Nature's beauty, No. 21

Two photos today.
 

Rose stem, thorns, dew drops, spiderwebs, cropped close-up. Love the reflections.
 

Rose stem, thorns, dew drops, spiderwebs, here's the wide shot.

Nature's beauty, No. 20

Looks like the spiderweb has just about completed the webbing for the insects' circus tent, doesn't it?

Nature's beauty, No. 19

Alongside the front windows on the east wing of the Albertina Kerr building is a trimmed hedge--I think it might be some sort of boxwood although I cannot say for sure. I squatted down for a closer look at this dewy little cloud of spiderweb with these tiny branches coming through it. I liked what I saw enough to take a photo and share it with you.

Nature's beauty, No. 17

I certainly would like to know how these dew drops formed as far apart as they did. And what makes them not slide together? Is it the surface tension of the water juxtaposed with the stickiness of the spiderweb? And on that top strand, whatever made those eight larger dew drops form alongside dozens of teensy ones? You can tell the wind blew as I took the photo, but I just had to share it with y'all. Someone may know the answers to my questions! I'm having a blast with these dew and fog photos.

Nature's beauty, No. 16

In this photo, I especially like the juxtaposition of the delicately threaded spiderweb and the robust, fleshy flowers on this shrub. Do you know the Harlequin Glorybower? I'm serious--that is its name. I didn't know that an hour ago, but I used to be a librarian who still believes that research is big time fun. So, I looked and looked on the Internet trying all sorts of search word combos, finally having success at Google Images with this combo--shrub with pink flower blue berries. The sixth photo, top right corner, success! Next I Googled the name and found out all sorts of stuff, including a big surprise. What I thought was a flower is actually a fruit! Described as red calyxes adorned with the fruit, those exotically colored blue berries. I think you will enjoy this post about the Harlequin Glorybower I lucked out and found at a Portland, Oregon, blog titled Random Acts of Gardening.

Nature's beauty, No. 15

So special, the way this spiderweb drapes along the bottom. The scalloped edge makes me think of Belle's yellow ball gown in Beauty and the Beast. And if you'll look closely at the far left of the spiderweb, tell me if you see what I see, please.

A double web? I guess that is what you'd call it. I looked at the image at its largest size and see two distinct upward bound threads. And there's just a bit of a second spider web there, joined to the other one by a couple of threads going across, practically parallel with the ground. I wish I'd noticed this when I took the photo on Sunday, October 20, but by the time I got to taking these, I was so cold--I'd been out there for almost two hours, enjoying the foggy morning. Thankful for the fog, to tell you the truth, because I figure that it contributed greatly to the fog.

Nature's beauty, No. 14

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Fuchsia, alive, hanging from itself, some in front of the spiderweb, some behind it.
 

Fuchsia, past its prime, hanging by three threads of spiderweb. Can you see all three?

Nature's beauty, No. 13

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I left the rose beds at Albertina Kerr and walked onto their patio which is lined on three sides with beds of trees and shrubs. I looked for dew drops on some begonias, then turned back to look at the trees. Lo and behold, this spiderweb and spider were right there in front of me.

Nature's beauty, No. 12

Another cropped close-up from underneath the rose on the tall stem. Thanks for indulging me with my photos of these flowers, dew drops and spiderwebs.
 

The same photo, uncropped.
 

And here's the same flower a moment later, after the wind had rearranged the spiderweb beneath the petals on the right.

Nature's beauty, No. 6

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An upward bound trio of rose buds, beautiful in front of the fog shrouded Albertina Kerr Center. It's such a good time to get to see sights like this and to then be able to get photos of said sights. Such a good time. I am certain owning a camera and living in a picturesque environment which is easy for me to experience plays a major role in keeping me sound, mentally and physically.
 

A closer shot.

Nature's beauty, No. 5 AND Happy Birthday, Leland!

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OK. No blossoms here. But, just take a close look at this cloth-like spread of spiderweb. I cannot even imagine how tiny the spider or spiders must be who spun this exquisite patch between these small leaves. I'm making a decision that there were at least two spiders at work because I want to imagine one going this way, one going that way, over and over, until they were done. How in the world did they not run into each other as they worked?

Nature's beauty, No. 4

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What a vivid pink! I couldn't get over the fact that these flowers were growing in the ground, not sitting cut in vases at the local grocery store, their color due to some sort of dye wicking its way up their stems and out into the blossoms. Now, I don't know for sure if that is what happens to make those mums/daisies into a wide array of vivid colors. I'm just guessing. Still and all, this vivid pink is growing in the ground! I'm also in awe of the strength exhibited by these single threads of spiderweb, to be able to maintain themselves while loaded with so many dew drops. Absolutely amazing.