Catching the fleeting scenes of many splendored life
'Look closely. The beautiful may be small' — Kant

25 September 2011

Ducks and Other Pond Inhabitants.

It's hard to imagine a more idyllic scene than a pond with ducks. Thankfully, I have one close to my abode, so I often come here to chill out and take occasional pictures.

'What have you got for me?'

White duck
White duck. (by-nc-nd)

17 September 2011

Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Baby

This summer I've got a good deed under my belt — I saved this cute little red-eared slider baby's life. She had probably strayed from the course for the pond and was lying on the jogging path. I splashed her back to where it belongs, and since she owed me some gratitude for saving her life I thought posing for a couple of shots would be a nice gesture on her part. Easier said than done! Much as I tried to place it on a palm stump, the feisty beast wouldn't stay put and rushed elsewhere at an unusual for a turtle breakneck speed. Anyway, these are the best pictures I managed to take.

Red eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) baby
Red eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) baby.
(© 2012 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

11 September 2011

Pine Cones.

Pine cones (strobilus), namely female cones (megastrobilus, seed cone, or ovulate cone) that produce seeds, are some of Nature's most amazing storage and packaging systems. They are so thoroughly and securely packed that it takes quite an effort to get to pine nuts / kernels. Many animals survive long cold winters thanks to these nutritive seeds. This summer we've gathered a lot of pine cones, and I've already struggled the nuts out, but that's only half the task — the arduous work of cracking the kernels lies ahead.

Half open pine cone
Half open pine cone.
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

5 September 2011

Vegetables and Fruits.

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." (Albert Einstein.)

Well, this one is about food, or better say, about some of my favourite foods.
Needless to say, I'm a born vegetarian although I love fish, but my mum used to force me to eat meat (basically free range organic chicken), when I was a child,  until after years of persuasion I've managed to bring it home to her that it is unethical and unnecessary to kill living creatures for food (to me, it's not very different from cannibalism) or any other reason unless, of course, we are threatened with starvation or in self-defence.

There're plenty of animal products for those who, like me, don't want to follow strict vegetarian diet: eggs, dairy produce, and since fish is beneficial for the health, I wouldn't rule out limited consumption of fish without endangering the species, which is right the opposite to the common practice. However, today I hardly ever eat fish as it's stuffed with heavy metals and would probably do more harm than good. That's progress!

From the artistic point of view, vegetables are a veritable feast for the camera in their own right — they come in a rich palette of colours and shades.

Romanesco broccoli or Roman cauliflower, a flower of the species Brassica oleracea, and is a variant of cauliflower. What I find most amazing about this vegetable is that it's an epitome of fractality — just look at the logarithmic spirals of its buds.

Romanesco broccoli
Romanesco broccoli. (© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)
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