Monarch in the Grass Monarch butterflies are on the decline in our area. You just don’t see many; even on walkabouts through grasslands. They lay their eggs on underside of milkweed leaves and use the milkweed for nourishment to grow. To save the monarch population, we must save milkweed. In my area, there are plenty of milkweed or so I thought. Still, the Monarch population appears to be much lower than it once was.
Sunset on the Lake Long exposures can be really fun to capture. I tried several of these 30 sec images as the sun sank late in the day. In a relatively short time span, the color and strength of the light made very dramatic changes in the reflections off the water.
Milkweed Soon, the milkweed will have given up their seeds. They add so much beauty to a fall walkabout.
Gray Squirrel in the Forest These squirrels seem to be hard at work storing food for the winter. On every recent walkabout through the woods, they have been busy carrying nuts. Perhaps, they know something we don’t.
Sunset through the Forest Even when my walkabouts do not turn up any wildlife, a nice sunset poking through the trees becomes a bonus. Shooting into the light can be tricky. Reflections are not your friend.
Fall Sunset Soon, the leaves will be gone. Winter snow will adorn the land and the frozen lake. Skiers will delight.
CAVU above Michigan Clear And Visibility Unrestricted; music to a pilot’s ears. Here, flying north along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in early September, it’s as clear as it gets in the lower 48. Yes, Alaska can get much clearer; hard to believe until you see it. Soon, the leaves will be turning into a kaleidoscope of color making a very different view.
Blacksmithing at the Threshermen’s Reunion Back to this year’s Threshermen’s Reunion. The Blacksmithing trade continues today even though it is not as common as it was a century ago. The blacksmiths at the reunion actually made various objects live each day. “Black” refers to black fire scale, a layer of oxides that forms on the metal being heated. Blacksmiths heat pieces of wrought iron or steel until the metal becomes soft enough to shape with hand tools. The metal is heated in a forge fueled by coal, charcoal, coke, etc. As iron heats, it first glows red, then orange, yellow, and finally white. The ideal heat, forging heat, is a bright yellow-orange color. It’s an amazing experience to watch the blacksmiths work at the reunion. They are very friendly, will answer questions, and explain what they are doing.
