learning to see again; also, moon rainbows

Just another day in paradise. There’s not a lot of color to behold, but there’s plenty to see.

Today’s adventure in the woods comes to you courtesy of the new Nikon. How to compose shots is an entirely new game with this camera. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Oooh, look! A blonde!

The beech leaves are getting pretty pale – a far cry from their recent coppery sheen. Soon, they’ll be thinking about falling off and making way for spring’s crop.

Fun with focusing.

OK, enough playing with aperture settings. Move on.

This choke cherry has had several years in which many buds open only to immediately start next year’s bud.

But this past year it finally got into the swing of things.

And then I got distracted by ice puddles in the grass.

Two points if you spot the birch seeds. One point for every ash seed.

Man, I’m loving the patterns!

Here’s an old friend:

Thimbleweed – tall anemone. Its brains long ago exploded and all we’re left with is fuzzy fluff.

Witch hazel apparently has NOTHING to report. Aren’t they supposed to be blooming this time of year? Or something? I forget. They do something weird, off-cycle from everyone else. I believe last milestone was in October, and I missed it then, too. Hm.

The brook’s freezing up. This is downstream.

And upstream.

Down by the mail box, next to the baffle in the culvert that aims to limit the beavers’ concupiscence. Points for a long word! Actually, that’s not quite the right word, but we’ll let it stand for now.

Cattail, of course.

Remember this? Sensitive fern’s spore stalk.

AND NOW!!! THIS is a moonspot, much like a sun spot. It’s a section of moon rainbow. The full moon is off-camera, to the left.