Canadian Thistle

I had to post this to show "Salty" that on rare occasion I do photograph other things than whitetail deer, or elk. Actually I like all types of nature photography and think that few things look better than a good close shot of a flower. Many consider this a noxious weed and it is a problem for sure when it becomes established in a field that is being crop farmed . I think though that it also is an attractive photographic subject both in summer when it is blooming and in autumn when its' life is ended and its seeds have been cast to the wind.

Canadian Thistle

The Photo Shoot

Here are some shots from the family photo shoot on Saturday. I couldn't get my creative juices to flowing so I settled for taking some snapshots of the action.

"Salty" shows "Mrs. Salty" how to run the 30D

Two Bloggers in action while "Mrs Salty" and Justin look on

ASH and her Canon S2

Chad Oneil and "Salty's" 30D

It was interesting to see how creative the young folks are!

Whitetail Deer Close-Up Nursing

Button Buck Still Nursing In Early Autumn

Doe Turns And Walks Away

For a time we leave the subject of Elk and take a close-up look at the Whitetail Deer. I am fortunate in that I am able to observe these animals each day as they go about their lives. I am totally accepted by this extended family group of Whitetails. They know that the man that carries that set of sticks around with the object on top of them is harmless and so they permit me to view them, as few are able to see deer

The young deer, known as fawns, mostly feed on plant growth in autumn, but the does still permit them to nurse occasionally. They usually will not stand still long and turn and walk away from the young animal.

Shedding of The Velvet

Whitetail bucks begin growing antlers in March but they do not reach substantial size until late May or early June. Antlers are covered with a soft velvet coating, which contains a network of blood vessels to nourish the underlying bony structure.

By August, the antlers are fully grown and the velvet dries, cracks, and eventually comes off in strips. The animals usually hasten the process by aggressively rubbing trees and shrubs. In Pennsylvania many bucks lose the velvet in late August or early September.

The bucks above were photographed in Shenandoah National Park on August 28^th. Usually the larger bucks lose the velvet first, but in this instance the opposite is true.

This small Pennsylvania buck which I am able to observe on a regular basis still had velvet on September 14^th, but on the morning of the 16^th it was mostly gone. As you can see it is quite a bloody affair when the velvet first comes off.