green

 

Header Challenge:green

July 3, 2013

Today's challenge is green.  It was my pick, and to be honest, I didn't have any clear ideas in mind prior to the selection, but I figured it would be easy for us to find something good in green, whether new or from the archives.  What you see here then is pretty raw.  Last week I spent time with my parents at a time share, and the tinted water on the manicured golf course struck me funny, like it was fake scenery, so I took a picture.  Except for the border and text, the image is SOOC (straight out of the camera).  Oh, and I obviously cropped it to the 16 x 8 format I like to use for my headers. Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

[click on any picture to enlarge... especially the macros]

This one may be a bit overbaked.  I still like it because the color saturation makes it pop!  I didn't pick it for the header because it exceeds reality too much for my taste.

The depth & focal zoom for this carpetball setup is interesting, yes?

It's a nice touch when bloggers give specific names of bugs & stuff, so we'll call this character "Bob."

And this fella is "Todd."

I have little toys decorating my work cubicle.

I like these so much better than the flowers and stuff at other work stations.

The Green Knight and a young admirer.

More green?  Yes, please & tanks.

jumping to conclusions

These are unidentified grasshoppers. If anyone knows more specifics, I would be happy to add that information.

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I like grasshoppers. Usually. This is the first time that I have seen one with a face like what you see on the lighter green hopper. It was singing from a bush, and it let me get very, very close for a nice, macro shot. The chirping sound was pretty, but this character has a face for radio, if you know what I mean.

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The grasshopper in the wood chips looks more like what I have come to expect, but the detailed photo suggests that this one is a slob. Look at all that dirt on him. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

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Both grasshoppers were seen at the Morton Arboretum last Friday.

being still

While I had a few days off, I was able to take the time so slowly meander through my own backyard. It was nice to be able to do that, and not have a pressing need to rush off and do this or that.

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At first glance, there was nothing going on back there, but after lingering long enough, I adjusted to a near stillness and could see that activity abounded.

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This grasshopper is camouflaged so well that I would have normally missed it. I probably would have stayed out there longer, but it was so HOT outside that I could hear my brain sizzling!

grasshopper

Yumpin' yimminee! Look at how this little grasshopper is content to sun himself in a patch of mulch. He was only about an inch (2 cm) long. I took another macro of him, where I tried to get a detailed look at his face. I wanted to show you his simple eyes (ocelli). The facial macro did not come out as clear as I had hoped, but I'll add it below anyway. You'll need to enlarge the photo to see the details.

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Since I wanted to zoom in on a still shot of the face, I asked if I could pick him up, and he did not say no. ;-) Then, I held him close to my mailbox, which has a blue post. That's why the background is a funny shade of blue. He didn't seem to mind being held, which is weird. The picture in the mulch was only a few short hops after the closeup at the mailbox.

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I really like Picasa's option to add text. It is handy for naming species of bug or flowers and identifying sites and landmarks.