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Tuesday 23 August 2011

Vibrant Nature - Thematic Photography

This is the second week in a row that I have set out to take photos to match the theme. At this time in the summer there is a lot of vibrancy to be seen in nature. Here are some things that caught my eye within three miles of my home.

The air was full of house martins and swallows and it seems that they are practicing for the departure for the warmth of Africa.

Swallows/House Martins on telelephone wires
Above them stretch high voltage power lines; how they miss them in flight remains a mystery to me.

The haws and sloes light up the hedgerows wherever you look.

Haws on a hawthorn hedge
Sloes
If nothing else a bottle of sloe gin should ensure you feel vibrant.

Farmyard Cow
She certainly was making her feelings known and no - she hasn't swallowed the fence.

Lesser Burdock
The burdock in a roadside verge has picked a spot where its burrs will get picked up by man or beast and deposited elsewhere for next year's vibrant plant.

Common Knapweed
Here the knapweed has atrracted a hoverfly and a battered Meadow Brown butterfly. Below an even more battered Comma.

Comma on knapweed
But there is now danger of mistaking this vibrant butterfly.

Peacock butterfly
This one however as had a rough time somewhere even if his colours are not dimmed.

Peacock with damaged wings
This intruder from abroad has taken over whole swathes of hedgerows with a mass of vibrant shades of pink.

Indian Balsam
This yellow flower may have a common name but farmers are meant to destroy it on their fields as it poisons cattle. It thrives however in hedgerows and on uncultivated land. Bees and hoverflys love it and help to maitain its vibrancy.

Ragworth
Coming full circle on my tour it's back to the vibrant power of the sun and that created by man.

Power Pylon
But let's not forget the energy stored in the crops beneath the high voltage power lines.

Wheat field
For further injections of vibrancy don't forget to visit Carmi's Thematic Photographic 159

15 comments:

L. D. said...

All of your photos are great. I really do like the peacock butterfly. We don't have them over here and they are so colorful. You have some very interesting, well taken photos.

Little Nell said...

I enjoyed all your vibrant pictures as usual Bob, especially the cow swallowing the fence! For some reason the hedgerow berries seemed to hint of autumn, but I may be getting ahead of myself, as it’s difficult to gauge over here.

Alfandi said...

nice..I love those wildflowers and butterflies..

Max Sartin said...

Finally! I know why sloe gin is called sloe gin. I just assumed that it had something to do with a slow fermenting process. Yeah, I was young and had a little sloe gin to drink at the time.
The butterfly pictures are awesome too!

21 Wits said...

Oh these are all lovely and so vibrantly right on...especially that last sky...but old Bessie the cow, (sorry I had to name her) is just the cutest ever!

21 Wits said...

Yes! I can't believe it, I didn't think my comment would go through, and I gave it a try again and viola! It worked! ;) I hope this contines!

carmilevy said...

You can get carried away anytime: These are phenomenal!

The last pic is absolutely sublime. The composition just does it for me!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bob .. great photos and comments - and I love being reminded of the plants' and insects' names .. the cow I do know!! Such rural settings - well not the power lines ...

Cheers - Hilary

21 Wits said...

Bob I've given you an award! You can collect it here!

http://twincitiesblather.blogspot.com/2011/08/thanks-bethe-for-my-irresistibly-sweet.html

Bob Scotney said...

Thanks Karen for the award. I shall have to thing about it for a day or two before I collect and post according to the 'Rules.'
Irrestibly Sweet! That can't be me!!

Barbara said...

What a great set of shots! All of them! I really like the bright blue and vibrant white of the clouds in the last shot. Oh, and the "cow eating the fence" is one of those compositions that you just can't throw away!

Rosalind Adam said...

My favourite is the birds on the wires. The way those lines criss-cross gives it an abstract art feel. Brilliant.

Altax said...

Lovely pictures and awesome photography.
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Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

All your photos are so wonderful! I am drawn to the telephone lines though. Great job, and thanks for sharing them with us, Bob.

Kathy M.

Anonymous said...

The peacock butterfly is a painted beauty! That last shot, though, of the power lines sweeping across the wheat field? Brilliant.