Spanish Moss is beautiful, but it can be very harsh looking in winter when there are fewer leaves to absorb or reflect some of the light.
Here, I gave the view of the back of the Long White Bridge a nostalgic treatment to tone the light down a bit.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 25, 2024
And he didn’t like it.
As a trio of ants worked their way around the Camellia’s center the bee fidgeted away from them, finally taking off for quieter pastures.
I don’t know what the ants were up to, they just seemed to be marching around.
February 2, 2024
February 2, 2024
The Red-shouldered Hawks have started hanging out in pairs. Nesting season can’t be far off for them.
Canon 100mm Macro lens
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 25, 2024
This Anhinga had the best seat on the Ashley River for end of the day contemplation.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 25, 2024
On Thursday I took only my Canon 100mm Macro lens to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, planning on shooting flowers, not birds. That didn’t stop me from passing through the Ravenswood Pond Great Blue Heron rookery to see what was happening. And I got some scenic images of the nests.
The “close tree” is occupied by one nesting pair in the top spot.
Out on the island there are at least four active GBH nests, with these three the most visible. The tree that hosted the nest with the best angles for viewing fell over sometime last fall.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 25, 2024
Around Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, morning of June 16th.
I liked the imperfection at the top of this bloom.
A thistle, with such an interesting shape and so many textures.
I’ve always liked the alien look of the Button bush flowers, but they have taken on a new feel in the post-COVID world after we’ve seen so many magnified viruses.
Many of the older Magnolia trees don’t seem to have bloomed as well this year as I remember. This was a good specimen.
I don’t know what this is, but I do like it.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
June 16, 2023
I wasn’t sure… I’d photographed around this statue before, mostly flowers and insects…could I have missed a frog as part of the installation?
I walked around this little pond several times…
…the frog never moved. The frog was not there when I went back yesterday to see the azaleas, so he must have been the real deal.
With only a 100mm lens with me I couldn’t get far enough away to get an image of the whole pond.
Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
February 15, 2023
The color of the pokeweed berries and stems were a nice contrast to this grasshopper.
The spiny structures on his back leg look like they mean business.
This last shot was taken with the Canon 100mm macro lens. I couldn’t get the angle I wanted with the available footing and the grasshopper never moved, so it is nearly the same image as above.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 24, 2022
The trail that runs along the edge of the swamp at Magnolia Plantation often offers some interesting peeks at the little creatures.
I tried to see him from the other side of the leaf, but he had moved along.
Another shot with the 100mm macro lens.
The grasshopper had places to go.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
September 16, 2022
