nature photography

Travel theme: sky at sunrise in San Diego

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

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Curves of giant fern fiddleheads

Giant fiddleheads in San Diego

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.

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

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.

June 5, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Photography, Photos of San Diego, Plant PhotosTags: California pictures, close-up of fiddlehead, fern growth, fiddlehead photos, fiddleheads, giant fern, giant fern fiddleheads, giant fiddleheads, nature photography, photography, photos 6 Comments

Macro Monday: Purple lily

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.

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

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

June 3, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Bloom Photos, Flower Photos, PhotographyTags: blooms, Macro Monday, Macro Monday: Purple lily, nature photography, photography, photos, photos of blooms, photos of flowers, purple lily, purple lily close-up, purple lily pistils, purple lily with yellow center 10 Comments

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

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

June 1, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, California Photos, Photography, Photos of San DiegoTags: Australian Outback, koala baby, koala baby and mom koala, koala baby sleeping, koala crossing sign, koala photos, koala xing sign, nature photography, photography, photos, San Diego Zoo, Wordpress weekly photo challenge, Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says 6 Comments

Floral Friday Fotos: Wisteria blooms

Today I’m participating in Floral Friday Fotos. Remember you can click on the photos below to see them in a larger format. If you enjoy my images, I encourage you to subscribe and receive updates when I post new photos, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

I LOVE wisteria blooms. How can you not like them? Their large, colorful purple blooms are a burst of laughter in the middle of spring. And you need to enjoy them as much as you can because wisteria blooms usually last about a month. The wisteria’s pea-like flowers disappear as fast as they appeared.

Here’s a series of beautiful wisteria blooms on a very large trellis. I decided to show you what the wisteria blooms look like as a group and then zoom in to have you enjoy a closer look. I’m thinking about making some photo paintings out of these colorful images. They seem perfect for that.

Did you know Wisteria is a very invasive plant? It’s easy to guess why when realize how fast it can grow in any direction.

Floral Friday Fotos: Wisteria blooms on a large trellis

The Wisteria vine is very thick and can reach significant heights with very little support.

Floral Friday Fotos: Wisteria blooms on wooden trellis

Did you know both the wisteria flowers and the wisteria seeds (they grow in pods) are poisonous? Not a great plant to have around pets and children, unfortunately.