Saturday, October 31, 2020

Rediscovering the beauty of city parks

Sunset Over Autumn Lily Pads, Lake Sammamish, Redmond, Washington

The challenges of 2020 have certainly affected my approach to nature photography, but the impact hasn’t been entirely bad. Because of the travel restrictions, this year I have renewed my appreciation for city parks.

City parks are critically important to the environment. Let’s take London as just one example. More than 300 species of birds live within its city limits because parks and gardens provide so much green space. Add other creatures, flowering plants and insects and the list of unique species there tops 13,000.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

5 Minutes in Nature: The awe of autumn

Cottonwoods and Ground Cover, Autumn, Abiquiu, New Mexico

Changing seasons can help you appreciate the subtleties of nature. Often, you don’t have to travel far from home to find something wonderful to observe.

This post is part of my 5 Minutes in Nature project, a series of short activities designed to help you relax and feel closer to nature. Numerous studies talk about the healing powers of nature. One published last week by the American Psychological Association finds that actively trying to notice something new during a walk provides emotional health benefits for seniors. The New York Times also wrote about the study, calling the activities “awe walks.”

In the spirit of discovering something new — in finding some awe in your neighborhood — here are a few things to try the next time you can spend five minutes in the autumn air.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The cycles of elk

Elk Sparring, North Bend, Washington

The clacking of antlers is one of the unmistakable signs of autumn. While elk spend much of the day feeding peacefully, every so often two of the larger bulls will literally go head-to-head in a demonstration of strength. The winner gains mating privileges. You can almost set your calendar by the action.

But there are several cycles on display in this image. The beginning of mating season marks the starting point of one.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Finding art in dirty air

Wildfire Haze Over North Creek Wetlands, Bothell, Washington

For the first time in nearly a week, the air quality at my home north of Seattle is merely unhealthy. Smoke from wildfires up and down the west coast has been piling up in the area for well over a week now. At its worst, the layer of smoke was 3,000 feet thick.

Monday, August 31, 2020

Where are all the wildflowers?

Hoary Marmot Feeding on Lupine, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

I have found it hard to get good action photos of marmots. Most of the time, they aren’t very active.

The hoary marmots I’ve seen in the Cascade mountain range spend most of the year sleeping. They hibernate for 8 to 9 months each year. They are awake only in summer when they scramble to eat enough to sleep through the next three seasons. Even then, however, I often see them stretched out over large rocks, napping in the sunshine.

Monday, August 17, 2020

5 Minutes in Nature: Appreciating green

Carpet of Ferns and Clover, Bellevue, Washington

This post is part of the 5 Minutes in Nature project — quick activities that are designed to help you relax and more deeply appreciate nature, five minutes at a time.

What color is grass? What color are leaves in the summer? What color is a cactus? They’re all green, right? But our snap response causes us to miss some of the nuance that makes nature interesting.

Friday, July 31, 2020

Chasing Comet NEOWISE

Mount Rainier and Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), High Rock, Washington

Normally when a photography project takes up a month of my time, I’ve spent many more months planning it. But my July photo project came as a complete surprise.

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) put on a spectacular display for most of the month — the brightest comet to be visible in the Northern Hemisphere in more than 13 years. Given its magnificence, you might think there would have been plenty of advance notice. Even though I track comets, I had heard of it only the day before I headed out to photograph it for the first time.