Up Close and Personal
From a holiday in the country.
For more weekend reflections, go to James’ Weekend Reflections site.
January 28, 2012
January 27, 2012
Weathervane (Kereru)
Weathervane (Kereru)
The weathervane in the shape of a New Zealand Wood Pigeon (kereru) against a beautiful summer sky. At the Auckland Botanic Gardens.
More Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!
January 26, 2012
Splayed (Regan Gentry)
Splayed (Regan Gentry)
One of the works at the Sculpture in the Gardens Exhibitition (at the Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa) is this sculpture by Reagan Gentry (made of 101 galvanised shovels, monel rivets, galvanised screws, galvanised pipes — I did not count the spades, but it looks like two of them went missing between the artist’s website and the one of the exhibition).
In the words of the artist: Splayed was a playful work using spades as a building element for an ambiguous botanically influenced form. The spade was chosen for it’s relevance in the turning of earth that has happened during the creation and development of the Botanic Gardens where the show is based.
Also a picture celebrating that, in between times, summer makes an appearance with some brilliant sunshine.
The exhibition is on until February 12. Go there, enjoy the beautiful gardens and the art!
Splayed (Regan Gentry)
January 24, 2012
Metamorphosed
Newly Hatched Passion Vine Hopper
Following on from the previous post, these pictures show a passion vine hopper that has just left its nymphal shell, resplendent in a beautiful white attire. After about half an hour, the wings and body will have hardened and the white will be replaced by brown.
Considering the number of these sap suckers (scolypopa australis), I am surprised that I have been able to observe the metamorphosis only on very few occasions — always with admiration.
Newly Hatched Passion Vine Hopper
Scolypopa Australis
January 22, 2012
Tete-A-Tete
Two Passion Vine Hoppers
Scolypopa australis is their latin name. The passion vine hoppers are just starting to make their appearance, their nymphs having been around for over a month. The picture was taken in the garden/bush with flash against empty space, hence the illusion of night.
For more black and white images check out Dragonstar’s Weekend in Black and White.
January 20, 2012
The Sky Last Night
Pink Clouds
After the sun had set, a rather ordinary evening sky was completely transformed by the red sunlight illuminating the clouds from below.
More Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!
January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
Chinese Lantern Festival
This is a repeat of my image of February 21, 2011 — the City Daily Photo theme for January 2012 is “Photo of the year 2011″. I have chosen this one for two reasons: (1) it is probably the most unusual of my images of the year, and (2) it provides a bit of virtual fireworks to celebrate the dawn of 2012. May the new year bring you all success, happiness and good health.
