Our San Diego winters don’t get very cold but we manage to get frost several days a year. The frost melts as soon as the winter sun rays warm it up, but it’s very pretty while it lasts.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - frost on ice plants in San Diego
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – frost on ice plants in San Diego
Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - frost on leaves in San Diego
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – frost on leaves in San Diego

I think the most fleeting moments in nature are sunrise and sunset. They last only a few minutes but set the tone for the day and for the night.

A beautiful sunrise can inspire you for a whole day.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - winter sunrise in San Diego
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – winter sunrise in San Diego

A gorgeous sunset can give you hope for the next day.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting - San Diego sunset Christmas 2012
WordPress weekly photo challenge: Fleeting – San Diego sunset Christmas 2012

Giant fiddleheads in San Diego

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

A lot of tourist locations in San Diego seem to have a good irrigation system because they feature plants that would otherwise die within a week if left alone in our desert dry weather.

I can’t complain though. I really enjoy the giant ferns and the green and shade they provide. I guess it’s the season for fern growth right bow and I get to spot giant fiddleheads here and there. Here are a few for your enjoyment. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view.

Giant fern fiddleheads in San Diego
Giant fern fiddleheads in San Diego

I love how rolled up fiddleheads are. Their spirals remind me of snail shells.

Close-up of giant fern fiddleheads
Close-up of giant fern fiddleheads

How you noticed how most plants grow either vertically or horizontally? I love that ferns grow diagonally in nature. It makes for interesting patterns, especially when you can frame between other lines, like the two vertical palm tree trunks on the photo below.

Close-up of giant fern fiddleheads
Close-up of giant fern fiddleheads

Macro Monday: Purple lily

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m taking part in the Macro Monday photo challenge. Remember you can click on each image to see it in a larger format. And if you like what you see, I encourage you to subscribe so you can enjoy the new photos I post a few times a week.

I ran across this beautiful purple lily recently and I knew I had to take a few photos of it. Here’s what it looked like as a whole.

Macro Monday: purple lily
Macro Monday: purple lily

And here’s what the inside and its pistils looked like from closer. I love to see how much pollen lilies can have.

Macro Monday: purple lily pistils
Macro Monday: purple lily pistils

And here’s another close-up of this purple lily and its yellow center.

Macro Monday: Close-up of the inside of a purple lily
Macro Monday: Close-up of the inside of a purple lily

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says… KOALA XING!

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

This is my second entry in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “the sign says”. I never do a double entry for photo challenges but after visiting the new Australian Outback exhibit at the San Diego Zoo today, I can’t help myself.

The whole koala exhibit has been redone and this is what you see on your way to the new location.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says KOALA XING!
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says KOALA XING!

We looked very attentively but didn’t see any koalas crossing the road. Probably because their enclosures are well secure and they can’t get out. 🙂

If you ever visit a koala exhibit in the zoo, you’ll probably notice than each male koala gets its own enclosure. That’s not because they’re considered so special, but rather because male koalas don’t get along and become aggressive and fight when put together. What a surprise…

As for the females, they all share one large enclosure and seem to get along just fine. Are you surprised? I’m not. While browsing the exhibit, we spotted the cutest baby koala, sleeping right next to his mother (you can see her back on the left of the picture). Isn’t he the cutest thing? Now you understand why I had to share.

Baby koala sleeping in a tree next to mom koala
Baby koala sleeping in a tree next to mom koala

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says

Zazzle online shop If you enjoy my photos and would like to purchase some, I want to thank you! Simply visit my Zazzle online shop and browse the product offerings. If there’s a photo you would like to purchase but don’t see it in my shop, please contact me by using the Contact form at the bottom of my home page and let me know which photos you are interested in purchasing, and in what format / medium.

Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “the sign says”. Boy, am I going to have fun with this photo challenge theme! I constantly spot signs with typos, signs that don’t make sense, or signs that are just plain silly. Here’s a selection of a few I’ve run across.

The shameful typos

If spelling “desert” incorrectly at this exhibit of the San Diego Air & Space Museum is not enough, maybe also screwing up “velocity” will do it. I emailed this photo to the museum after I took it, only to be told they had “rented” the exhibit and couldn’t make any corrections. I should add this image was on a computer screen. Do you know how hard it is to update an electronic document? Apparently, for museum people, it’s impossible. I wonder what Sahara dessert tastes like. Probably a little dry.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: the sign says - shameful typo at the San Diego Air & Space Museum
WordPress weekly photo challenge: the sign says – shameful typo at the San Diego Air & Space Museum

I found the next sign in a very large format in the window of a sports supply store. Apparently, the advertising people at the 686 sports clothing company don’t know the difference between a plural S and a possessive S. That will teach them to lay off their one and only proofreader in tough economic times.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says - plural S versus possessive S
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says – plural S versus possessive S

The next typo wasn’t on a sign but on my computer screen instead, as an ad in the browser window page I was looking at. I think when a  TV network can’t spell “irresistible”, yes, I can resist watching the show.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says - is this how you spell irresistible?
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says – is this how you spell irresistible?

The outdated rules we’re glad are gone

I found this set of rules for teachers in the Old Town part of Poway, California, in a room where a small classroom environment had been recreated. No wonder American teachers decided to unionize when they were being treated so poorly!

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says - rules for teachers in 1872
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says – rules for teachers in 1872

Love story

I found this last sign, actually a metal plate, on a local park bench. Excuse the bird poop on it but I didn’t have anything to clean it up before taking this photo. What a lovely tribute to a wife by her loving husband. I bet there’s a really beautiful love story behind it.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says - beautiful love story
WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says – beautiful love story