Bluebirds
BRENT PENNINGTON – A male Eastern bluebird perches near his nest box on the east shore of Lackawanna State Park, PA, on the morning of 14 May 2024. BRENT PENNINGTON – A female Eastern bluebird perches near her nest box on the east shore of Lackawanna State Park, PA, on the morning of 14 May […]
Two Orioles
Baltimore Orioles are one of the more-recognized eastern birds, even among non-birders. This is hardly surprising, given their bright orange and black coloring, and their relatively large size, at least as compared to most warblers. They are stunning songbirds, and relatively common throughout the eastern and central United States. They are also – in my […]
SOMA Night Lights
I was back at Wilkes University’s campus a week ago for one of their evening community events, SOMA Night Lights, which was heralded as a “celebration of art and technology.” The main attraction of the evening was a series of projection art displays, where digital projectors were mapped to precisely match various campus and city […]
Spring Wildflowers
As spring progresses, the spring beauties and Dutchman’s breeches give way to a more diverse collection of wildflowers. Cutleaf toothwort, Dog violet, Small-flowered Crowfoot, Bitercress – the names are as varied and colorful as the blossoms themselves, which line the trails and appear alone or in clusters wherever sunlight reaches the forest floor. The lineup […]
Early Butterfly
A female Eastern Tailed-blue butterfly rests on the glossy leaves of a mayapple. This was late April of last year, and sooner than I expected to find butterflies, what with the nights still falling to chill temperatures, and flowers being somewhat far-between. But nature surprises and delights.
The Potting Shed
Potting shed at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens from last spring.
Forest in Miniature
Moss is biologically fascinating, and although it’s often overlooked, it can also be quite lovely. The varieties are vast, and honestly I don’t have a great grasp on identifying them. But I do try to notice moss when I’m out and about, and to engage with it when I have a macro lens handy. In […]
Wilkes University Campus
I was fortunate to receive an invitation to visit Wilkes University’s campus a couple of weeks back, right at the height of cherry blossom season. Wilkes is an urban campus, set along several city blocks near the Susquehanna River in downtown Wilkes-Barre, PA – but despite it’s setting, it maintains a fair amount of green […]
Periwinkle
Cherry Blossoms
Spring Beauty Gallery
This collection of Eastern Spring Beauty blossoms (Claytonia virginica) comes from last spring, over a period of several weeks around the Lee Hill and Rowlands Preserve area of Lackawanna State Park. This year’s blossoms are delayed by weather; I enjoyed the first few blooms, but a week of cold weather put them into retreat, so […]
Dicentra cucullaria
Dicentra cucullaria, although I prefer the common name, “Dutchman’s breeches.” Visually, it reminds me of the “bleeding heart” in my backyard garden, although there is no direct relation; my “bleeding heart” is the Asian variety, not native to North America. I found this Dicenta last spring, growing along the trail at the Rowlands Preserve. I’m […]
The Stone Wall
Remains of a stone wall, possibly a foundation, at Varden Conservation Area. In nearly any eastern forest, the land was once nearly all clear-cut for farming. Nature has reclaimed it in the decades and even centuries since, but lost reminders remain tucked away between the trees, if you look for them.
Spring is Here
After three consecutive weeks of checking the trailsides at Lackawanna State Park, the first spring wildflowers have finally appeared! The Spring Beauties, which are aptly named, are only a couple of inches tall, a mix of purple-streaked white and pink blossoms atop delicate stems, and they carpet the forest floor, below trees that are still […]
Eales Sunset in Winter
I’ve shared selections for this winter outing at the Eales Preserve, but as winter (hopefully) has wrapped, here are the final few in the series. My goal was a sunset hike, to capture the gorgeous light that we’d been having immediately post-sunset. If we lived in the mountains, it would be alpine-glow; I’m not sure […]
Creek in Black & White
This could be an April Fool’s Day post, only because early April in Pennsylvania has equal odds for being warm and sunny, or having several inches of snow. Speaking of snow, these are a step back to late January when I visited Promised Land State Park for a hike along the East Branch of Wallenpaupack […]
Lee Hill in March
Hiking in March is challenging in many ways. The trails are often wet and muddy as the earth thaws. The temperature can vary across a 40 degree spectrum. And no matter how desperate I am to find green sprouts or new leaves – any sign of life returning to the world – it’s just not […]
Forest Spring
Tucked into the woods past the boundary of the barrens, the trail arcs past this forest spring. Just a small pool with a trickle of an outlet stream, it persists through the year, through winter freezes and summer dry spells. It’s surprisingly challenging to capture a good photo – I’ve tried many times – but […]
A burst of color
Looking back over the past few weeks, I’ve shared a number of winter photos with cold tones, black & white shots, and muted scenes. So it feels like time for a burst of color to warm it up in here! From a walk at Egypt Meadows last autumn, in the later afternoon – it was […]
The Outcrop
For me, this photo is all about shapes and tonality. The angled wedge of the rock face and its facets and cracks; the horizontal shelves contrasting with the vertical lines of the trees; and of course the interplay between the white snow and the full range of grays. I like it for its geometry and […]