Remember to send in your good photos!
Today’s batch comes from reader Rik Gern, who adds a bonus felid. His notes are indented; click on the pictures to make them larger.
I’ve been rummaging through my files to see if I could find some pictures for your Reader’s Wildlife Photos feature. It looks like my tank is also starting to run low; I think I’ve got about half a batch after this, and then I’ll have to start processing some more photos as well as taking more so that I have something to process.
This batch comes from some visits to see my mother in St. Germain, Wisconsin. As you drive farther north the trees get taller and taller, and the first two pictures are of Red Pine trees (Pinus resinosa) which are representative of the region
The woods are so full of interesting lichen, moss and wildflowers that it’s hard to walk a straight line from point a to point b since there’s always a fascinating distraction. I managed to get pictures of Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus). The broad velvety leaves of the Mullein plant are reputed to have medicinal value, but Web MD tells us that more research is needed.
Wisconsin: red pine (Pinus resinosa):
Red pine:
Smooth aster:
More smooth aster:
Mullein:
This part of the Northwoods is riddled with lakes, and I managed to spot some White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata) pads on Alma Lake, but wasn’t fortunate enough to see the flowers in bloom. Maybe next time. No matter though; the pads have their own charm.
I risked life and limb to get the last photo of my mother’s ferocious companion Bella. The local humans think Bella is a house cat (Felus catus domesticus), but don’t tell her that; she’s convinced that she belongs to the genus Panthera!!!
Beautiful Bella!
A very nice set! I see a lot of what I call ‘purple asters’, but that could easily be wrong. But bees love them, and that is what matters.
You may well be right; I just try to figure out the species by doing image searches after the fact and then making a best guess.
Thanks for sharing the beauty of the flora and of the beast!
There’s such a dizzying array of asters, it makes my head spin!
https://www.gardenia.net/compare-plants/asters
I no longer manicure my Japanese-style dry river bed, but let most of the volunteer asters (purple and white) provide food for the bees and other insects. The yard is like a jungle come summer and fall.
Wonderful balm following yesterday’s trauma.
I love these photos! I love the White Water Lily photo and of course, the gorgeous cat.
Lovely photos. “[I]t’s hard to walk a straight line from point a to point b since there’s always a fascinating distraction” – sounds like trying to walk anywhere with WEIT reader Dom when he has his camera with him!
Reminds me of a Japanese garden.
The first photo labeled White Water Lily is Water Shield, Brasenia schreberi.
Oops! Thank you for the correction.
Very striking photos. And the Bella photo and caption made me laugh. Beautiful felid.
Fine pics 😀
Great photos Rik !!!