Listen, Watch, Follow the Wind

The desert sings her lonely song

Deserts can bring solitude and oneness with the environment but can also be some of the loneliest places on the planet. Most often all I encounter is the tracks of some small living creature and hardly ever a living soul.  

Walking across undisturbed paths, it seems like the soil has remained untouched for eons.  Just the desert winds and a rare rainstorm is all that have left traces across this barren no man’s land.  

Once in a lifetime sun bleached bones give away secrets to what might have called this remoteness a home.  

A weather torn shack still stands out in the middle of nowhere. Its rusted siding tells of a legacy from long ago.  Might it have been a water source for long departed dwellers?   

On closer observation, the puzzle of cracked dried earth leaves clues that this was perhaps a catch basin for water which in the desert can be more precious than gold. 

Layers of clear weather clouds gather atop the mountains, ominous weather with very strong winds could be on the horizon.   

Feeling so alone in this abandoned land, it is only the wind that brings me a feeling of comfort.  Maybe the long ago spirits come in with the wind to ride again across this desolate landscape.     

 

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Grizzled Skipper on Autumn Flowers

A butterfly or moth, it's a Skipper!

With summer winding down and autumn slowly moving in, what could be more heart warming than finding a new species of butterfly on the late blooming flowers?

While I was observing a number of smaller butterflies fluttering on the Mexican sunflowers and Russian sage, I happened to notice one with different markings on its wings.  I managed to get several exposures of the butterfly before it darted off, out of sight.  

My butterfly identification book listed this as a Skipper, the Grizzled skipper, in the family Hesperiidae of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies).   The Grizzled skipper has a black and white checkerboard pattern on its 1.1-1.3 inch (29-33 mm) wings.

The Grizzled skipper may be called a butterfly; however they are in the superfamily Hesperioidea with the moth-like Hdeyloidea.  Butterflies are in the superfamily Papilionoidea from the genus Papilio meaning butterfly.  

The visual difference between the skipper and butterfly lies with the larger, moth-like body of the skipper, its smaller wings and hook-like antenna tip. 

  

Skippers are named for their fast, darting flight; and there are more than 3500 species across the globe. 

  

I will continue to watch my flowering plants for more Grizzled skippers that might be passing through.   What a treat to be there with my camera and catch this fascinating moth-like creature.  

Subscribe to and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will take me.  There are so many wonders in nature to explore!

For additional reading:
 

http://butterfly-conservation.org/50-1011/grizzled-skipper.html

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Environmental Photographs Highlight 2015

 Themes and Issues during my photo-explorations

At the year’s end, I usually write about the highlights of my travels or adventures.  However for the finality of 2015 and following the Paris Climate Summit, I have been compelled to feature a photo for each month that has an environmental theme. These photos are from scenes that I have come across during my photo-explorations of the past year, from water issues to weather extremes and compromised ecosystems. The following photographs were taken within a 100 mile radius around Walker Lake, Nevada and in the Great Basin Desert.

Clouds form over Mono Lake, California, moving eastward from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The receding shore line and lack of snow on the mountains for the month of January are indicators of the drought that continues to plague the western U.S.

Late January and early February, a large number of waterfowl were infected with Avian cholera at Walker Lake, Nevada. 

The bodies of American Coots lay tangled in tumble weeds that were blown to the water’s edge by the wind.

A dust storm churned up by the strong winds of March on east side of Walker Lake, Nevada. 

A desolate location for Lee Hot Springs with a capped off well and volcanic rocks, however the mountains in the background show lack of snowpack after a dry winter on an early spring day in April. 

 On a hillside in the Gabbs Valley Range, in May, the top of a purple bottle stands out.  A closer look reveals a piñon pine root that has been growing through the bottle’s neck for no telling how many years.

A hot June morning and cumulonimbus clouds build over the Garfield Flats Range.  I barely made it out of the wash before the clouds produced a F1 Category Tornado that touched down in Hawthorne, Nevada. 

With the heat index reaching over the century mark in July at Walker Lake, ecosystems grow out of balance at the water’s edge as numerous damselfly larvae are caught in the huge orb-weaver spider webs that cover most of the shore.

The receding shore at Soda Lake in August, tufa mounds grow along the edge of the water.  Soda Lake was formed inside the collapsed cone of a basaltic maar volcano by irrigation for agriculture which increased the groundwater.

A tunnel by the highway to Yerington, Nevada in September.  Rainfall from fast moving summer monsoons produced flash floods that cut deep washes through the dry desert.  

An October photo-trip to the Wild Burro Range at Marietta, Nevada.  The frame of a windsock stands as a reminder of the harsh winds and extreme weather in the Great Basin Desert. 

Strong winds in November blow the thin snow pack across the peaks at Mount Grant, Nevada.  

A winter storm in December brings in much needed moisture; however it will take so much more to offset the receding north shore at Walker Lake, Nevada.  

The year of 2015 has seen interesting weather patterns with a warmer winter and rising heat index for the summer.  When El Niño comes for the winter, I will be ready with my Nikon to record any interesting trends, so follow my blog and check back often for the new posts.

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Pausing for the Moment, Where the Adventure Leads

Tumbleweeds, Zebra Lizards and a Tunnel to Nowhere!

Sometimes do you just have urge to get out and see where the journey takes you?  This was my feeling after so many days of 100°+ temperatures, smoke from all the wildfires and then a percussive 4.4 earthquake that almost blew me off my office chair.  After packing lunch, water and camera gear, I ventured out to find a road less traveled.   

In less than one hour, I came to the tunnel in the desert that goes to nowhere.  This seemed to be where I was supposed to go, so I stopped and prepared to take a hike.  

Some interesting patterns in the dried mud caught my attention at the tunnel's entrance, reminding me of what a severe drought we were still facing.  

There was not even much variety in the flora and fauna on this hot September day other than a zebra-tailed lizard scurrying by to find shade in the rocks.  

The tumbleweeds were doing well, flowering and soon to be going to seed. This invasive species, as flammable as lighter fluid, is taking over the hillsides of the Great Basin Desert.

A refreshing coolness greeted me inside the thick tunnel walls, making me want to linger before pressing back out into the intense high noon sun.  The absence of spider webs reminded me of how desolate this area was.  Careful footing was a must or you just might become something's dinner. 

Exiting the tunnel, the fluttering of wings caught me by surprise and I managed to catch one frame of a hawk departing the rock outcropping.    

From the layers of white droppings, these rocks were a favorite nesting area for raptors.  It would be interesting to check back here in spring with my 500mm lens, in hope of photographing the chicks.   The long lens will allow me to focus up close on the nests without disturbing the birds.  My creed as a nature photographer is to take only photos and leave with only memories. 

 As much as my mind was feasting on the Pareidolia in the dropping on the surface of the rocks, the heat index was climbing so it was time to turn back.  

I am hoping to return when its cooler and I can get past the tumbleweeds to further explore more of this interesting outcropping of rocks.  Maybe then I will find the purpose to a tunnel that leads to nowhere in the desert.

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Wildflowers and Wild Weather Tales

  

Photo-adventures at Gabbs Valley Range

While the monsoon season was in full force, I took a day trip over to one of my favorite wildflower locations, the Gabbs Valley Range.  Located in the Great Basin Desert at 38°40'19"N 118°11'07"W, this area seems to have its own micro-climate and always gets more rain. 

In the desert by the middle of July the wildflowers have all dried up, but in the higher elevations some of the flowers get a late start. A short drive up to the summit on SR 361 just past my turn-off to the left and I began to notice yellow accents of Prince's Plume. 

Golden Prince’s Plume is a perennial that grows in alkaline soil and absorbs high concentrations of selenium which makes it poisonous to livestock and also humans.  Regardless of its dark side, it sure lends beauty to the dessert landscape.

I saw a wide and level wash so I stopped for a walk back toward the rugged, Badland scenic mountains.

  
After a short distance, the small white flowers of a Fourwing Saltbush caught my attention that was loaded with blooms.   A member of the goosefoot family, the seeds are wind-pollinated and also edible.  Flour was made from its seeds by the Navajo. 

Around the bend and before the wash started to narrow, I came upon a nice arrangement of yellow Prince's Plume pared with a flowering Indigo Bush. The desert indigo bush is a legume and was used by the Native Americans for dye.

At this point, I decided to turn back and not take a chance on surprising a rattlesnake that might be warming in the morning sun. As I turned, the purple flowers of Desert Sage stood out on the narrow bank of the wash. This was the plant referred to in Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage. 

Looking up at the western sky, I noticed more clouds settling in and realized that I had better continue to my next location which was on the dirt road and up higher in the juniper and pinyon pines.  

Further north on the dirt road were more indications of the localized storms that had brought so much rain to the area.  Flood waters are always a concern when cumulus clouds begin to gather in the desert.   Even though the storm may be miles away, water will take the path of least resistance to flow down through the washes and across the roads.

An accent of blue in the sand  on the west side of the road was a healthy grouping of Silver Lupine.  The endangered Mission Blue Butterfly larvae feed on the leaves of this poisonous plant.  The butterfly then becomes toxic and gives off a bitter taste, to ward off predators.  Because the plant is a danger to livestock, it is cleared from range-land, therefore eliminating a crucial food source for this butterfly. 

In just a short while, I saw cumulus clouds growing and towering to the east that very soon would become a thunderstorm.  It was time to head back and hope that I could out-run the potential dangers of wind sheer, flooding rain and hail.

Descending down to lower ground from the higher elevation, the sky was looking more ominous to the east and thunder was starting to rumble in the distance.

The sky to the south was not looking any safer and a micro-burst was starting to let go in the dry lake a short distance away. 

A last glance back to the north and I had to stop for photos of the clouds that were creating such interesting patterns.  

This was the second time that I raced for home with storms gathering all around and again I barely got in the garage before the rain and hail started beating against the back of my truck.  Once the storm cleared, the clouds rolled back to reveal a snow-covered mountain range to the south. 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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