 We
began the day with a short walk along the nature trail in McHenry
County, Illinois near Hebron. I was intent on taking pictures
with an emphasis on the green colors of mid-August. Unfortunately, this
was the closest view of my wife and granddaughter throughout the
morning. They wanted to walk; I wanted to stroll and take pictures.
On our first attempt, the mosquitoes were so thick we had
to retreat to the house to get slathered up with insect repellent. |
 This battered Tiger Swallowtail still managed to fly rather respectably. I had to be very stealthy to get the photo.
|
 There
were a few wildflowers, but the color at this time of year in the
Midwest is predominately green - all shades of green.
|
 People
usually don't notice Burdock until a little later in the season when
it's dried out and brown. The burrs stick to clothing as if they
were attached with some sort of magic glue. An interesting thing
about this plant is that the entire thing is edible, although you
probably wouldn't harvest it unless you were starving.
|
 Choke
Cherries are very common in the Midwest. Butterflies and moths eat them,
but humans will do well to avoid them. They have a very
sour, astringent flavor, and after the first frost when the
leaves have wilted they release a toxin similar to cyanide.
|
 Foxtail
grass can be beautiful, that is if you appreciate it's decorative look,
however, I just read an article that asserts it can be
fatal to dogs and some other animals.
It is generally considered to be a weed. I
thought this bunch was very attractive with its various shades of green. |
 These look similar to May Apples, although I'm not sure. They create a very nice covering on the forest floor.
|
 I
don't have a clue what these are, but I like the shiny green color,
which is very different than the soft, dull green of the May Apples
above.
|
 Moss growing on a fallen log has its own characteristics of green.
|
 This newly formed wild grape leaf has a very shiny olive green appearance. It's almost as if it were spring.
|
 Their shiny texture in the midst of soft textures is what draws attention to them.
|
 These
raspberry leaves look a little wilted, but they always look that way.
Soft and inviting so that you will step into the bush and be
attacked by the thorny branches.
|
 Weeds reaching for the light from the depths of the dark forest floor.
|
 This
leaf has all the elements of classic two dimensional design: color,
shape, form, line, texture, pattern and especially - color.
|
 Sunlight
filtering through the forest canopy back lights these leaves to make
them stand out in stark contrast to their surroundings.
|
 Tall
windswept grasses form their own lines and textures. Add light,
contrast and color and you have found an interesting visual.
|
 Back
near the parking lot I saw these weeds growing in an old railroad
timber. The different colors and textures drew my attention and I
took the photo.
|
 Finally,
to come full circle, butterflies of many sorts continued to flit among
the greenery. This appears to me to be a "Cabbage White"
butterfly, the dominant species on the trail today.
When you are conscientiously looking for photographs you will find lots of interesting things to capture with your camera. For
me this collection of photos (created in less than two hours) captures
the essence of August: warm to hot days when greenery has reached
maturity; insects are abundant, especially mosquitoes and the signs of
nature are beginning to say, "Summer is almost over." |
