Category Archives: Photos

Photos, Troy's Blog

And Winter Returns….

With spring just getting under way, winter decided to remind us that the cold is not that far away by leaving the ground covered in it’s ice crystals. Having gone by an area in a nearby woods filled with plants beginning to irrupt in beautiful flowers the day before, I decided to go back and take a look at how they were handling the new snow. It did make for a pretty contrast to see all of this green and purple protruding up through the snow covered ground. With some very cold weather expected over the next couple of days I wondered how they would fair. Would the snow stay long enough to protect these delicate looking flowers until it warms up again or would they freeze and produce few seeds?

Being covered in snow

Initially a carpet of purple flowers caught my attention when I spotted these plants the day before. While exploring the area further, looking for some nice situations to photograph, I came across the first Bloodroot of the season with their pure white blooms ready to open. The only thing was, these blooms did not appear pure white any longer when compared to snow. It’s amazing how colors can look different depending on their surroundings. Or maybe their colors takes on a pink blush as they get colder which fades back to white under the warmth of the sun.

Nearby the first Bloodroot of the season is about to bloom

I spent about an hour photographing the snow falling on these spring ephemerals before returning home to spend the rest of the day with family. It was Easter after all!

Bloodroot flowers about ready to open now covered with snow

Photos, Troy's Blog

Third Times a Charm

It took several weeks of searching but finally, near the end of the day, I came across the Pasque Flowers I have been looking for. It really was somewhat of an accident that I found them. Heading out to a Prairie area where they have been seen in past years I first headed to a small pond to see what migrating ducks may have searched out a resting area. Getting to the pond I sat down for a couple of hours to enjoy some sunshine as snow was predicted to hit the area the next day. Looking out over the pond I could see at least a dozen pairs of Bufflehead ducks swimming and diving for food. While watching them some creature popped up out of the water right in front of me.

A Bufflehead and Ring-kneck duck hanging out on a small, out of the way pond

It took a few seconds to identify exactly what it was but I quickly realized it was a muskrat. Last year there was a beaver on this pond so at first I was trying to figure out if it could be that. As soon as the muskrat popped up I thought it was going to come ashore right in front of me as it didn’t seem to know I was there. It turned just before shore and swam parallel to it and climbing out of the water onto a nearby fallen tree. Once this fuzzy animal swam out of sight I caught a large bird flying across the pond and land directly across from me. The behavior was very much like a big hawk so I kept on eye out for it to take to the sky soon after. Returning my attention to the ducks for awhile I realized that I never saw this bird leave so I began to scan the shoreline but couldn’t really make out anything moving over there. Grabbing the camera with a longer lens I once again scanned the shoreline. This time I spotted a large predator resting on a downed tree branch.

A muskrat sitting on a log right in front of me

Looking closer and focusing in on this bird revealed a Great Horned Owl sitting there. This seemed very unusual to have an owl flying during the day, although it was more evening now, and the clouds had covered the sky creating somewhat darker conditions. It was the first time I had ever seen this particular owl before making it a great treat for the day. As I watched this owl through the camera over the next hour or so it mostly rested with its eyes closed and preened in between resting. A lot of fun to watch. When it first landed there the ducks quickly swam to another part of the pond but soon returned as you can see in the picture below. Either they weren’t really concerned with the owl or forgot it was there. Ducks do seem to have a short memory at times although they rarely seem to forget I’m there. With the evening progressing and I was getting cold from a north wind now blowing more fiercely, it was time to continue on my exploration for the Pasque Flower. There was one more area that I wanted to search.

A Great Horned Owl napping near the shoreline

Moving along the trail with more speed than when I arrived, darkness seemed to be arriving way to fast. Making a bad decision at a trail crossing nearby added at least another 10 minutes to my time getting to the place I planned to search. Eventually I arrived but didn’t locate anything that even remotely looked like it was ready to flower. Now a little disappointed once again I spotted a large bird out of the corner of my eye. Wondering what it was, and also wondering what may be up and over the hill next to me I decided to briefly leave the trail and head towards the top of the hill and see if I could figure out what this bird was. As I was climbing I saw little purple flowers almost beneath me. Pasque Flowers! I had finally found them. Looking over the area I cold see others sticking their fuzzy little purple flowers out of the cold ground ready for spring. Unfortunately this area was now shaded and any attempts at good photos would have to wait until another time.

Sadly, going back a week later, the cold had damaged many of the flower petals while deer had eaten others. Better photographs will have to wait until another spring. It was still a great adventure and I’m not sure what was more exciting – finally finding the Pasque Flowers or seeing a Great Horned Owl.

Pasque Flower after sunset

Exploring, Photos, spring, wildlife

An Early Spring Day

With many people taking shelter in theirs homes, the need to get outside for a little change is needed more and more. Fortunately getting out for a walk is encouraged when possible causing parks to be very popular places now. I’ve been able to explore a few places nearby on weekends and I’ve never seen these places so busy. Parking lots are full beyond capacity and signs of people out in nature are visible on many trails with napkins or tissues littering the ground. Whether it’s intentional or accidental I’m not sure. Wildlife must be a little confused on why their normally quiet places are now over run with people out wondering through. Hopefully they can still manage to find calm places as they prepare to raise their newborns soon. While joining these people out visiting nature, I’m reminded of why spring is such a great time of year to view wildlife.

Typically things become a lot more active as birds are migrating north and other creatures are emerging from hibernation. In addition leaves have not yet sprouted making them easier to locate. You can almost see these creatures enjoying a beautiful day taking in the suns rays finally warming up after enduring many cold months. While perched next to my car trying to find a little warmth myself on this cold morning, it was 19 degrees when I arrived, I noticed a large bird take off from a dead tree that I hadn’t noticed before. It flew a short distance and landed on the ground acting kind of like a Northern Harrier Hawk to me. A few minutes later it lifted from the ground returning to its form perch. By this time I had the camera pointed towards it capturing a photo of it landing again. When I went to view this picture on the camera screen I was surprised to identify this bird as a juvenile Eagle. Another surprise when viewing this picture was that another Eagle was also perched in this tree on a branch below.

Watching these Eagles for awhile became less interesting as they just stood their doing what appeared to be a whole lot of nothing. After awhile I caught movement in the sky above me which turned out to be an adult Eagle. I focused the camera on this Eagle in the sky and watched as it approached these two young birds. With appeared as though it wanted to land on this same tree which seemed a bit strange to me as Eagles tend not to want to be that close to other birds during the spring and summer. With only a quiet sound it came in for a landing and the two juvenile Eagles took off. Almost as if the adult was telling the young ones to get out and do something you lazy birds. They began flying around circling the adult a few times and then disappeared. As I continued my drive a little while later, I found these two lazy birds perched in another tree away from where the adult was. It brought a smile to my face thinking that Eagles have to motivate their young from time to time also.

Lazy Eagles found another tree to hide in

Earlier in the morning I stopped to explore a prairie area looking for the earliest spring blooms of a Pasque flower. It was my goal the week before, along with finding colorful mushrooms, but I did not succeed in locating a plant in bloom as it was a bit too early yet. The trail had some heavy frost on it confirming the cold entering my hands and nose. It was beautiful but not the awe inspiring frosts I’ve seen before. Again I must be too early. No sign of the beautiful Pasque flower even thinking about raising it’s light purple blooms towards the sky. My short hike continued through the prairie without seeing any signs of life but still enjoying all the birds chattering in the trees nearby.

A frosty spring morning on the trail

As I continued on my journey through the park I encountered some Sandhill Cranes. These are such fascinating birds to me and I just love watching and listening to them whenever there’s a chance. During the fall migrations through this same area there will be thousands of these birds congregating together but now they mostly stay in pairs warning other cranes this is their territory at the moment. My first indication that other cranes where flying nearby was the head raising squawks of those on the ground I was watching. Fortunately I was able to capture such a moment as two Sandhill Cranes were crossing the road in front of me.

Shouting for joy that spring is here

Those cranes continued on into the nearby wetlands where they’re commonly found pecking here and there at what must have been things to eat. They made a wide circle around me eventually continuing on to wherever it was they wanted to go. Meanwhile I just stood next to my car glancing now and then in their direction and occasionally lifting my camera to capture a shot. My goal is to disturb wildlife as little as possible so I try not to chase after them attempting to get a better picture. I would rather miss a shot and let the animal stay calm when possible. Patience is often rewarded as these cranes paused in some nice sunlight allowing me to grab a few photos of them before they moved on. I could have stayed here all day just watching and listening as the animals continue to meander around.

Roaming the wetlands

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

Winter’s Losing it’s Grip

Temperatures are beginning to rise and the snow is disappearing. I’m not ready for spring yet as there are a lot of things still to do but on a beautiful late winter day I couldn’t resist. I had to go out for a little while and enjoy the sunset. I was a little nervous at first walking out on the ice but soon became more comfortable as it’s still quite thick to allow people to walk on it. There’s so many interesting ice formations as it begins to melt and the water on top adds to it nicely.

Ice patterns created from cracking under warmer days

Walking along setting up for a different photo I looked down and saw these patterns in the ice. They had such fun patterns and colors very different from the rest of the ice. It was after sunset so the lighting wasn’t as good as I would have liked. While taking a few shots I noticed these three lines radiating through and worked to capture those as more of the focus of these patterns.

The end of another beautiful winter's day

As darkness begins to engulf more of the landscape, a planet begins to shine. I didn’t check to see which one it was. You can barely make it out about 1/3rd from the top to the right of the main tree trunk in between branches. What I really liked in this photo was the shape of the tree and the reflections in puddles on top of the ice after sunset.

Melting Ice

While going across the ice I came across a pile of ice from someone drilling a whole for ice fishing. These ice chips began to melt under the warm sun and I really liked how the last few minutes of sunlight highlighted these shards. I wish I would have arrived a little earlier and spent more time photographing these.

As the sun is setting, the moon is rising on the other horizon

After the sunset I turned and saw the moon nearly full mixed in with a scattering of soft, pink clouds. I always like to capture these weathered wood pillars protruding up from the lake and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so. These close ups of the pillars also highlight some of the rough textures in the melting ice. I would like to spend more time capturing that also as they’re so interesting. It was a fun hour out on the ice before it disappears in the coming weeks.

Texture of the uneven ice as it continues to melt

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

Enjoying more snowflakes

People love to enter hibernation during the winter. Especially when a snowstorm is causing havoc on the roadways. All it takes is an incredible snowflake landing on my sleeve and I’m addicted. During the cold months of the year I keep much of my camera gear cold so that I can be out taking pictures in an instant. Photographing these little ice crystals is fun but what’s even better is seeing them up close and exploring each ridge or crevice. Many are incredibly beautiful when viewed in detail. I keep trying to get some great photographs of them but have yet to succeed. Viewing snowflakes in a photograph is enjoyable but also disappointing. There’s always an area that’s out of focus and I can never seem to capture. The 3-D aspect capturing each detail that makes them so captivating to me continues to elude my pictures.

The snowflake above is probably the best one to fall in front of my camera over the past few snow falls. I love the clear, symmetrical center and all of the patterns radiating out from the center. I just keep studying each ray and wondering how they formed, fell from the sky with the high winds accompanying that snowstorm, and landed on the purple glove I was using all without breaking.

Ice flower

This was another ice crystal that I couldn’t wait to examine up close and capture with the camera. The frosted edges created a beautiful outline of the petals in this snowflake. Again the clear and symmetrical center is so amazing to me. I know the hexagon shape is the base for many snowflakes but it always has me wondering why. What forces cause this to be the most stable formation for ice crystals whether it’s flatter flakes like this or even columnar ones or the multiple combinations in between?

Clear flakes

The group of snowflakes above appear to be incomplete. Like they fell before finishing their design. What could have scared them out of the sky early? More likely they were evaporating before I could capture the complete flake. Most of the time these little pieces of ice art show up better with a darker background but once in awhile I like to see them as a sort of x-ray. It’s just a little different way to view them. Often a single flake makes a beautiful photo but sometimes there are too many interesting snowflakes and the only way to photograph more is to take a picture of a group of them.

Frosty edges

Another snowflake that captured my attention when I first spotted it was the one above. It also has the frosted edges which seems to really highlight the clear ice closer to the center. Such an interesting contrast to me. It also makes it so much more visible against the background. I love the curvy lines in between each ray. What causes that during the formation in the clouds? These make each ray of this flake unique like they were all in slightly different parts of the cloud when they were created.

Below is another group of beautiful ice crystals. Each one different from the one it’s touching. I was experimenting with different backgrounds to see what I like and if I can come up with something different that might still provide an interesting contrast to these snowflakes. Ice crystals are something I’m hooked on. Since these couple of snowfalls the temperatures have warmed just enough that we’ve been experiencing more rain in central Minnesota so I haven’t had more subjects to work with as often. But when I do you can be sure I’ll be out trying to capture better photos.

A group of snowflakes

Photos, Troy's Blog

Favorite Photos of 2019

Some of the pictures are cut off in the collage above so I also put it below.

Just a quick directory of these pictures from the past year going clockwise from the top left:

Two Lessor Yellowlegs battling for a spot on this fallen log. These were in an area that I’ve never seen them before as this was a pond recently drained exposing valuable shore for these birds to feed on. Check out the post here: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-may-morning-watching-migrating-birds/

A single snowflake. I photographed several in 2019 and had a difficult time choosing a favorite as they are all unique and interesting to me. You can see more here: http://monopolytraveler.com/snowflakes-are-amazing/

The Utah Landscape. Beautiful red rock formations set against a white capped mountain background under a blue sky.  What’s not to love about it? http://monopolytraveler.com/pictures-from-the-traila-beautiful-utah-landscape/

Nighttime at Split Rock Lighthouse. A full moon ruined a sky full of visible stars on this cold late spring night. I’m thankful for that as I think it’s a much better photo with the moonlight highlighting the lighthouse and shoreline with stars still shining above. Article still coming but you can see some similar photos here:  http://monopolytraveler.com/splitrock-lighthouse-state-park/

Hiking under the rising sun. The light peering through the forest shines nicely on ferns and dogwoods blanketing the ground as we follow the narrow trail winding carefully around them. http://monopolytraveler.com/isle-royalefrom-feldtmann-lake-to-siskitwit-bay/

Purple Lupines in full bloom. Such vibrant colors dominating this picture brings such great memories of springtime.

Utah under the great blue sky. Another photo capturing the amazing scenery Utah is well known for. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-to-moab-and-the-first-trail/

Pink Ladyslippers. I got a chance to see these twice in 2019. Once in June in Northern Minnesota and again in July on Isle Royale. I’ve never seen them before. What a beautiful orchid! Not yet written about. Here’s an article from where the photo was taken though: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-return-to-isle-royale/

A Foggy Sunrise. There wasn’t a lot special about this sunrise as night became day and there wasn’t anything that stood out about the landscape but add some fog hovering near the ground and you get an amazing picture. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-the-shota-beautiful-foggy-sunrise/

Moose Bath. The opportunity to watch a full grown bull moose trample through the water was a great experience. And don’t I have a story to tell so stay tuned for that in 2020. For now here’s some of the wildlife spotted during this same trip: http://monopolytraveler.com/independence-day-on-isle-royale/

Stars over Double Arch. A highlight for me was to see Double Arch in Arches National Park. I was blown away at how incredible it is in person and to climb around under with the stars shining bright above was pretty incredible. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-the-shotdouble-arch/

An Early Morning in the Boundary Waters. The fog once again made this picture. It diffused the sunrise creating some amazing colors reflecting off of the smooth water surrounding this little island. A restoration of inspiration for me. You can see more about this particular morning here: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-sunrise-worth-waking-up-for/. There’s a post about this photo in the works for 2020.

Sitting among the Shore. I just love the two people sitting on a log next to the water enjoying a calm morning. It helps that one of them is my daughter and the other one of my cousins sharing a life adventure. http://monopolytraveler.com/independence-day-on-isle-royale/

 

There are a lot of other photographs I could have added from the past year but these where definitely at the top of my list. I hope you enjoy them as well. Most of them have appeared in my posts or will soon if you want to read more about them.

2019 Collage

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

A Little More Time With The Ice

Snow is expected to begin overnight so all of this newly frozen water will be covered. And most likely covered until it thaws in the spring so this would be the last opportunity to photograph clear ice. I decided to take advantage of a nice afternoon, although the wind was picking up making it feel a bit colder. I was hoping to capture some interesting pictures of this glass like ice. A nice black and white picture was still a goal of mine this fall I would like to achieve. But more than that a beautiful sunset reflecting off of this ice would be great. As the afternoon wore on clouds moved in hiding the sun. With about 30 minutes to go before sunset the skies were just a dull grey. Disappointed I was debating on weather or not I should just head home as there would be no colorful sunset on this night. I ended up talking myself out of calling it a day and going to warm up as I was cold and shivering. I’ve spent all afternoon outside walking and searching for interesting subjects hoping to end the day with a sunset. It was only a few minutes more until the sun falls below the trees. I should stick it out until then. And thankfully I did as the clouds began to break up near the horizon giving an amazing sunset. You just never know. Often times the sunset can be a bust with grey skies turning to darkness but sometimes a little light peaks through and rewards those who are paying attention with almost magical colors.

A shell frozen in the ice

Earlier I came across a shell frozen to the top of the lake. How did that get there? An interesting contrast of summer and winter I thought. Also, the ice had an interesting jaggedness to it. From above the ice appears almost smooth and was quite slippery but closer to the surface you could see all these different grooves and bumps. It was anything but smooth. I spent a little time trying to compose some interesting pictures capturing these different aspects with only moderate success. I like the photo above because it shows the shell frozen to the ice along with the spirals. The photo feels like the shell is stuck there for all eternity. In the next picture you can really get a sense of how rough the ice is. Most of the bumps in the shape of a rectangle which really was intriguing to me. Why did the water freeze in these patterns? Was it because we had some very cold weather freezing the water very quickly? Would there be different patterns if the water freezes more slowly?

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Scouring the ice near shore, as it was not thick enough to walk on safely yet, I saw this trail of footprints left in the remaining snow near the shoreline. I like how each footprint is turning a different way as the goose waddled further onto the ice. For me it’s just a fun pattern in the snow.

Footprints in the snow

Winter on the calendar is just around the corner. We’ve been experiencing winter conditions for several weeks now which is way too early for me. I’m not ready for another round of snow and cold yet. Getting out with the camera lately has been difficult. I would much prefer staying inside where it’s warm right now which is a change from the last several years. I’m trying to remind myself that I just need to dress for the weather to enjoy our winter landscape. Snow brings with it some very interesting subjects. The difficult part is those interesting subjects usually don’t show up on my schedule. I need to take advantage of a situation when it arrives. Hopefully I will begin to enjoy this season once the holidays have passed and daylight begins to increase again. This may be the year I take a week to escape to a tropical destination.

Just after the sunset

Photos, State Parks, Troy's Blog

Exploring Carlos Avery State Wildlife Area

Carlos Avery Wildlife Area has been a place I’ve heard of a number of times and even view photos from but not some place I’ve been to. I just kept forgetting about it whenever I’ve decided to go out to a park for awhile. Finally I took the opportunity to explore this wildlife area this summer to see what’s there. Much of it is wetlands and lakes but there are some gravel roads that allow you to drive around and see some of the scenery and wildlife living in this large protected place. I arrived before the sun came up to enjoy a beautiful summer mornings sunrise. To make this even more enjoyable, fog started to develop just before the sun ascended above the tree tops. As the suns power continued to grow, the fog quickly disappeared leaving a heavy dew engulfing all of the plants near the ground.

A bee waiting to dry off before buzzing from flower to flower

Since the dew drops were so large I decided to try and capture the mornings soft, yellow light reflecting in these drops. My efforts provided less than interesting results. As I was continuing to photograph different drops I noticed a bee sitting on one of the still blooming flowers. As I studied the bee further I saw all of the dew drops preventing it from flying away. And since it was a cool morning the bee wasn’t moving much at all. I set up the camera for close up photos since I knew the bee wouldn’t bee going anywhere real soon. With the camera lens inches away I snapped photos until I had one that was nice and sharp. The wind was beginning to pick up moving this flower around so it took a few tries of clicking the shutter at just the right time to capture the flower and bee in focus before they swayed away again. Wind can be very frustrating sometimes when you want sharp photo in the early morning light causing the shutter to be slower. Still a fun challenge.

Blue Gentian

As the day went on and I continued exploring Carlos Avery I came across several different late season flowers blooming away under the warm sunlight. One that really stands out against grasses and ferns is Blue Gentian. One of the few true blue wildflowers around. It’s so striking but I always continue to look for an open flower. It always appears to be just about to open but never actually seems to. Part of the interest I guess. As the afternoon approached, clouds increased and a stray shower passed by. There were even a few cracks of thunder with a lightning bolt flashing from time to time. Staying mostly dry I continued exploring different trails to see what treasure may lay ahead.

Rain showers passing by

Many of the interesting finds on this late summers day where interesting mushrooms of different sizes,colors, and shapes from the wet, cool days just before. I could have spent most of the daylight just photographing these fungus but I would have given up opportunities to explore other areas. I expect there will be other trips here in the future to see how it changes throughout the year. Winter could be a fascinating time to explore some of the wetter places once they freeze over. Spring promises to provide many different bird sightings as they migrate north and early summer likely produces many blooming wildflowers. I always enjoy another place to explore beautiful days that should include an outdoor adventure.

A colorful mushroom peaking through the grass

Photos, Troy's Blog

Playing with Fowl Ice

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Most of my posts have been about summer adventures because I’ve been captive with projects and haven’t been getting out with the camera much so there’s been nothing recent to really publish. The cold has been setting in with the occasional snow flake flying bringing a layer of ice on to many of the nearby lakes. I wanted to try and get out to capture some of this ice because parts of it are almost as clear as glass. My first concept though was a circle of waterfowl. On a nearby lake there has been a small portion of open water where geese and ducks congregate during the night often just standing on the ring of ice around this open water creating a circle of birds. On this morning though, several of them were already in the water swimming as the sun was nearing the horizon breaking that nice circle of waterfowl I’d hoped for. It was a nice sunrise none the less and I had made the necessary compromises so I could enjoy the outdoors with the camera. Time to adapt and focus on what was there.

A pair of geese in the golden glow of the sunrise

Most of the waterfowl were Canadian Geese moving around the ice and in the water on this morning. As many were getting into the water there were a few standing on the edge of the ice. I thought they provided a nice silhouette against the golden sun through clouds. All I needed then was something interesting in their actions. Scanning the group I noticed two geese, possibly a pair, staying near each other. I liked how they’re looking at each other with some reflection in the golden ice. Once took a few photos as the sun was rising I moved so the sun was now shining on these geese and watched further. What I was really looking for was an eagle flying overhead causing these ducks and geese to all take off or to see an eagle float down from the sky trying to get something for breakfast. Eventually a young eagle did appear but it ended up continuing overhead towards another location.

All hail the sunrise

Once the sun appeared from behind the clouds I noticed all of the geese and most of the ducks face into it. Were they trying to absorb any warmth from the fresh sunlight on this cold morning? It didn’t last long before they continued moving around into and out of the water with some flying off. Over the next half hour or so most of these geese took to the air likely going in search of food for the day. During this time I could hear a familiar sound off in the distance. As I watched the sky the pure white forms of Trumpeter Swans came into view. I followed them as they circled once overhead before coming in to the open water with a larger splash making their presence know to everything around. Once they had a chance to look around they began to swim towards me. Where they looking for the best food spot or did they want to check out what I was doing? After a short time closer to me they resumed feeding and swam back with the other birds still there.

Trumpeters examining the open water

While standing on the beach looking around for something that might make an interesting photograph I caught a trio of Mallard ducks getting closer and closer. They were still in the water when I first noticed them so I remained near my camera just in case but tried to continue appearing as though I wasn’t really paying attention to them. Eventually they made it to the edge of open water which prompted me to get back behind the camera. They hopped up on the ice, one by one, and waddled to the beach making their way closer to me. Their bright orange feet stood out in such stark contrast to the brown and white of the surrounding landscape. After a few pictures they returned to the water ending our photo shoot.

Beachcombing

Having fun watching the waterfowl I decided there was enough light in the sky now to work towards my next goal for the morning. Photographing subjects with this nice clear ice covering much of the lake. There was very little success for awhile. A few photos started to show the patterns in the ice reflecting the sunlight. And then I spotted a leaf curled up on top of the ice with the sunlight shining around the oak leaf. Black and white was my objective with some ice pictures. That focuses the interest more on shapes and contrasting elements. This leaf photo was my favorite from the morning with the bright, back light highlighting the rounded lobes of this leaf against the straight lines crisscrossing in the top of the ice. One of the most interesting parts of this picture is the midrib and petiole of the leaf and how it curves through the photograph. An enjoyable picture for my first morning out in awhile.

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Another picture with some interest in a red oak leaf with its lobes reaching up through the snow. Reaching for warmth and daylight from the cold snows grasp. The sharp points at the tips of the leaves in contrast to the rounded pieces of ice surrounding it and covering it. After this my time was up and I needed to return home. A much needed morning out watching the world come to life for the day.

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Photos, State Parks, Troy's Blog

Roaming the Prairie

As summer began to wind down I ventured off to Southwestern Minnesota in search of the Prairie Fringed orchid while hoping to view the Perseid meteor shower from a prairie landscape. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful at seeing much of either of these. On my last morning there a local herd of bison started to move closer to my location. What an unexpected surprise! While they were closer, they still were pretty far away for some nice photographs. Still I had envisioned photographing bison as they worked their way around the mounds of stone scattered across this part of the prairie before beginning this camping adventure. Now it seemed as though there was a possibility of capturing those shots. It was about time to tear down the campsite so I focused on that as the bison were still quite far away. With each trip of gear to the car I would check on the herd. Eventually I lost them and figured they had moved on to a further portion of their grazing area. With my equipment safely stored in my car I glanced up to see people looking at something. The bison had worked their way much closer. Observing their direction for a few minutes I grabbed the camera and found a safe place to set up for some potential photographs highlighting the huge animals against the beautiful pink quartz exposed above the prairie.

The herd of bison moving closer

Sitting for what seemed like a long time a head poked up above the grass. And then another, and another until the entire herd was becoming visible. I chose a particular stone outcropping and just waited for these bison to work their way near it. As they meandered closer I began to get a little nervous. These are very large, powerful animals. While there was a fence between us, it would be quickly trampled through if these bison had motivation to run through it. There was one bison that seemed more nervous than the others and kept an eye on me. I kept an eye on that one too. At this point several of the bison were grazing near the rocks I had pointed the camera at. I began to shoot away trying different compositions and distances taking advantage of the situation. They continued to move and were out of my range pretty quickly and I figured I was done. Just waiting for them to be completely out of sight before I move back to my car.

A young bison grazing under the watchful eye of a much larger adult

While sitting there watching, the herd came back and once again surrounded the rock outcropping I was focused on. What luck and this time they approached from a different direction providing me with a few different compositions. Once again there was one of these bison which seemed to be watching me more closely than the others. Although this time is appeared to be more out of curiosity than concern as it would reach down to eat more frequently. This time they lingered in this area longer allowing me to not only get more photographs but to just watch from time to time. I was fascinated by all of the burs stuck to their noses. Do they feel them? Are they annoyed by them? How do they get removed from their noses?

Feeling more comfortable near these large animals this time it almost felt like I was among the herd. That’s when a photo session changes from great to an amazing experience. When they just continue on their mission like you’re not even there at close range. You get to see some of the details of an animal or its behavior not easily noticed from a distance. When you can hear their light grunts and catch a bit of their scent as they grab a mouthful of grass. It all tells more about an animal than looking at them from a distance. I may have missed the Perseids and failed to find a Prairie Fringed orchid but this encounter with a herd of bison made the weekend all worth any efforts needed for a weekend trip to the prairie.

Moving closer while keeping a watchful eye