Sharing The Leaf

These little guys were sharing the same leaf. 
 The smaller one I think is a type of leaf hopper.

Isn't it nice when we all get along?  

The Poetry of Nature

It is written on the arched sky; it looks out from every star. It is the poetry of Nature; it is that which uplifts the spirit within us.
~ John Ruskin

Take some time and get out to enjoy the Poetry of Nature. 

Quickly it goes

Time goes by quickly

Trying to make the most of my seconds 
  my minutes  
my hours

Living Simply   
and 
Simply Living

Male Cardinal Shows His Crest

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rain Dance

Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.
~ John Updike

A Closer Look

Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.
 ~ Robert Bresson

More of my Butterfly Images - HERE 

Lazy Daisies of Summer

I am following nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.
~ Claude Monet

Print Available - HERE 

A Positive Perspective

Include a few moments of quiet time into your daily schedule; Breathe deeply, evaluate your thoughts, delete the negative ones, and reset your mind to a positive perspective by counting your blessings and overflowing opportunities. 
 ~Master Jin Kwon

Blue Miracles

~ Life is full of many miracles ~
 Take a minute and look closely at the small miracles in your life 
  

Viceroy Butterfly - The Monarch Mimic

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.
~ Walt Whitman  

Resting Twosome

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. 
~ John Lubbock

My wish for you today: Take some time to rest, listen to the birds in the trees or the buzzing of a dragonfly, and take a deep deep breath of nature. 
 You will be glad you did!

Print Available - HERE 

Planthopper

I have a confession to make. I used to be really intimidated by bugs. OK maybe intimidated is not the right word .... how about SCARED of bugs. They really used to freak me out. Not quite so much anymore. I found this little (and I mean little) guy outside one day.  He is about 1/3" long (if that) I took this with the macro lens and closely cropped it so you could see the details. I believe this to be a Northern Flatid Planthopper. He has quite a unique look ~~ don't you think?

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things....

~ The sweet sound of the birds singing ~ Savoring that first cup of coffee ~ Sun and Sand ~ Mountains and Streams ~ Finding a bug, taking a Macro shot and discovering how really pretty they are up close ~ Life Birds ~ Long Walks ~ Nature ~ Finding a quote that touches my heart ~ Fog ~ Misty Mornings ~

What are some of your favorites?

Green Anole

The kindest way of helping yourself 
is to find a friend.
 - Ann Kaiser Stearns 

 My little green friend (Green Anole) from a vacation in North Carolina a few years ago.

Indigo Bunting - Blue on Blue

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. 
~ Grandma Moses

Indigo Bunting on a Branch!

Wishing you a Wonderful Day!

Rough Edges

Sometimes life can be 
rough around the edges. 

Spotted Sandpiper

 Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager. 
 ~ Susan Sontag

  Izaak Walton Park - Christiansburg, VA  

Heron Reflection

One of the greatest moments in anybody's developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is.
~ Norman Vincent Peale

Up Close with Acorn Tops

Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful.
~ A.R. Ammons

The World Is Full of Magic

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.
~ William Butler Yeats

Silver Spotted Skipper Peek-a-Boo

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
 ~ Roald Dahl 

Mesmerized By A Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

I was always a lover of soft-winged things. 

~ Victor Hugo

The Small Stuff

Some of nature's most exquisite handiwork is on a miniature scale, as anyone knows who has applied a magnifying glass to a snowflake.
 ~Rachel Carson

Flight

Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
~ Langston Hughes

 Beaufort, North Carolina 

Free to Fly

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

~Winston Churchill

 

My Little Green Friend

During one of our North Carolina vacations, I made the acquaintance of this little guy. He is known as a Carolina Anole or a Green Anole. At first I thought maybe he was scared and that is why he has the enlarged red throat. During my research I found that the enlarged red dewlap is also a courting gesture. 
 Maybe he was flirting with me :) 
 It was a real treat to see this little guy!!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!

"The winds that blow through the wide sky in these mounts, the winds that sweep from Canada to Mexico, from the Pacific to the Atlantic - have always blown on free men."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt