Breaking State: A "Closer" Look at the Beauty of Nature!

There are days when I just don't feel like writing anything deep and meaningful.

That sounds a bit pompous, I suppose, like I'm somehow "the great philosopher" of the world offering wisdom! That wasn't really what I meant...

Miniature pansies that seeded themselves in the lawn under a hanging basket...

But I do run out of energy to try to come up with inspiring or insightful words.

For me, the respite is and always has been to get out in nature and take a moment to be grateful for what is all around us. And not only to be grateful, but to pause and truly look at what is there right in front of my nose.

Down inside the "seed puff" of a dandelion, before it blows everywhere...

Ever since I was a little kid I've always wanted to get up close and personal with the things around me... and I mean really close.

When my friends got cameras they were usually out taking pictures of their adventures, vacations or sweeping vistas they had visited, while I was on my belly trying to capture intricate close-ups of stuff we don't really see notice with the naked eye.

The delicacy of a poppy in bloom; shadow and shade in the late afternoon sun...

I still do that, to some extent, but my focus has changed from simply being really close to my subject matter to showing and appreciating what we probably see everyday, but we don't stop long enough to really notice what's actually there.

Lately, I have also been noticing that the swallowtail butterflies have been swarming around in substantial numbers... their activity mostly centered on the mock orange bush in our yard.

Swallowtail getting its fill from the mock orange blooms...

Butterflies are not necessarily very easy to photograph because they tend to move around a lot, but I decided to go out this afternoon and see if I can get a few pictures of the swallowtails.

They get their name from the kite-like "tails" on their underwings...

I also like to pick my spot out in the yard and just sit there with the camera at the ready to see what birds are other wildlife are going to show up... usually after I haven't moved for 10 or 15 minutes, or more.

If you sit perfectly still it's fascinating to discover just how comfortable and easy it is to get nature to come right up to you.

A small spot of red turned out to be this Cinnabar Moth...

Always happy to spot the cinnabar moths, although they are not so common around here. They are day-flying moths, rather than butterflies.

We like having them here, as their caterpillars feed on the tansy ragwort, which is a horribly invasive species that can throw 100,000+ seeds per plant.

The California Quail are usually pretty shy birds, but this one came quite close...

Sitting still paid off, as a couple of quail soon passed by. They are extremely elusive while tending young (which they are at the moment) but less so in the fall and winter when their large broods have grown up a bit.

Unfortunately, the peace was soon broken by one of our resident crows, letting me know in no uncertain terms that it has young nearby.

The crows are fearless and aggressive when they have young in the low trees... and the rest of the time, ours are almost tame because we feed them old bread and kitchen scraps.

This time of the year, however, they hate us with a passion!

Not wanting to upset this one further, I headed back inside.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

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Created at 2023-06-13 00:21 PST
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