Foto Friday . . . Nature, nothing but beautiful

I seem to be in a state of contemplation lately, well, I guess I should say more than normal, ha!

Spring just does that to me . . .

I spent an entire day at one of my favorite places, Maas Nursery.

For some it's just a place to buy plants,

for me it's a photographic haven, all 8 acres of it. But more than that it is a place that I can

simply enjoy nature at it's best, and yes for hours on end. 

I was deciding what photos to include today and   

this is where my contemplation came in . . .

I love ALL things nature, truly. Anyone who knows me knows I get excited at the

smallest, and some the strangest things and I understand that not everyone has the same

affinity for nature that I do, I am a bit of a nerd that way. There is a lot we will probably agree on that is beautiful, but I think when it comes to creatures somewhere the road splits.

So I was wondering to myself what constitutes beauty in nature? Is it texture, color, shape?

Certainly all of these add to an objects beauty.

So why is it that most find beauty in flowers, a landscape, a sunrise, but have more difficulty with things that have legs. You know, insects, spiders etc. They too come in a lot of textures, colors and shapes.

And I had this thought....

For me, I think the most beautiful thing about nature isn't its aesthetic beauty, but its rhythm, and how it

all works together in harmony. In nature there is no waste, and everything and every action has a purpose.

And sometimes when we have knowledge about something we have a better understanding and are better able to connect to it or at the very least tolerate it. Hopefully to protect it.

And isn't this true of people? If the real beauty of people lives on the inside then maybe the real

beauty of nature resides there too and a little knowledge could change everything.

What if we could change the "ewww factor" to a "WOW"!

I know, I know, but can I get a maybe?

As I was walking around I noticed there were dozens of swallowtails that would keep coming back to a certain plant, but I sure had a hard time getting close. So I decided to just stand there and wait . . .  and my patience paid off. Holy cow, I thought I was going to hyper-ventilate . . . not only did it land right in front of me, but she was laying her eggs, and it was just incredible to watch through my lens!

Of course I had to share with anyone that walked by, lucky them, haha!

[Photo Art Friday]

And here they are, just check out the texture on these!

I had a few stare downs, and I always won. : )

And sometimes things in nature are hard to watch.....

I found a remnant wing from a gulf fritillary . . . you can see where it's missing some scales.

[Photography life - texture]

Check this out -I was working in my garden and noticed the mulch was moving, slowly.  As I looked closer I realized it was a small caterpillar. It's called a looper and they camoflauge themselves by sticking things to their body. He was only about 3/4" long and as I got to watch him as he was sticking more things to himself.

You all know I love my spray bottle, lol! I was out on my front porch looking for spider webs, with my spray

bottle and then noticed this guy, an assasin bug that had gotten in my line of fire. I couldn't resist the water drop bokeh on his legs.....and check out his his mouth parts! They don't call it an assasin bug for nothing - he uses it to stab his prey. I would love to capture that!! They are beneficial to the garden, however I have heard they have a very painful bite!

And I couldn't leave you without a flower . . . a lovely clematis.

[P52- things that grow] [Shoot, edit, submit]

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully,

he can learn more than what is in our books for they speak with the voice of God."

- George Washington Carver

So what constitutes beauty in nature for you?
When and where do you perceive beauty?
And do you do it only when you have time or do you make time?

Have a beautiful weekend!
Love, Kim
XO

P.S. - I really am curious, please share