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

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

Floral Friday Fotos: Wisteria blooms

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 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
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
Floral Friday Fotos: Wisteria blooms on wooden trellis
Floral Friday Fotos: Wisteria in bloom
Floral Friday Fotos: Wisteria in bloom

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.

Cluster of wisteria blooms
Cluster of wisteria blooms

I think wisteria displays some of the most beautiful shades of purple in nature. Don’t you agree?

Cluster of wisteria flowers
Cluster of wisteria flowers

Macro Monday: mystery plant with puffy purple flowers and white leaves

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 Macro Monday at Lisa’s ChaosRemember 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 recently visited the San Diego Botanic Garden and photographed the flowers below. I love that garden for the variety of plants I can see there, but it really bugs me to realize only half of them seem to have a label. So I have no idea what the flowers below are. All I can say is, they’re puffy pinkish purple (mostly purple) flowers and their shrub leaves are so light green, they look almost white. This gives a very interesting background to the flowers. If you know what this plant with puffy purple flowers  is, please share in the comments section below. Enjoy!

Macro Monday: purple flowers and white leaves
Macro Monday: purple flowers and white leaves
Macro Monday: purple flowers with thin, long petals
Macro Monday: purple flowers with thin, long petals
Macro Monday: Close-up of purple flowers with skinny petals
Macro Monday: Close-up of purple flowers with skinny petals

Pink water lilies

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.

I recently got the opportunity to photograph more water lilies. I guess it’s full blooming season in San Diego right now. These water lilies ranged from very light to very bright pink.

Here’s a nice selection of these water lilies and lily pads. Remember you can click on each image to view a larger format. Enjoy!

Pink water lilies and lily pads
Pink water lilies and lily pads
Pink water lilies on pond
Pink water lilies on pond
Bright pink water lilies
Bright pink water lilies
Light pink water lilies
Light pink water lilies