photos of trees

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: moon at the horizon

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Renewal

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Remember you can click on each photo below to see a larger view of it.

I find it interesting, not to say awkward, to choose “renewal” as a theme in November, when everything in nature is dying or falling asleep. So most of the photos I’m displaying here were taken at another time of the year.

Well, expect for this first one, which I took last fall after a rainstorm. The clouds were still quite grey but the sun rays did their best to light up the golden leaves of the poplars that live by the San Diego River. I love to watch the rain do its magic as it revives and replenishes the trees that have been thirsty for so long, giving them one last burst of energy before they go to sleep for the winter.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Renewal - after the rain — WordPress weekly photo challenge: Renewal – after the rain

The WordPress person who wrote the post on this weekly photo challenge suggested us to stay away from the stereotypical renewal of sunrises. Well, I love sunrises and they are inherently a sign of daily renewal. But I like moon rises just as much, especially when they happen in the daylight. They remind us that day and night work together to bring constant renewal to the earth.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Renewal - moon rising over trees — WordPress weekly photo challenge: Renewal – moon rising over trees

I used the photo below for another photo challenge theme but I think it fits this one perfectly. This is a small pine tree growing out of the root of a seemingly dead tree. Nature knows best how to renew.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Renewal - new tree grows out of a dead tree — WordPress weekly photo challenge: Renewal – new tree grows out of a dead tree

Finally, nothing screams renewal more than brand new flowers in the spring. In this case, these are California wildflowers, which are also featured in my 2013 photo calendar.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Renewal - California wildflowers — WordPress weekly photo challenge: Renewal – California wildflowers

What is your idea of renewal?

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Home - changing seasons in San Diego

Enjoy more fall foliage with this American sweetgum

Besides the palm trees, the California sage brush and the many eucalyptus trees around San Diego County, you sometimes have to look a little harder to find some colorful fall foliage. I went back to check on my sumac trees this past weekend and I’ll have a few photos to share soon, but they’re not as yellow and orange as they should be yet. We also have a few maple trees here and there and I need to hurry snapping photos of them before they all lose their leaves.

But today, I’d like to share a few photos of another colorful tree in the fall in San Diego: the American sweetgum, or Liquidambar Styraciflua. My kids were attempting to dig a huge hole in the sand next to me as I was snapping pictures of this tree so I shortened my photo session. I’ll need to go back to get some more photos but here are a few for your enjoyment.

The American sweetgum has gorgeous deep red / maroon leaves and very cute green spiky seed pods. Remember you can click on each photo to view a larger image.

Red leaves of the American sweetgum, or Liquidambar Styraciflua

Fall foliage of the American sweetgum - red leaves and spiky seed pods — Fall foliage of the American sweetgum – red leaves and spiky seed pods

Do you have some American sweetgum trees where you live? Where do you get your fall foliage colors from?

November 8, 2012February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Photography, Photos of San Diego, Tree PhotosTags: American sweet gum tree, American sweetgum, American sweetgum photo, California pictures, fall foliage, fall in San Diego, fall leaves, Liquidambar Styraciflua, maroon leaves, photography, photos, photos of trees, red leaves, San Diego, trees 2 Comments

Sycamore leaves are beautiful in the fall

Tree leaves are finally starting to change colors in San Diego, at least when it comes to deciduous trees. There are a lot of poplars in the city park behind my house so I hope to make my way there soon. It’s all a question of picking the right time of the day for the best photos. For what I’m trying to do, it might be the warm yellow light of the late afternoon.

In the meantime, I’ll share leaves from another tree we find a lot around San Diego County: the Sycamore tree. To most of us, the Sycamore doesn’t mean much but for the Kumeyaay, the native Americans who lived around here tens of thousands of years ago, it was a life saver. Or should I say a butt saver? Because of the Sycamore leaves’ very soft, almost velvety like, surface, the Kumeyaay used it as toilet paper. Good thing to know if you’re ever stranded somewhere in a forest, right?

I love Sycamore leaves because they are much larger than most tree leaves. They only turn yellow and brown until they come off the tree in late Fall, but they’re still pretty to look at, especially if you capture the light from an interesting angle.

Here are a few photos of Sycamore leaves. Let me know what you think. And remember you can click on each photo for an enlarged view.

Green and brown Sycamore tree leaf in the fall

Green and brown Sycamore leaves in the fall

November 6, 2012February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Tree PhotosTags: California pictures, photography, photos, photos of sycamore leaves, photos of trees, San Diego fall trees, sycamore leaf photo, sycamore leaves photos, sycamore photos, sycamore tree, sycamore tree leaves, trees 2 Comments

Travel theme: Multicolored sumac fall foliage

Enjoy these fall colors for Halloween

I don’t have any scary monsters to show you for Halloween. Or carved pumpkins. Or skeletons half buried in the backyard. Halloween happens to be my least favorite “holiday”. Sure, you get tons of candy and kids have a lot of fun trick or treating, but the decorations are just creepy, and I speak from personal experience. I set up a giant spiderweb at my front door, along with a very large plastic black widow tangled in it, and I can’t stand spiders. I really love my kids but first thing November 1 morning, that thing is coming down.

I still have it on my list to visit a large pumpkin patch and manage to snap a few good, colorful pictures. In the meantime, I’ll show you more of the beautiful foliage the sumac tree has to offer in San Diego in the fall. I need to go back to this location very soon and take some new pictures. I love the colors on the photos below but I need to work on the framing and the angles. With a little effort, I hope I’ll end up with something really good to show you.

In the meantime, these photos will have to do! Remember you can click on each sumac tree photo below for a larger view.

Fall foliage - sumac tree — Fall foliage – sumac tree

Fall foliage - colorful sumac — Fall foliage – colorful sumac

Fall foliage in San Diego - yellow and orange leaves, red seeds of the sumac tree — Fall foliage in San Diego – yellow and orange leaves, red seeds of the sumac tree

October 31, 2012February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Photos of San Diego, Tree PhotosTags: California pictures, fall foliage, foliage in San Diego, orange sumac leaves, photography, photos, photos of trees, San Diego, San Diego fall trees, San Diego foliage, sumac berries, sumac foliage, sumac leaves, sumac seeds, sumac tree, trees, yellow sumac leaves 9 Comments

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Escape

Warning: one of the photos below is not for the faint of heart. Look at your own risk!

I’m participating in the LetsBeWild.com Wild Weekly Photo Challenge. This week’s Challenge is: Escape and I decided to have a little fun with this theme.

As usual, you can click on any of the photos below for a larger view.

Successful escape

Let’s Be Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – Escape. A fallen tree

Look at this fallen pine tree. It doesn’t look like much, right? Pretty dead, huh? Now look again at its roots, to the left of the trunk, and you’ll notice a brand new tree growing out of it! It’s standing way above the ground, as if floating in the air, with one big root under its trunk linking back to the dead trunk. Now, if that’s not a successful escape from death, I don’t know what to call it.

Unsuccessful escape

I took this photo with my cell phone camera so the quality is not great, but I think the subjects are fascinating. This happened in a rattlesnake exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. I understand they gas the mice they feed the snakes, so they’re still alive (snakes don’t eat dead animals). The feeding takes place once a week so I guess this was my lucky day. No chance of escape there!

Happy Monday!