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Grackle — Long-Tailed Grackle?
This is a common bird, or so it seems to me, in the Austin area. They make quite a bit of noise, and gather in large groups at times, which might be part of why I tend to notice them.
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White-Winged Dove?
I was not sure if this bird was new-to-me, or different from others I had already photographed as I walked around the grounds of the State Capitol in Austin, but I typically shoot first so I can ask questions later. This is a case where I was glad I did… I had half -expected it…
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Mealycup Sage
This flower had incredibly dynamic and striking color that drew the eye whether it was under full sun or braving a heavy drizzle. I got help from Siri as well as Google in identifying this one as it looked like it could be one of several options, but I think the technology and I agreed…
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Apparently I find a lot of weeds attractive…
This doesn’t actually surprise me, given as a kid I complained about pulling the flowers my Dad called weeds from our vegetable garden, but it is kind of funny how many flowers and plants I think are pretty I look up and find listed as weeds. And yes, this is another one. Per Wikipedia: Celosia…
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Calendula, and a discovery, Mary’s Gold = Marigold
Per Wikipedia: Calendula (/kəˈlɛndjuːlə/) is a genus of about 15–20 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae that are often known as marigolds. They are native to southwestern Asia, western Europe, Macaronesia, and the Mediterranean. Other plants known as marigolds include corn marigold, desert marigold, marsh marigold, and plants of the genus Tagetes. The genus name Calendula is a modern Latin diminutive of calendae, meaning…
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Day Lily — Pretty in Pink
This was the only flower of its type, hanging out amid a bunch of other blooms, eye catching for its color and uniqueness. Per Wikipedia: Daylilies have been found growing wild for millennia throughout China, Mongolia, northern India, Korea, and Japan.[10] There are thousand-year-old Chinese paintings showing orange daylilies that are remarkably similar to the flowers that grace…
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Queen Anne’s Lace
Per Wikipedia: Daucus carota, whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird’s nest, bishop’s lace, and Queen Anne’s lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World and was naturalized in the New World. Other interesting bits on the Wikipedia page…
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Zuiderdam in Sydney… Canada
It’s always fun getting a shot of the ship I’m on, added bonus when a local landmark is in the shot.
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Up, in the sky… it’s more than just a contrail…
I spend a lot of my travel time looking down at plants, but I also try and remember to look up, in to the distance and at the sky. Usually when I look at the sky I’m hoping for interesting birds, but this was a fun sight! The brilliant blue sky, with no clouds in…
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Purple Coneflower
From Wikipedia: Echinacea purpurea, the eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, or echinacea, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to parts of eastern North America and present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern and midwestern United States as well…
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Pansy
This beautiful little blossom was tucked away among a huge array of flowers, easy to overlook or miss, just peeking out between the leaves to catch my eye. Per Wikipedia: The garden pansy (Viola × wittrockiana) is a type of polychromatic large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from several species in the section Melanium (“the pansies”) of the genus Viola, particularly V.…
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Canadian Goldenrod
Google Lens identified this plant for me, and Wikipedia tells me: Solidago canadensis, known as Canada goldenrod or Canadian goldenrod, is an herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae. It is native to northeastern and north-central North America and often forms colonies of upright growing plants, with many small yellow flowers in a branching inflorescence held above the foliage. It is an invasive plant in other…
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Yellow Toadflax
I found a really nice write up about this flower at https://www.tcweed.org/blog/weed-of-the-month-yellow-toadflax where it was the weed of the month… who says weeds can’t be pretty? Yellow Toadflax Origins:Yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) is native to south-central Eurasian region and was introduced to the Americas in the late 1600s for ornamental purposes. Beyond its decorative use,…
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Indian Shot
I saw this pretty flower in a planter with other, more familiar flowers, in Sydney, Canada and snapped a few shots of it so I could learn more later Per Wikipedia: Canna indica, commonly known as Indian shot, African arrowroot, edible canna, purple arrowroot, Sierra Leone arrowroot, is a plant species in the family Cannaceae. It is native to much…
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Recent Sunset among the clouds…
Sunset is always magic, there are some who call the time around Sunset and Sunrise Magic Hour, while others call it Golden Hour – in part for the beautiful, golden colors that fill the sky and dance among the clouds. Whatever you call that time of day, I hope you find some beauty in it,…
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Open yourself to the unexpected and be amazed by what you see…
This weekend I took a scenic detour. I was hoping to see some wildflowers, and I guess I wasn’t the only one. Some birds were flitting around, having fun. Then one took a rest, in the perfect place for me to try and snap a few shots. I love trying to get pictures of birds…