"Out & About" Photo Blog: On the Path & In the Garden <br /> November 23rd, 2012

Photographers often say, in many articles I've read, that November is a quiet month for them. Not much to shoot. It can be a slow month, as we wait for snow to add to the landscape, but you can find subjects in any month if you're interested in nature.

The reason I enjoy my walk on the path so much is to see how things change through the seasons, and how on any given day, small surprises may await me. Even a big one now & then. No big ones today but a few small ones...

This was from a couple days ago... I think it's the same Barred Owl that Jane & I saw a couple weeks ago. A few of our neighbors have seen him in the last week too. He's a treat since it's so seldom that we see one.

This time he was just across the street, on the path, on a small, scraggly tree, about 15 feet off the ground, and only 40 ft or so from us. We watched him for a few minutes and since he wasn't going anywhere, we continued slowly towards him up the path.

He didn't flinch... just looked around, and occasionally at us. We were about 15 ft from him before he flew off. The only reason he finally left was a guy walking a couple dogs was coming down the path.

This is same fungus as in my last post but in much better light.

The sun slipped behind a cloud so I took this shot and left.

The ditches along our roads, and in this case the path (the path is an old railway bed), are perfect seed-catchers, so there's a huge variety of plants in any ditch.

I don't remember seeing this before. I call it "smoke grass" since it has a similar look to a Smoke Tree from a distance. As you look closer, there are 1000s of tiny seeds on it, which I think is what gives it the smokey look.

This Milkweed is at the start of the path so it's handy if I want to keep an eye on it... great light.

An unknown with nice color and some now-twisted leaves.
Update: John Foster ID'd this as Late Goldenrod.

More ditch plants...

I call this one "Pearl Weed". It has tiny, white, rock-hard seeds. They're only about the size of this "o".
Update: Doug Lockrey ID'd it as Gromwell, aka Stoneweed.

The moon doesn't get nearly the attention in the daytime that it does at night, but it's a pretty sight night or day.

Light makes all the difference with some images. Without the 'golden-hour' light, this would be a very ordinary shot. When you click on this image, you'll find that's it's a bigger version than usual. It loses too much at smaller sizes.

In winter in the woods, I often think of Robert Frost's line... "the woods fill up with snow". This time of year they fill up with autumn leaves. They're still dry enough that you get that soft crunch underfoot. Love it.

It's odd how some trees break into 'blocks' as they decompose. I'm guessing it's along the rays that radiate from the trunk's center. But only some trees do it. Why?

A jumble, but a pretty one I think. It's 'good' old Dog-Strangling Vine again.

It stands out this time of year, draped over branches, and twisted around trunks and pretty much anything else that's in its path.

The odd leaf still hangs on to their respective trees in the background.

And some garden shots... a last look at summer.

The Stone family kids in better light.

We had the sprinkler on and late afternoon sun came streaming though it.

Weigela bush & Forget-Me-Nots.

I love the yellows & greens of Hostas in the fall.

Cupid, clutching a Dove.

Our neighbor's cat ("Mini") spends 'half' her life in our yard... either watching birds like she is here, or hunting them. Chipmunks & squirrels have to watch out for her too. She seldom catches anything though.