Tag Archives: Photos

A New Crabapple Becomes a Beautiful Tree

May 22, 2022 Troy

One summer day at work, I was told about a crabapple tree that was going to be thrown into the compost because the top had been broken so it wasn’t able to be used for our customer. I asked if I could have it? It was a nice tree and with some care it would likely be just fine. So I brought it home and planted this little crabapple in a perfect spot for us to enjoy. With a little trimming that winter, this new crabapple would be ready to grow into a healthy tree for years to come.

The next spring it leafed out with a few blossoms, but spent more of it’s energy into growing and recovering from being planted. While it was only seven feet tall, we were just excited it survived the winter and was full of leaves. Just keep growing little tree!

When spring arrived the next year, our little crabapple had lots of beautiful, fragrant flowers bringing smiles to our faces. Over the summer, a change for our family would be made. We had decided to move into a different house to fit the needs of our family. One of the hardest parts of that decision was leaving this tree behind. I convinced my wife we could transplant this tree as long as we did it once the leaves had dropped for the season. It had become a healthy and vigorous little tree in a short time and would very likely be able to handle the trauma of being uprooted and replanted. So that’s what we did. That fall, just before this house was sold, a friend came over and we dug this tree out and replanted it at our new house.

The next spring it leafed out once again and began growing. Releaf! Over the next few years our little crabapple had adapted to these new surroundings, continued to grow and provide amazing beauty and fragrance each spring. We couldn’t believe how much it grew each year. Some of those years were cool and wet while others were hot and dry. Yet this tree just kept growing.

Some years there weren’t many blooms to fill the air with its calming aroma, but we enjoyed it still. Our little tree had some challenges during these years but continued to grow and flourish into a mature tree. This spring it put on such an amazing show as it has become a full sized tree reaching over thirty feet in height. We could never have imagined what it would become over almost 20 years its been in our lives. What a special gift for us!

Troy's Blog, Wildflowers

Prairie Blooms

May 8, 2022 Troy

Early April and the landscape still appears to be in winter hibernation on a rare warm early spring day. Will spring come this year, people are beginning to wonder with cold and snow still in the forecast? There’s a lot to do but on this beautiful afternoon but I decide to head to a park and see if there’s any signs of this elusive spring – maybe some colorful mushrooms, migrating birds, or an early spring blossom out on the prairie. Loading my camera into the car I head to a place where Pasque Flowers bloomed last year. If there’s any sign of spring, these will be it. At least much of the snow has disappeared and ice covered lakes are starting to thaw. Spring has to eventually make it’s annual appearance, right? Exiting my parked vehicle I can see the landscape appears to still be asleep in a winter slumber. Anticipating very little to see I still grab my camera and begin to hike out to where the first spring blooms emerged last year.

Entering the area, I began to walk slowly back and forth looking for any sign of life while getting a few odd looks from others out for a stroll wondering what I may be looking for. Getting closer I could tell some of the grasses where beginning to show some green. The prairie is starting to wake up. Scouting amongst the dried up leaves and stems from a season ago, I eventually saw a pop of color. These must be the Pasque flowers! Getting closer, they were indeed the first flowers freshly opened just inches from the thawing ground. Kneeling down to take some photos I glanced up only to be stared at by a passer by in a very concerned way. They may not have seen the camera and were likely trying to figure out what I was doing. Eventually they continued on their way and I resumed my exploration of these beautiful little flowers. An occasional fly would enter these little purple blooms being one of the only sources of food available. A surprising and successful adventure out on to the Prairie! Yes, spring was on it’s way!

Photos, Seasons, spring, Troy's Blog

The First Flowers of Spring

April 24, 2022 Troy

The calendar says it spring but there have not been that many spring like days so far this year. An occasional warm and sunny day but those have been followed by many cold and windy days bringing freezing temperatures and coatings of snow making it feel like spring has not begun. One early sign is pussywillows beginning to bud out. While out looking for sings of life to show spring was indeed on the way, the only thing I came across was a few bushes of willow beginning to show swelling buds. I’ve tried to photograph these before without much success but that doesn’t stop me from trying. This day was no different with dark, overcast skies keeping birds roosted and other plants still dormant. The only real spring opportunity seemed to be this pussywillow.

I do enjoy seeing these and often remind me of Spring Break trips with the family as they would often begin blooming just as we were preparing for a vacation together and would be well along in the blooming process once we returned. One of subjects I’ve wanted to photograph during those years was the actual flowers of these willow shrubs but really didn’t have an opportunity to do so. This seemed like a good time to attempt such pictures. Cutting a branch from one of these bushes, I took it home and set it up in a vase. Within a day they were beginning to open further and show all of their tiny flowers. Having this branch out of the wind made it possible to really get close up and see more of the details of these blooms.

We’re so use to these being just little balls of white fuzz but there’s a lot more going on as they continue to develop and you can examine them closer. Their little yellow anthers begin to emerge and are quite interesting. There’s not a lot of time as they continue to develop quickly and in a short time begin to release all of their pollen, drying up just a short time later. With fresh blooms you can have a chance to see this process but it will all be over in a short time so don’t forget to keep an eye on them. They are beautiful with more than just fuzzy little white balls. It was nice to finally have a chance to photograph these early spring flowers and capture more of their beauty.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Favorite Photos of 2020

January 30, 2021 Troy

While so many people have wished this past year away with all the turmoil and a global pandemic, I don’t like wishing a year of life away. There were some positive things to enjoy such as a less demanding schedule with many events not being held giving more opportunity to slow the pace down. Many chose to explore parks near them at a rate not seen before. I felt lucky to get out camping a few times during the summer and fall and I know many of you did the same as securing a campsite was more challenging than usual. Sometimes alone and other times with my girls. That is something I absolutely enjoyed and cherished as I know these times are limited. This has been a difficult year to travel to some amazing destinations and photograph them but I still managed to capture some beautiful subjects and scenes. At times I had to focus more on creating the shot instead of going out and capturing a beautiful landscape. Concentrating on micro scenes near me was a way of adapting to the conditions. Something I really enjoy doing. Also, playing with LED lights provided a unique form of photography in these more intimate shots. Here are a few of my favorites of 2020 beginning in the top left corner and proceeding clockwise:

The great conjecture of 2020 with Jupiter and four of its moons near Saturn. The skies cleared briefly as these two planets appeared next to each other in the evening sky shortly after sunset.

It just doesn’t seem right to have a compilation of photos without including a snowflake in the mix. Each one is unique and interesting to examine in detail. You can see more here: http://monopolytraveler.com/enjoying-more-snowflakes/

Lightning crawling across the sky. There were a couple of fantastic storms producing incredible lightning this past summer. They provided for some amazing views and a few opportunities for pictures. A couple of them can be found on this post: http://monopolytraveler.com/stormy-nights/

Orchids lit up. Early spring can sometimes be a challenge to find interesting subjects to photograph as the snow melts but plants haven’t emerged yet. Fortunately I had an orchid in full bloom and decided to play around with some lighting options. Check them out here http://monopolytraveler.com/lighting-up-orchids/

Coming across coyote pups. While on the hunt for early blooming native orchids I found myself in the middle of a den of young coyotes. It was a lot of fun and at the same time kept me on alert. Here’s that story: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-spring-afternoon-surprise/

Spring blooms in the morning sunlight. Hungry for distractions from the pandemic, early flowers began to bloom providing an opportunity to work on some macro photography outside. More of those are here: http://monopolytraveler.com/early-spring-flowers/

Ladybug taking a sip. Some of my plants produced a few blooms during early spring before much was growing outdoors so I setup a flower using water to work on photographing reflections. A ladybug happened to be climbing on one of my plants so I moved it to my scene creating more interest in the pictures. The story can be read here: http://monopolytraveler.com/experimenting-with-composition/

Fall colors in Northern Minnesota. While spending a week on the North Shore of Minnesota with my wife, the colors rapidly changed making for some beautiful views. http://monopolytraveler.com/fall-colors-in-northern-minnesota/

Checking out the campsite. A common site when camping in the upper Midwest are camp squirrels. They’re so cute how could I not spend a little time photographing them?

Under the stars. One of the best places I’ve been to see the night sky is in Northwestern Minnesota. I couldn’t believe how dark it is bringing out more stars than imaginable. It was so much fun outlasting the mosquitoes to capture the Milkyway. For more you can read it here: http://monopolytraveler.com/stargazing/

And winter returns. The day before I came across these bloodroot plants ready to bloom and then a late snow storm arrived just in time for Easter to cover them in snow. These early spring flowers make for some fun photos with fresh snow. More pictures available here: http://monopolytraveler.com/and-winter-returns/

Multiple seasons. The first goal here was to take a few Senior photos as my youngest daughter is preparing for her final year of school. Unfortunately the setting sun went under the clouds making the session a bust. As spring approached I came up with a new idea and wanted to see what a photograph containing winter and summer together would look like. Here’s that post: http://monopolytraveler.com/multiple-seasons/

Anther abstract. Another of my photos from the spring blooms in the morning sun outing. I liked this abstract view of a Hellebore flower with anthers covered in pollen.

A moody Lake Superior under fall leaves. Waves crashing against the hardened granite lining the shores of Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota as the wind howled brought some great water spouts and sounds. If not set to travel for the day it would have been fun to watch as these waves provided some great displays. The stories here: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-moody-lake-superior/

Quiet sunrise. After spending much of the night under the stars in Northwestern Minnesota, I stuck around to watch one of the first sunrises of the summer. A little morning fog and no wind made for a beautiful and peaceful sunrise for my last morning at Hayes Lake State Park.

Finally an opportunity to photograph an otter. For the past couple of years I’ve been in search of otters to capture with the camera. While out to watch the sunrise one came from behind me and eventually came up to see what I was doing. What an unexpected treat!

The center photo is my daughter who’s about to graduate from high school. I have several of her senior photos that I really like but kept it to one on this collage.

It was challenging to keep it to these pictures. Many of them are in posts from 2020 while others haven’t made it there yet. Maybe early this year a few stories with these photos will show up. Please enjoy these photos as there will be a whole new set of them in 2021. The collage is included below as pictures may be cropped in the top picture.

Birds, Troy's Blog, wildlife

Hummers Are on the Move

September 27, 2020 Troy

For the first time I decided to hang a hummingbird feeder out for the full summer. After watching a hummingbird nest nearby a few summers ago, I wanted to see if they were in the area in higher numbers than I thought. As the summer progresses I would get some birds stopping at the feeder everyday for some wildlife enjoyment. Lately though there have been a fairly constant stream of birds at the feeder. Migration south is underway. They would each take turns though, never more than one at a time. If there was a hummingbird near and another another one flew up, it would be chased away by the first. Maybe that was the local birds defending their food source from those that had migrated.

With all of this activity I decided to spend some time with the camera trying to capture these speedy little birds. At first they were nervous and kept their distance, but soon they returned to grab nectar, as I snapped away. They are certainly entertaining birds, many which are not very shy. I had plants nearby and on several occasions while checking the watering needs of these plants, a hummingbird would buzz by and perch on a small branch watching me. Stopping to enjoy a close encounter and view of a hummingbird, I watched them also, studying their movements and actions. Fear does not seem to be a part of their personalities. Probably because they can outfly almost anything with their speed and aerial maneuvers. Sadly they are likely close to moving on rendering the feeder quiet once again. I’ll miss looking outside and watching them when they’re gone. For the moment it’s fun to see though.

Exploring, Photos, spring, wildlife

An Early Spring Day

April 12, 2020 Troy

With many people taking shelter in theirs homes, the need to get outside for a little change is needed more and more. Fortunately getting out for a walk is encouraged when possible causing parks to be very popular places now. I’ve been able to explore a few places nearby on weekends and I’ve never seen these places so busy. Parking lots are full beyond capacity and signs of people out in nature are visible on many trails with napkins or tissues littering the ground. Whether it’s intentional or accidental I’m not sure. Wildlife must be a little confused on why their normally quiet places are now over run with people out wondering through. Hopefully they can still manage to find calm places as they prepare to raise their newborns soon. While joining these people out visiting nature, I’m reminded of why spring is such a great time of year to view wildlife.

Typically things become a lot more active as birds are migrating north and other creatures are emerging from hibernation. In addition leaves have not yet sprouted making them easier to locate. You can almost see these creatures enjoying a beautiful day taking in the suns rays finally warming up after enduring many cold months. While perched next to my car trying to find a little warmth myself on this cold morning, it was 19 degrees when I arrived, I noticed a large bird take off from a dead tree that I hadn’t noticed before. It flew a short distance and landed on the ground acting kind of like a Northern Harrier Hawk to me. A few minutes later it lifted from the ground returning to its form perch. By this time I had the camera pointed towards it capturing a photo of it landing again. When I went to view this picture on the camera screen I was surprised to identify this bird as a juvenile Eagle. Another surprise when viewing this picture was that another Eagle was also perched in this tree on a branch below.

Watching these Eagles for awhile became less interesting as they just stood their doing what appeared to be a whole lot of nothing. After awhile I caught movement in the sky above me which turned out to be an adult Eagle. I focused the camera on this Eagle in the sky and watched as it approached these two young birds. With appeared as though it wanted to land on this same tree which seemed a bit strange to me as Eagles tend not to want to be that close to other birds during the spring and summer. With only a quiet sound it came in for a landing and the two juvenile Eagles took off. Almost as if the adult was telling the young ones to get out and do something you lazy birds. They began flying around circling the adult a few times and then disappeared. As I continued my drive a little while later, I found these two lazy birds perched in another tree away from where the adult was. It brought a smile to my face thinking that Eagles have to motivate their young from time to time also.

Earlier in the morning I stopped to explore a prairie area looking for the earliest spring blooms of a Pasque flower. It was my goal the week before, along with finding colorful mushrooms, but I did not succeed in locating a plant in bloom as it was a bit too early yet. The trail had some heavy frost on it confirming the cold entering my hands and nose. It was beautiful but not the awe inspiring frosts I’ve seen before. Again I must be too early. No sign of the beautiful Pasque flower even thinking about raising it’s light purple blooms towards the sky. My short hike continued through the prairie without seeing any signs of life but still enjoying all the birds chattering in the trees nearby.

As I continued on my journey through the park I encountered some Sandhill Cranes. These are such fascinating birds to me and I just love watching and listening to them whenever there’s a chance. During the fall migrations through this same area there will be thousands of these birds congregating together but now they mostly stay in pairs warning other cranes this is their territory at the moment. My first indication that other cranes where flying nearby was the head raising squawks of those on the ground I was watching. Fortunately I was able to capture such a moment as two Sandhill Cranes were crossing the road in front of me.

Those cranes continued on into the nearby wetlands where they’re commonly found pecking here and there at what must have been things to eat. They made a wide circle around me eventually continuing on to wherever it was they wanted to go. Meanwhile I just stood next to my car glancing now and then in their direction and occasionally lifting my camera to capture a shot. My goal is to disturb wildlife as little as possible so I try not to chase after them attempting to get a better picture. I would rather miss a shot and let the animal stay calm when possible. Patience is often rewarded as these cranes paused in some nice sunlight allowing me to grab a few photos of them before they moved on. I could have stayed here all day just watching and listening as the animals continue to meander around.

spring, Troy's Blog

First Signs of Spring

April 4, 2020 Troy

I’ve heard, from people who make Maple Syrup, that as the season for collecting sap from Maple trees comes to an end the colorful mushrooms begin to emerge. I decided to go hunting for them to see what they look like. And hopefully come across a few other interesting pieces of nature. After walking a few miles and watching a couple of migrating ducks I spotted some red mushrooms hiding in the forest floor. Actually, wild Turkey’s uncovered one for me. Walking through the woods a flock of Turkey’s surprised me. As turkey’s do, they quickly ran over a hill and out of site. Once I reached the area they were scratching at when I first saw them, there was one of these red mushrooms attached to a stick which had recently been uncovered. Once the first one was spotted, it became easier to find others. As long as I was wondering around Maple trees I could usually find at least a couple of these Scarlet Cup mushrooms hiding amongst the fallen leaves.

At one point, there were an abundance of them so I began to collect some of the nicer looking ones and set them on a white shelf mushroom as you can see above. It seemed like a more interesting picture than attempting to capture their orange-red color clinging to the ground like in the photo below. Once I was done taking pictures of the Scarlet Cups, I returned them to their places among the forest floor. A nice success and sign of spring as many of the other signs seemed to be still hibernating.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Favorite Photos of 2019

January 26, 2020 Troy

Some of the pictures are cut off in the collage above so I also put it below.

Just a quick directory of these pictures from the past year going clockwise from the top left:

Two Lessor Yellowlegs battling for a spot on this fallen log. These were in an area that I’ve never seen them before as this was a pond recently drained exposing valuable shore for these birds to feed on. Check out the post here: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-may-morning-watching-migrating-birds/

A single snowflake. I photographed several in 2019 and had a difficult time choosing a favorite as they are all unique and interesting to me. You can see more here: http://monopolytraveler.com/snowflakes-are-amazing/

The Utah Landscape. Beautiful red rock formations set against a white capped mountain background under a blue sky. What’s not to love about it? http://monopolytraveler.com/pictures-from-the-traila-beautiful-utah-landscape/

Nighttime at Split Rock Lighthouse. A full moon ruined a sky full of visible stars on this cold late spring night. I’m thankful for that as I think it’s a much better photo with the moonlight highlighting the lighthouse and shoreline with stars still shining above. Article still coming but you can see some similar photos here: http://monopolytraveler.com/splitrock-lighthouse-state-park/

Hiking under the rising sun. The light peering through the forest shines nicely on ferns and dogwoods blanketing the ground as we follow the narrow trail winding carefully around them. http://monopolytraveler.com/isle-royalefrom-feldtmann-lake-to-siskitwit-bay/

Purple Lupines in full bloom. Such vibrant colors dominating this picture brings such great memories of springtime.

Utah under the great blue sky. Another photo capturing the amazing scenery Utah is well known for. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-to-moab-and-the-first-trail/

Pink Ladyslippers. I got a chance to see these twice in 2019. Once in June in Northern Minnesota and again in July on Isle Royale. I’ve never seen them before. What a beautiful orchid! Not yet written about. Here’s an article from where the photo was taken though: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-return-to-isle-royale/

A Foggy Sunrise. There wasn’t a lot special about this sunrise as night became day and there wasn’t anything that stood out about the landscape but add some fog hovering near the ground and you get an amazing picture. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-the-shota-beautiful-foggy-sunrise/

Moose Bath. The opportunity to watch a full grown bull moose trample through the water was a great experience. And don’t I have a story to tell so stay tuned for that in 2020. For now here’s some of the wildlife spotted during this same trip: http://monopolytraveler.com/independence-day-on-isle-royale/

Stars over Double Arch. A highlight for me was to see Double Arch in Arches National Park. I was blown away at how incredible it is in person and to climb around under with the stars shining bright above was pretty incredible. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-the-shotdouble-arch/

An Early Morning in the Boundary Waters. The fog once again made this picture. It diffused the sunrise creating some amazing colors reflecting off of the smooth water surrounding this little island. A restoration of inspiration for me. You can see more about this particular morning here: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-sunrise-worth-waking-up-for/. There’s a post about this photo in the works for 2020.

Sitting among the Shore. I just love the two people sitting on a log next to the water enjoying a calm morning. It helps that one of them is my daughter and the other one of my cousins sharing a life adventure. http://monopolytraveler.com/independence-day-on-isle-royale/

There are a lot of other photographs I could have added from the past year but these where definitely at the top of my list. I hope you enjoy them as well. Most of them have appeared in my posts or will soon if you want to read more about them.

Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

Capturing a Little Bit of Spring

May 20, 2018 Troy

Unfortunately there has been limited time available to go exploring with the camera while spring explodes all around us but I have taken a few opportunities to enjoy the landscape as it returns to life. Above is a purple and white bicolor wild violet. Below are oak tree flowers.

Bringing some very enjoyable sweet fragrances are the blooms of crabapple trees and hyacinths. They don’t last very long but sure do bring a smile to many with their pleasurable smell bringing great springtime moments.

Photos, Sunsets, Troy's Blog

November Brings Beautiful Sunsets to the North

November 30, 2017 Troy

Temperatures begin to plummet and all that is living becomes brown and lifeless to the north in November. There begins to be less motivation to go out and enjoy the great outdoors in the cold without much to see at this time of year in Minnesota, however, there is one sight worth dressing up for the cold to see and that is sunrises and sunsets. We’ve had some spectacular days of both of these as November comes to a close. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to photograph many of these due to extra time at work but I’ve at least been able to spare a moment or two watching silently as the incredible colors begin to move across the sky. These photos may seem touched up but they are anything but. They are straight out of the camera so are as the camera interpreted them at that time. Sunsets and sunrises are just that colorful and vibrant at times in the fall months of the year.

At this time of year, with the sun so low in the sky, the show doesn’t end with this yellow source of light going below the horizon. In fact often it is just beginning! I did a post about this a year ago if you want to see how our fall sunsets progress. For sunrises the progression is reversed with the amazing rainbow of colors splashing across the sky ending with the sun rising above the horizon. In November it can begin about 45 minutes before the sunrise or end about 45 minutes after it sets in the afternoon. Yes, here it is still afternoon when the sun sets around 4:30 pm. One of the reasons for these colorful sky paintings has to do with having at least some clouds much of the time which reflect some of the suns light as it fades into night along with the low position of the sun in the sky. This happens quite quickly when we’re fortunate to have the right conditions so once the show begins it doesn’t last long.

Gaining Life Experience