A Computer Disaster-I Would Rather Be Photographing Than Dealing With This!

During the past week there were some very beautiful, dramatic lighting conditions interspersed with the mostly gray, overcast skies. I used the Canon 3-D with 17-40mm lens and a circular polarizer on both of these scenic shots.

Late Evening After A Brief Shower

Dramatic Clouds As Cold Front Passes

Unfortunately my experience with the hardware side of video production and photography has been a lot like the weather lately with a lot of problems interspersed with the few periods that things work as expected.

I was editing video last evening and left to do something else for a period of time, so I put the computer in sleep mode. I could recover from sleep mode with my Windows XP editing computer, but this was a new Dell XPS 9000 with the Windows 7 operating system. Two of the external drives were powered up. When I returned the computer would not awaken from sleep mode, so I had to do a hard shut-down by depressing and holding the power switch in.

When the computer rebooted, I tried to open a project, but got a message that the media could not be found. Long story short-both drives were hopelessly corrupted and could not be accessed (each were 2 terabyte drives about with one being 50% full and the other about 75% so there was a tremendous data loss) I tried drive rescue software to no avail. The drives had to be reformatted and all of the material must be recaptured. This is a daunting task as it involves somewhere around 100 tapes to get back to a minimal acceptable level of operation, and one must be there to start and stop the process of capturing each tape.

I love to edit video, but it is hard work and I sometimes wonder if it is worth the hassle. I am still shooting tape and each one must be captured to a hard drive. This is real time capture. It takes one hour to capture a one hour tape, with other time needed to set up the capture process. I had all of the wildlife footage I have taken since the beginning of 2007 on three external hard drives, which are always attached to the computer. Luckily one of the drives was not attached and a portion of another was backed up to another drive, but still it is a mind boggling amount of work to face.

Camera Critters: Summer Whitetails-The King

After a solid string of posts featuring the "Eastern Wild Turkey, we dig into the archives for some shots of mature whitetail bucks from the past.

The first and last photographs were taken at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park in 2004. These photos (with the exception of the 2nd) were taken with a Canon 10-D, which was my first DSLR, and the Canon 100-400mm L zoom.

Mature 10-Point: 2004

I photographed the buck below for the first time in the autumn of 1999 when he was already a mature, beautiful eight-point.

He was the most commonly seen buck at Big Meadows for several years. Billie Cromwell looked at his photograph and said "He looks like a King surveying his domain", so I named him "King". While he was not the largest buck I saw there, he became like an old friend and I learned a lot about whitetail behavior by observing and photographing him over the years.

King in 1999: Rebel X Sigma 170-500mm: Negative film scanned to Photo CD by Kodak

He did get somewhat larger than the photo above, attaining either ten or eleven points at one time. By 2004 he was going down hill, but was still a beautiful buck. If I recall correctly, I saw him for the last time during the rut of 2006 when he had lost most of his antler mass and had a decidedly "geriatric" appearance.

King in 2004

For more Camera Critters Photos, click Here!

Camera Critters: Bitter Cold

When the bottom drops out of the thermometer, the creatures of the great outdoors face a bitter struggle for survival. This is a time of year that is especially difficult for the very young and the old. In some years there is a significant die-off of whitetail deer in our area. Recent winters have been relatively mild with little mortality, but this one has the potential to cause problems if the cold continues and heavy snowfalls follow.

The Young Are Especially Vulnerable

While deer avoid the bright sun as much as possible in mid-day during warm weather, they prefer sunny spots, which are sheltered from the wind in winter. Deer also may fluff their hair to give it greater insulating quality.

Adult Doe Fighting The Cold

For more Camera Critters photographs, click Here.

Camera Critters: Whitetail Deer-The Antlers Are Shed

Whitetail bucks shed their antlers each year after the rut. The buck featured in Wednesday's post still had both antlers as of Thursday morning. I was unable to check on the deer that evening, but when I arrived on Friday morning, I found that he had shed the largest antler.

It seems that the smaller bucks in this area usually shed during Christmas week or somewhat later, with the largest often being among the last to shed. I have seen bucks with antlers in early to mid-February and have heard of them still having antlers in early April, but it seems that most have lost them by mid-February.

I arrived shortly before dawn this morning and is it began to break day, the buck arrived and I could plainly see that he still had one antler. Within ten minutes it became light enough that I decided to set the cameras up and as I was doing so, I was astonished to notice that he now had no antlers at all.


An even closer inspection revealed the raw pedicel where the antler is attached to the skull. Had I been paying closer attention it is possible that I could have seen the antler fall off.

Stay tuned for the next post when we search for the shed antler.

For more Camera Critters photographs, click Here!

Sky Watch Friday-A Cold Front Brings Dramatic Skies

The passing of a cold front brought dramatic skies to our area one afternoon during the past week. There were brief sunny spells, interspersed with periods of dark clouds, strong winds and rain showers.

At one point there was a stunning rainbow appeared. During it all, the deer grazed peacefully, oblivious to the beautiful surroundings. Their only concerns are feeding, mating, and escaping any danger which may present itself.


For more sky photos click here.

Death At Dawn

I was a little later than usual heading out to look for deer on Sunday morning. Shortly after dawn I was driving down a narrow, winding back road when I say a hawk come fluttering to the ground through the forest canopy, and grab an unfortunate rabbit.

I stopped immediately. Ordinarily these bird fly from the near presence of a vehicle, but this one was determined to not leave his prey. I took some shots through the windshield of the vehicle, but they were not sharp.

Could I possibly get out of the vehicle and have clear shooting? Nothing ventured, nothing gained as the saying goes, so I made sure the camera was set properly and slowly edged the door open and then slid into the v between the door and the Blazer body and began shooting.

I would have liked to have been closer, but there was no way to do so. I cropped the photographs severely to get a reasonably close looking image.

Unbelievably I was also able to get the video tripod from the rear of the vehicle, attach the XL-H1 and get it in action. For a time I let it run while I fired stills with the DSLR.

Canon 30-D: 300mm F4 -1/125 sec, f5.6 ISO 1600

Canon 30-D: 300mm F4 -1/200 sec, f 5.o ISO 1600

The hawk fed on the rabbit until it had consumed enough of it that it was able to fly with the remainder and then went airborne, carrying it away.

One of the most memorable outdoor experiences I have witnessed was over.

These photographs support my answer to a question in a previous post as to why I thought there is a low rabbit population in our area.

Sky Watch Friday-Summer Brings Dramatic Scenic and Flower Photo Opportunities

Canon 30-D: 17mm-40mm F4 at 17mm ISO 200

One of my favorite summer activities is a walk in the backcountry on a clear morning. It is best to be afield before sunrise and in position to catch the sun coming over the mountains. The owner of this area does rent a portion of his farm to a commercial farmer and the foreground of the photograph above is an area that was sprayed in preparation for planting a crop, but for whatever reason, nothing was planted or if it was it did not grow.

The owner is however, a dedicated naturalist and makes certain that a significant portion of his land is undisturbed so that meadow wildflowers may be found in abundance.

I had the 100mm f2.8 macro lens along, but decided to forgo the inconvenience of changing lenses, as the wildflowers I found today were large enough to make pleasing images with the 500mm.

Both are members of the morning glory family and are considered weeds. They are undesirable when they invade ornamentals as they are vines that twist around host plants and "take over" thereby destroying the desired plants.

With that being said, both are beautiful wildflowers and are harmless in an area such as a natural meadow.

Wild Sweet Potato: Canon 30-D-500mmF4 1/400 sec f8 ISO 100

Hedge Bindweed: Canon 30-D- 500mmF4 1/125 sec f 11 ISO 100

A stunning sunset is always a fitting conclusion to a day afield!

Canon 30-D: 17mm-40mm F4 at 27mm 1/200 sec f8 ISO 200

For more sky watch photos visit Sky Watch at its' own website this week. I don't know quite how it works yet and I am posting early so nothing is up yet, but the other sky watcher's photos should be up by mid to late afternoon eastern daylight savings time.

Hummingbirds-Camera Update

My wife loves to feed Hummingbirds and has numerous ones coming to her feeder. She placed some branches on the back deck of our house near the feeders and recently the birds started using them.

I noticed them before the camera broke down and took a few shots. It seems that they are using the branches more and more as time passes, so maybe I'll get more shots when I get a DSLR.

Canon 40D: 100-400mmL at 400mm 1/250 f5.6 ISO 800

Canon 40D: 100-400mmL at 400mm 1/125 f5.6 ISO 400

My luck must be bad, as B&H seldom has a glitch in their ordering system. I received a confirming e-mail, but no shipment notice. I logged into my account and saw that a spare battery I ordered with the camera was shipped on Thursday, but the camera order, which was from the used department, was still in the processing stage. I got the battery today, but not the camera and I Waaaaant a Camera! Waaaaaah, Waaaaaah,Waaaaaah! (Listen to the big baby cry)

I contacted them and was informed that the order didn't print in the used department, but that they would get it out right away with a free upgrade to 2nd day shipping, so hopefully I'll be back in action soon!

Sky Watch Friday-A Cold Front Brings Relief

The passing of a cold front on Tuesday evening, brought a welcome relief from the recent heat and high humidity. Wednesday morning was clear and beautiful with an invigorating tang in the air before warming at mid day.

Canon 40-D: 17-40mmF4L

I have sighted a lot of wildlife lately, but have not had another good opportunity to photography fawns. I did see another doe with a fawn in a wooded area, but had no chance to use the camera. I noticed the chipmunk in the photograph below as I was driving a narrow, winding back road. He ran under the log when I stopped, but I got the camera in position, and he soon returned for a good photo op.

Canon 40-D: 100-400mm L at 365 mm-1/125sec. f5.6 ISO 800

The woodchucks have been frequent visitors to the meadow. The first shot is of the mother, while the second is a juvenile. They have grown quite a bit since the post where the entire family was pictured in one shot.

Canon 40-D: 500mmF4 L -1/350 sec. f5.6 ISO 100

Canon 40-D: 500mmF4 L -1/180 sec. f8 ISO 100

I hope to have more encounters with the fawns soon, but they are the ones that set the agenda and all I can do is to be prepared and try to make the best of the situation when it happens again!

For more sky watch photos visit Tom at Wigger's World

The First Fawn Of The Year

The First Fawn Arrives

Surprisingly the doe I featured in the last post has not yet given birth, but some of the other does in the herd that visits the meadow apparently have. It can be difficult to tell for sure because some of the older does that have had fawns several times before may still appear pregnant if one looks only at the distended abdomen. It is best to look in front of the hips. If that area is sunken and the ribs and other bony structures stand out, it is certain that birth has occurred. The doe in the photo below illustrates this well, but few deer show it to this extent. This deer is eight years old and in good health. She has had one or two fawns each year since 2003 and always looks thin and bony in the summer.

Canon 40D: 100--400mmL at 310mm 1/90 f5.6 ISO 500

She missed coming to the meadow on Thursday evening, but I saw her at a distance and her flanks appeared to be sunken. On Friday evening she brought a fawn to the meadow. I videotaped the fawn nursing at very close range and then went to get the still camera. The deer had moved off some distance when I returned, but I was still able to get a good photograph with the 100-400mm lens.

Canon 40D: 100--400mmL at 400mm 1/250 f5.6 ISO 400

On Saturday morning she came to the meadow without the fawn and stayed a short time. When she left I followed at a discreet distance with the video camera on the tripod and the 40D on my chest with the 300mm lens attached and the 75-200 in my camera bag. The doe went through some thickets and woods along a roadside so I was able to walk in the roadway. Eventually I saw her stop in some thick brush and then I saw a little head bobbing about. I spent the next fifteen minutes or so taking video footage of the fawn feeding.

Eventually they went in to a more open area and I carefully followed behind. At one point I recorded them interacting at close range. Soon I had a satisfactory amount of video so I changed to the DSLR and took several shots with both lenses. Only a few were keepers, as the light was less than ideal in many instances and the animals were continually moving in and out of areas where plant growth interfered with getting a good composition.

Canon 40D: 70-200mmL at 200mm 1/180 f3.5 ISO 500

Canon 40D: 300mm F4 L at 1/180 f4 ISO 500

We were almost back to the meadow by the time the last photos were taken. This is classic whitetail behavior in that the deer did not return to the fawn directly but took a long, looping route to go to it, while it was hidden only a short distance from the meadow if she had walked straight to it.

At this point it is not clear if she has just this fawn or if there are twins. The does hide twins in separate places for the first few weeks after birth to increase their chances of survival. (A coyote or bear would have to find each one in separate encounters, rather than being able to kill both in one instance)

Sky Watch Friday-Wildlife In The Meadow

The weather has been very unsettled lately providing many opportunities for photographing unique cloud formations. I spend most early mornings and late evenings at this time of year at a favorite meadow, which I described in the previous post. I captured these beautiful cumulus clouds as I was leaving the area on last Friday Morning.

Canon 40D: 17-40mmF4L at 17mm 1/750 sec. f8 ISO 100

Late May and early June brings exciting action to the outdoors. The young of many species are born in this time frame. A family of woodchucks made the day on the morning of June 1. I had loaned "Salty" of Country Captures my 100-400mm lens since I seldom used it. He liked it so well that he purchased one recently, so I pressed mine back into service and I am finding that it works much better on the Canon 40D than it did on the 10D. I had found that this lens would not stand up to severe cropping on the 10D while the superb 500mmF4 and the 70-200mm 2.8 would. Salty used the lens on a Canon 30D and it was obvious that this lens performed much better on that camera. I am pleased with the results so far on the 40D. This lens is not as sharp as the 500mmf4, but one misses a lot of opportunities with that lens because of the difficulty of getting it in action unless one is on stand with it mounted on a tripod, waiting for wildlife to appear. The 100-400mm allows one to take the quick shot of a situation that is not going to last.

Canon 40D-100-400mmLF3.5-5.6 1/180sec. f5.6 ISO 400

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first newborn fawns. This is perhaps my favorite doe. She is totally acclimated to me and spends a lot of time feeding near my stand. She is six years old. She had a single fawns for two years, but had a set of twins last year-one a buck and the other a doe. Judging from the size of her distended abdomen I predict that she will have twins again this year, but I may or may not see them. It is common for deer to lose one or all of their fawns due to problems in the birthing process or predation. In this area the most common predators are coyotes and black bears. Does are more likely to lose the fawns at birth following a severe winter as the strain of survival can negatively impact the fawns development. Since it was a mild winter the chances for survival are excellent.

Canon 40D-100-400mmLF3.5-5.6 1/180sec. f5.6 ISO 400

In all likelihood she will give birth in the next few days. This morning I noticed that she did not follow her fawns from last year when they went to the mountain to lie up for the day, but slipped into the brush near a stream. This is a good indication that birthing time is quite near.


I hope to be able to post photographs of the newborn soon, but they do not always co-operate. I have seen fawns within a day of when they were born, but sometimes it is a week or more until they appear. (One can tell birth has occurred by observing the doe closely. If she looks like the doe above one day and appears the next with sunken flanks and a smaller abdomen, one knows the fawns have been born.)

For more Sky Watch photographs visit Tom at Wigger's World

Planting A Meadow For Wildlife

There are likely several approaches that work quite well in planting a meadow for wildlife, but over the years I have adopted an approach which we shall discuss today.

One must have access to land and equipment in order to pursue a project such as this. I use a farm tractor to prepare the land. First it is plowed and then disked to work the soil into suitable condition. At that point I put seed into a broadcast seeder which mounts on the tractor's three point hitch and plant the basic mixture which serves as a cover crop during the first year. After this planting, I then repeat the process using Ladino Clover which will make an excellent forage crop during the second year.

If one has a grain drill, these operations can be combined into one operation, but drills are so expensive as to preclude buying one solely for this purpose. Many use a no-till drill to perform the same function. In this case the land is sprayed with a herbicide which kills the original vegetation and then the ground is seeded with a drill which is able to place the seed into the earth. I have never felt comfortable with this process as I do not like the idea of killing vast amounts of vegetation with chemicals. It doesn't seem that this is best for wildlife or humans either! This approach has taken over much of modern agriculture and is actually pushed as a soil conservation concept. A Plow turns up the soil, leaving no root network, and gives the maximum potential for soil erosion if done improperly. Treating the soil with chemicals leaves the root system intact and thus prevents soil erosion.

My favorite mixture is composed of oats and Essex dwarf rape for cover crop. The oats grow tall and ripen with a head of seeds, which is the same as the light colored seeds in the picture below.
This crop is a favorite food of whitetail deer, turkeys, and many varieties of birds. It usually ripens sometime in July. Essex dwarf rape is the small black seed, it is primarily a forage crop for the whitetails. In an area of low deer population this plant will also develop a seed head in addition to providing forage throughout the winter. A large amount of it will likely re-emerge in the following spring. In an area with a large deer population such as where this is planted, it is mostly eaten by mid-summer.

Essex Dwarf Rape and Oats

Perhaps the key ingredient for my intended use is Ladino Clover which grows in the understory of the grain field during the first year, but turns into a carpet of nutritious grass the following year.

Ladino Clover Seed

Oats and Rape-soon after sprouting. The oats are the long, thin stalks

Ladino Clover in the second year

The above photo shows a meadow, as I like to see it in late spring and early summer. A meadow such as this should host a thriving wildlife and insect community.

The tall plants are thistles. They give my farmer friends nightmares and they can't understand why I don't remove them. The thistles will provide food to bees and butterflies when it blooms and gives superb photo opportunities, but the farmers are correct in their case as these cause problems when they grow in hay or pasture fields. They may also be a problem if they are not controlled in a wildlife meadow. They may become so thick as to kill the grass. I usually implement a judicious mowing policy to keep the thistles and tall grasses under control. It is a delicate balance. If the grass and thistle, are too thick and tall it is impossible to see the wildlife that visits, but a field that is mowed closely provides little food for wildlife and is an unattractive background for photographs as well.

Mixture Planting Information:
Oats: 2 bushel per acre
Essex Dwarf Rape: 2 lbs per acre
Ladino Clover: 8 lbs. per acre
Fertilizer: about 200lbs. per acre

This should be planted from early April through early May if possible to have the best chance of succeeding should the weather turn dry in the summer.

Awards, Goals, and Whitetail Bucks

Awards

Deemom recently awarded me a "You Make My Day Award" and I appreciate it so much!

Try as I might, I cannot bring myself to select five other persons to pass the award on to for the simple reason that each of the blogs that I visit makes my day--some with humor, some with a discussion of issues, some with their love of sharing the events of their daily life, some with superb photography and many with a combination of some or all of these factors along with a desire to impart information on subjects near and dear to their heart.

What stands out most to me as I visit other blogs is how many persons are able to find a great deal of satisfaction in observing and photographing the wildlife (scenics, pets, trips, etc.) they see on a daily basis and then sharing it with others.

I know this isn't following rules, but I must say to all of you whose blogs that I visit or to those that faithfully visit mine,"You Make My Day"!

Goals

This was originally conceived as an issue driven blog with an emphasis on "Big Game" photography and filming. Some view it as an anti-hunting blog. In reality it is neither anti-hunting nor pro-hunting. Those are issues for others pursue, but I do like to view it as challenging persons to take a step back so as to speak and actually stop and take a close look at the wildlife that surrounds us and view it as not just something to harvest, but rather something to enjoy by seeing and appreciating it as well. For the record, I was once an avid hunter, but after spending hours afield observing and recording wildlife I lost interest in hunting as the observation and photography were much more rewarding to me. If one hunts, I feel they should hunt legally and ETHICALLY, bearing in mind that legal and ETHICAL are not always one and the same!

My opposition to Pennsylvania's Elk hunt stems from the fact that we are directing hunting pressure near to the major tourist areas and not away from them as was originally stated when the idea was first floated. We are hunting animals in areas where they are acclimated to humans and calling it a "challenging hunt". (Making these animals wild by harassing them is not the answer either -but so much for that for now).

This stance is not anti-hunting as some have said, but rather opposition to certain policies and how they are implemented.

Antler Development on Whitetail Bucks

Canon 40D-500mmF4 1/250sec. f4 ISO 200

Serious antler growth begins in Mid-May in our area. The buck on the left is a yearling and should grow antlers ranging from short spikes to a modest six or seven-point rack with an 8"-12" inside spread. The buck on the right appears to be two years old and has the potential to grow a larger rack in terms of spread (10"-14"), but is unlikely to grow more than eight points.

Canon 40D-500mmF4 1/60sec. f8 ISO 200

I have never photographed or videotaped a buck of over four-points in May, in Fulton County Pennsylvania as deer here are smaller than those in many other areas. I have videotaped much larger bucks in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia in this time frame.

Canon 40D-500mmF4 1/180 sec. f4.5 ISO 400

The last buck is at least two years old and possibly three. He has the potential to grow a rack of eight points or more with a spread of 12"-16".

Sky Watch Friday: Of May Skies, Flowers and Battles!

Spring Skies, Meadows, and Dogwood Blossoms: A Touch Of History

All of the following photographs were taken near my home in Pennsylvania, but they remind me of great events in Virginia in the 1860s!

A backwoods meadow much like those in The Wilderness

Smaller than The Rapidan, but it reminds me of it!

The Dogwood: Reminiscent to many of Easter

It reminds me of great historical events from the 1860s

Late April and early May brings sunny skies and spring showers. The woodlands and meadows explode with flowers and blossoms as the combination of moisture and warmth sparks a rapid period of growth.

During our Civil War or War Between The States, this period also marked the time that the predominately dirt roads of that period became stable enough for armies to take to the field.

In 1863 and 1864 two great battles were fought just west of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

In both cases the Union Army regrouped from the previous years fighting in the Fredericksburg area and the spring offensive was launched from there.

I mention this today as each year at this time I think back to those happenings. As an avid reader of Civil War History, I came to associate the blooming of the dogwoods and the leafing of the trees with these battles, as many of the accounts of the time give detailed descriptions of the Virginia countryside and they always mention the dogwoods, the leaves, and the calling of the whippoorwill. Although our area is evidently hillier than that part of Virginia there is still a strong resemblance. Surprisingly, I have not visited the area, but am relying on written accounts and current photographs. In the 1860s the wilderness was an area of scrub oak and pine thickets interspersed with small fields. When one was reading the books it was easy to picture the type of terrain, because of the similarity to home, not to mention that the whippoorwill call was frequently heard here back in the 1960s when I started studying the war. It is sad that I haven’t heard one for many years and have no audio recordings of them.

As an aside, The Civil War has always been of particular interest to me, as one realizes that had the been born in that period of time that they would likely have been involved in some of those events and perhaps have died or been seriously injured in them.

The first battle was known as “Chancellorsville”, which ironically was not the name of a town, but rather a crossroads with a large house and most likely some outbuildings, located in a brush overgrown area of Virginia known locally as “The Wilderness”

The Union Army of The Potomac launched its’ offensive on April 27,1863 and came to battle with Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, on May 2nd, in fighting which focused around the crossroads area, with other important action taking place nearby also. The battle ended when The Union Army retreated back across The Rapidan on the night of May 5-6th.

There were about 24,000 persons wounded and killed, with an estimated 1,600 killed in action on each side. The Union Army outnumbered the Southern Army by more than 2-1, but Union Commander General Joseph Hooker was completely outgeneraled by Lee.

One year later, in early May of 1864 The Army of The Potomac commanded by General George G. Meade launched another offensive southward in the same general area.

This time the battle was named “The Wilderness” after the area in general and not a specific spot. Again, the odds were heavily stacked in the Union Army’s favor, but this time there was an important difference. Now the newly appointed commander-in-chief of all of the union forces, Lieutenant General U.S. Grant made his headquarters with the Army of The Potomac and made the important decisions, while Meade dealt with the day to day administrative details of the army.

Grant met every bit as much of a disaster in the Wilderness as Hooker did at Chancellorsville, but he was known for being a determined officer. For the first time a union general did not concede defeat and go back north to rest and refit for the next try. This time there was to be no turning back until the end of the war in 1865, and Grant put the Army of The Potomac on the road south where it was involved in another horrendous battle at Spotsylvania Court House, which began on May 8th.

Total casualties were 18,400 for the Union and 11,400 for the Confederates, with more unbelievable carnage in the days to come, as now there were no pauses to regroup.

Sorry for the historical rant! I'll get back to wildlife issues in the days ahead.

Coltsfoot and Dandelion Compared

Many have mentioned that it is difficult to tell dandelion and coltsfoot apart. Today I had the opportunity to document both plants. I made no effort to try for exceptional composition or lighting. The sole purpose was to demonstrate the differences in the plants.


Coltsfoot is one of the earliest blooming flowers in our area. When it first comes up there are no leaves visible, just the stalk with a flower on the end. Look closely at the stalk and notice that it is not smooth. Later the clusters of large leaves appear around the base of the plant. These usually appear late in the blooming cycle of the plant or after the flower has vanished.

Coltsfoot:Canon 100mmf2.8 macro

Dandelion has smooth stalks and elongated serrated leaves. The flower resembles the coltsfoot at a casual glance, but close inspection reveals a substantial difference. Dandelion begins blooming about the time that the coltsfoot blooms are in decline.

Dandelion: Canon 100mmf2.8 macro