Lovely

I finally tracked down the wild flowers that this lovely deer is standing amongst and they are
Wild Bergamot

4 Very Bad Pictures

I went on a hunt for butterflies yesterday in hopes of getting some photos. These were the best I could do. I went to several different places and even waited until it was warm and sunny but not much luck. I did see two beautiful Tiger Swallowtails and a Viceroy but they wouldn't stop for a picture :-(
These pour guys above are the worst for wear, with tears in their wings,,,,and both were lethargic. The top I think is a fritillaria of some kind and the bottom is a Red-Spotted Purple.

However, the day wasn't wasted. Even though these pictures are bad (because, hello, they were so far away), I was very lucky and happy to see them. The top is a Belted Kingfisher. I got to see him dive for a fish and then he was perched on a branch for the longest time. Below, is  Green Heron. I have seen them before but never had a chance for a picture.
So, despite my terrible pictures, my walk was a rewarding one. Hope to get out again on Weds or Thursday.

GTG

Mike riding with the GTG.

 How many miles???  Didn't know that you needed gas for those bikes.

Monarch Butterfly in my Backyard

DIA

My brother and his wife were up from Ohio for a visit. We spent a very nice afternoon at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Did a lot of walking and I took a few photos then we had a nice lunch in the Cafe'.

 Sculpture outside the DIA on John R

 Mary Ann and Jim

 The famous Rivera mural.

 For some reason, I really love the vases and other pieces of china, porcelain and pottery.

This is titled "Listening Oak"  Wonder what the tree is saying.

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

Emma right in front, middle

My beautiful grandaughter, Emma (I have two beautiful grandaughters by the way) just got back from camp. I haven't heard all the details, but Emma tells me she had a great time and is already planning next year. You go Emma! 

I love this picture

 

Praying Mantis

Praying Mantis

Today, I was trying to get my garden in order. My brother and sister-in-law are coming for a visit and  I thought that I would venture out to the garden and pull out all the dead stuff. Well, the whole place is a mess and beyond my help. No amount of watering will fix it. But, the garden is interesting, none the less. Saw this great Praying Mantis and watched a robin go through all kind of apprehensive behavior before taking the plunge in my birdbath. Interesting place, my back yard!

Robin Redbreast

" Nice bath, I hope it's free"

"I wonder how deep it is"

"No one's watching"

"I'm refreshed"

Make Lemonade

 Liam

 When your camera gives you lemons, make lemonade!  We all take some terrible pictures because of our own screw-ups, through no fault of the subject matter. Liam had some great smiles here but I had the wrong settings. So, I fixed the photos the best I could, adjusting, putting on effects and making some improvement. Of course, taking a perfect picture first is the goal, unfortunately it doesn't always happen. Thanks, Liam for being so patient through it all.

Lakes at Kensignton

Oh, the peace and quiet on the lakes. My neighbor is having his driveway repaved and widened....what racket. I thought I would post these very quiet photographs of Kent Lake at Kensington Metropark. The park has several lakes, Kent being the largest and running through the whole park. Wildwing is a smaller lake where the Heron rookery is and has a 2 mile nature trail around it. The lagoon is a small lake beside the nature center and that is where I took the great photos of the Mute swan family this spring. There is also a small pond where there are always turtles hanging out.

Turtle family

Kent Lake

The bridge at the far end of Wildwing coming off the trail.

Before the Heat Wave

Before this last heat wave hit, I had a lovely early morning walk at Crosswinds Marsh. Above is my favorite bench. There are always little song sparrows, goldfinches and warblers there and I will sit, camera in the ready. It's quiet and peaceful.
The bird below is a Juvenile cedar waxwing...I think...not sure. I saw others in the area so I'm giving it a guess plus the black mask.

                             King Bird

                             The marsh
               Info for anyone not familiar with the marsh and it's environs. Where I live in southeast Michigan, it is as flat as a pancake. You must know that any hills or rises are man made as is the hill in the back ground of this picture. Looming over the marsh is giant and I mean giant, hills that are made out of trash. The trash comes from Canada. I can't understand that a country of that size cannot find space for their own trash but must ship it to us transported in big lumbering trucks that tear up our roads. Of course, this place has been very controversial and the amount of trash coming in is now limited. What? No passports for garbage? Terrorist could be hiding in and amongst that stuff!

                            The Trail