View allAll Photos Tagged macroliciousness
Some of the Maple trees in the neighborhood this year are full of seeds. They are so numerous in some trees that there are more seeds than leaves.
The distinctive fruit are called samaras or "maple keys". These seeds, or 'whirlybirds,' occur in distinctive pairs each containing one seed enclosed in a "nutlet" attached to a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue. They are shaped to spin as they fall and to carry the seeds a considerable distance on the wind. Children often call them "helicopters" due to the way that they spin as they fall. One tree can release hundreds of thousands of seeds at a time. Depending on the species, the seeds can be small and green to orange and big with thicker seed pods. The green seeds are released in pairs, sometimes with the stems still connected. (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple )
(sing-sing ita)
LIFE IS A JOURNEY
Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys, celebrations and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination, our purpose in life. The road will not always be smooth; in fact, throughout our travels, we will encounter many challenges.
Some of these challenges will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith. Along the way, we may stumble upon obstacles that will come between the paths that we are destined to take. In order to follow the right path, we must overcome these obstacles. Sometimes these obstacles are really blessings in disguise, only we don't realize that at the time.
Along our journey we will be confronted with many situations, some will be filled with joy, and some will be filled with heartache. How we react to what we are faced which determines what kind of outcome the rest of our journey through life will be like.
When things don't always go our way, we have two choices in dealing with the situations. We can focus on the fact that things didn't go how we had hoped they would and let life pass us by, or two, we can make the best out of the situation and know that these are only temporary setbacks and find the lessons that are to be learned.
Time stops for no one, and if we allow ourselves to focus on the negative we might miss out on some really amazing things that life has to offer. We can't go back to the past, we can only take the lessons that we have learned and the experiences that we have gained from it and move on. It is because of the heartaches, as well as the hardships, that in the end help to make us a stronger person.
The people that we meet on our journey, are people that we are destined to meet. Everybody comes into our lives for some reason or another and we don't always know their purpose until it is too late. They all play some kind of role. Some may stay for a lifetime; others may only stay for a short while.
It is often the people who stay for only a short time that end up making a lasting impression not only in our lives, but in our hearts as well. Although we may not realize it at the time, they will make a difference and change our lives in a way we never could imagine. To think that one person can have such a profound affect on your life forever is truly a blessing. It is because of these encounters that we learn some of life's best lessons and sometimes we even learn a little bit about ourselves.
People will come and go into our lives quickly, but sometimes we are lucky to meet that one special person that will stay in our hearts forever no matter what. Even though we may not always end up being with that person and they may not always stay in our life for as long as we like, the lessons that we have learned from them and the experiences that we have gained from meeting that person, will stay with us forever.
It's these things that will give us strength to continue on with our journey. We know that we can always look back on those times of our past and know that because of that one individual, we are who we are and we can remember the wonderful moments that we have shared with that person.
Memories are priceless treasures that we can cherish forever in our hearts. They also enables us to continue on with our journey for whatever life has in store for us. Sometimes all it takes is one special person to help us look inside ourselves and find a whole different person that we never knew existed. Our eyes are suddenly opened to a world we never knew existed- a world where time is so precious and moments never seem to last long enough.
Throughout this adventure, people will give you advice and insights on how to live your life but when it all comes down to it, you must always do what you feel is right. Always follow your heart, and most importantly never have any regrets. Don't hold anything back. Say what you want to say, and do what you want to do, because sometimes we don't get a second chance to say or do what we should have the first time around.
It is often said that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. It all depends on how one defines the word "strong" It can have different meanings to different people. In this sense, "stronger" means looking back at the person you were and comparing it to the person you have become today. It also means looking deep into your soul and realizing that the person you are today couldn't exist if it weren't for the things that have happened in the past or for the people that you have met. Everything that happens in our life happens for a reason and sometimes that means we must face heartaches in order to experience joy.
---Shannon Spaunburg
(This photo was taken on September 13, 2008 using a Canon PowerShot A550.)
Image info: I was shooting another bug when this creature, a 1.5mm wasp comes into focus ! I was only given a shot then it flew !
This "black forest" is not the same that you know from S Germany... this one is reversed: the trees are black and the sky is green...
Caterpillar of the Peacock (Inachis io). Detail of the dorsal spines. Vila do Conde, Portugal.
23 pics. stacked and some 6 hrs. of pos production to remove noise and doubled spines due to the caterpillar movements...
Scientific name :Nymphaea stellata
Family :Nymphaeaceae
Habitat : Annual water lily
Medicinal Uses : Powdered rhizomes of Aambal are given for dyspepsia , diarrhoea and piles . Infusion is emollient and diuretic and is used for blenorrhaqia and diseases of urinary tract. Macerated leaves are used for erysipelas and seeds as stomachic and restorative . Decoration of flowers is narcotic .
philadelphia flower show 2009 from march 1-8 by the PHS at the convention center at 12th & arch streets. proceeds go to greening efforts by the PHS. Theme of the year is Bella Italia
Thanks for all the comments/faves!
This is my first large red damselfly for 2011 - a good 2 weeks earlier than last year.It was taken on the northern edge of Richmond Park
a wildflower (ID ?) near the streambank around my apartment at early morning
Stack based on
31 natural light exposures at
f4.5, 1/25sec exp. time, ISO100,
1.4x mag.
canon mp-e 65mm 1-5x macro lens | canon 5d mark II
Thanks Chris !... for pointing out the name of this spider...Jumpers are famous for looking like another insect or arachnid to catch what they prey on. So it has fooled me by it's clever disguise.
Nikon D90 + Tamron SP 90mm + Ringflash + Handheld.
Just arrived here in Iriga City where we'll spend the night... covering the Penafrancia Fluvial Festival in Naga City is tiring but fulfilling.. just seeing those millions of devotees to the Virgin Mother, braving both the rains and dead heat just to take a glimpse of the "Ina" (Our Lady of Penafrancia) is really humbling and uplifting.
I'll try to post some photos tomorrow.. I really need to hit the sack.. been awake for 32 hours...hehe
Tomorrow we'll be going to Cagsawa Ruins in Albay to get a chance to shoot the famous Mayon Volcano ...if the weather permits. Looks like a tropical storm is approaching the Bicol Region.
Euphorbia, the latest addition to my small garden of leafy ornamental plants. Hoping this would help in bringing back the bees and butterflies.
ID would be welcomed on this jumping spider (Salticidae).
Went on a photo walk in Parc du Bois de Liesse looking for dragonflies and right from the start I stumbled onto two beautiful jumping spiders, patrolling different parts of the same wooden lookout. This is the second of them, and I wonder whether or not it's the same species as the first one. This one has much more white (including a spot in middle of the head), but the color of the body and the markings on the back are similar... This spider was super inquisitive and jumped onto my lens several times. :)
Tamron Adaptall SP 35-80mm F/2.8-3.8 (01A), plus Adaptall SP 2X tele-converter (01F) and Raynox DCR-250. 1.5:1 macro ratio, plus since the background is nothing but black, I allowed myself to crop to almost 11MP (out of a 16MP original).
IMPORTANT:
If you would like to use this photo in a way that is appropriate under its Creative Commons license, you are welcome to do so, but please make sure to credit me by my real name and Flickr handle, and please also include a link to the Flickr page of the photo, as well as a link to the relevant Creative Commons license text. I have put examples of proper attribution on my profile page. Optionally, you may also send me a little note about your use... :)
For any other type of use, please contact me to properly license this image.
Thank you!
(IMGP9516_Crop2B10C4)
This idea came from some similar shots taken by a Flickr friend of mine, Ozark Bill. He has some unbelievable macros. www.flickr.com/photos/ozark_bill/