Trees gather to life in glimmer of morn

Daylight mists down on Lake Bigeaux along side the I-10 bridge over the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana early one morning last week.  The first revenants materialized into tree shapes from the foggy breaths of the lake waters.  Maybe a little too much coffee on the drive?

Egret shows mating signs

This is a photo from a few years ago.  Notice the green around the egret's eyes-- it appears when they are in mating.  Also notice the showy feathers -- another mating sign.  The photo is from the lagoon island in Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA

Dad gets a chance watching the nest.

Looks like it's dad's turn to watch the kid, while mom takes a break and goes out to search for food. This nest scene was just outside our window four years ago.  One of the two siblings had already been lost at this point. The culprit? Perhaps a cat, or squirrel. Who knows?  I suspect the squirrel that had been hanging around the area. I had scared him away once as he closed in on the nest.

Let us however, give the squirrel his due -- innocent until proven guilty. The real tragedy is that a couple of days after this photo was taken, this sibling would be gone, also.  Mom and dad were then standing on a nearby fence wondering what had happened.  The vigil lasted about a day, maybe a day and a half. Then the parental doves were also gone.  Hopefully, gone to find a safer location for their next nest.

Wildlife is a wild time at Global Wildlife

We were at Global Wildlife in Robert, LA, with the grandkids and nieces and nephews this weekend.  This is always one of the greatest hits for things to do.  The kids love feeding the wild animals, who come right up to the caravan.

Spider suspense

This is I believe a Orchard Spider (Leucage venusta), hanging from the bottom of its web and waiting for a meal.  From the woods near Madisonville, across the lake from New Orleans.

Mushroom migrant

This was a mushroom growing from the bark of a Pine tree at my brother-in-law's house across the lake from New Orleans. The black spots are bugs burrowed up in the folds of the mushroom. It was about eye-level above the ground.

Swinging gently in the breeze

  Hammock.  That's it.  Says it all

Right?

"Leprechaun" sits watching

Sitting on a decaying log, he was lost in his reverie.  I almost didn't see him because of his hat.  But when I took a picture of the mushroom next to him, I thought I saw him wink.  I think the mushroom man has a little Irish in his "blood."  Perhaps even a little leprechaun. 

A Trace of light rationing

Another flower shot from my walk along the Trace in Mandeville one Saturday recently.  Even in the bright afternoon sun, sunlight is a precious commodity along the shadowy lane that weaves from Mandeville to Abita Springs.

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A Trace of beauty

I stopped for a moment along the Trace in Mandeville and notice a simple white flower in the sea of green trees, vines and bushes. I think I often miss little treasures like this.

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Earth's canopy -- Live Oak

Live Oaks have a way making their roots the center of grace, leisure and tranquility. This grandfatherly oak connects the earth and sky with stretched-out shadows and ray-catching Spanish moss. The shot is on the inspiring lawn at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington, LA.

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Beam it down, yttocs

Along the way of the St. Tammany Trace, a beam of light lasers through the dense foliage and sheds light on a young leaf.

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I can't tell you what captured my fancy about this.... this... well, this weed.  It had found a shaft of sunlight in a dark corner of a cool bayou bend and was soaking it up. It had a bit of loneliness to it, as well a bit of pioneering spirit.  But, mostly it just seemed content to be out of the dark, gathering strength from the light.

Here we go round the.... oak tree?

It may not be exactly climbing a tree, but it's just as much fun.  Our grandson, Sullivan, and his cousin Kristin were having a lot of fun on the roots of this giant oak on the Mandeville lakeshore.

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Early morning adventure in Lake Pontchartrain

Heading out from Mandeville's harbor on a cool morning with the steam rising from the lake-mixed bayou water as the sun's warm rays glance of the cool water.

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It's mom time now -- egret

Mom egret gets a few minutes for personal grooming while the chick is satisfied and not hungry for the moment.
You can just barely see the chick through the branches to the right of mom.  They get to spend a lot of
time together in these younger days.  This is old shot form a couple years ago in Audubon Park.

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High in the Pecking Order

As I was getting in my car at my in-laws house, this Redheaded Woodpecker slashed by.  He zoomed up to the top of this damaged tree across the street and got to work looking for insects.  Unfortunately, he was pretty far away and was working on the opposite side of the tree out of my line of site.  But slowly I worked my way around to capture this shot.

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Boyhood park brings memories

I would call this image pastoral, but their is no pasture. The shot is from the Bogue Falaya Park in downtown Covington, LA.  The park was a favorite for us as kids.  We would head across the Causeway, from New Orleans -- it was a little bit frightful crossing a 23-mile, two-lane bridge.  The trip was worth it though to splash in the cool waters of the Bogue Falaya River. As you can see the water is deep enough for a boats to skim by.

Covington, Louisiana, Nature

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Hush-hued wall

Ivied, dappled wall at Nuvolari's along Monroe Street in Mandeville.  Bister, sienna, henna, sorrel, russet colors mixed in. It has a look of serenity and repose to me.
--steve buser

Flower fest fills the air

The passions of Spring -- the eagerness of motion, the torque that twists us and transports us away from the cold,  motionlessness of winter.   This day lily greets the morning with a flailing zeal: a sister ready to blossom through her bloom.  Each flower has its own story of life and amour. In Spring, their exhilaration builds to a choir of  color singing  a story of vital longing.
--steve buser