Monday, May 15th, 2017
This week’s theme for the Flickr Macro Monday group is “Into the Woods.” From this week’s instructions:
This week’s theme is one of our Member’s Choice themes that were suggested and voted upon last year. Macro Mondays member Melissa (mjcollins photography) came up with the super idea of going “Into the Woods” to see what you might find there. Here is what Melissa has to say about this theme:
“To be honest, I chose ‘Into the Woods’ for two reasons. One… my daughter was watching the movie ‘Into The Woods’ at the time (HA!) and second, I happen to live in the woods. The woods is a magical place full of interesting light, growth and decay, color, texture and patterns. We tend to see what is only in front of us as we navigate through the trees on a footpath or otherwise. But if we take a closer look, we might discover something we would have simply walked by or stepped over on the journey. Try to find an interesting image in a rotting piece of wood, a single leaf with a fascinating color or texture to it, a splash of light, a colorful mushroom, an isolated flower growing in an unusual place. Get low for a different perspective and enjoy the walk along the way! Good luck! I can’t wait to see what you find when you go into the woods! ♥”
Further info about “Into the Woods” from Melissa and me: Ok. Cool idea, but what if you don’t live in or near the woods? Now what? Do you live in a desert where you have a forest of cactus? Boom. That is your woods. Or do you live in the city? There are parks and public gardens that will offer all you need for the theme. Live on the water in a boat? Well, there’s always next week! Restriction: NO DANDELIONS!
Tip of the Cactus
Whenever I go out into nature with my macro lens, I always find treasure. I never tire of looking for magic and I always find some. The simplest blade of grass yields beauty when studied up close. For the theme of “Into the Woods,” I literally walked across my yard. I am so lucky to live in the Hill Country of Texas. We own the acre lot next door to us that is wooded. The deer love to frolic there and a family of foxes also call it home. There are wildflowers and a great deal of Prickly Pear Cactus. The morning sun illuminates the tip of this cactus plant, just ready to bloom.
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/11 | 1/500 | ISO 400
Cactus Fluff
Of course I captured more than one image on my “Into the Woods” nature walk. This was a different cactus plant that had this fluffy looking growth… I don’t know if it is a bloom or simply part of the plant, but I love the way it looks. There is even a little brown bug hanging out in the bokeh of the fluff to the left which matches the brown detritus of the ground underneath.
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/11 | 1/500 | ISO 400
Creepy Cactus Critters
During my “Into the Woods” nature walk, I moved further into the wooded section and came across another patch of Prickly Pear Cactus in a small clearing. I was actually shooting thistle but when I turned to leave, I saw movement on the back of the cactus. Upon closer inspection, I found these tiny bugs scampering all over each other. The largest of these is maybe 1/2″ in length and I had to Google them to figure out what they are called (my mom helped in this endeavor, thanks mom!!!): Chelinidae Vittiger. They are interesting looking bugs and feed on the sap of the cactus. I took some time watching them and sent my silent gratitude when they lined up nicely in a golden triangle formation.
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/11 | 1/400 | ISO 320
Thanks for looking!
