A couple of weekends ago we took the afternoon off and went to the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center near Holly Springs, MS. Every year they have a hummingbird festival, as this is a traditional spot for the migrating hummingbirds to stop and rest, refuel, and return to migrating. We actually arrived about three weeks too soon for the scores of hummingbirds that will soon be there, but we did get to see a few buzzing around. With the extreme heat there was that afternoon, there wasn’t much birding to be done, but there were some butterflies and some great flowers.
The feature photo above is one of those rare shots that nature sets up for us sometimes – two butterflies close enough to get in the same shot. For butterflies I supposed they are somewhat dull, but against these bright reddish orange flowers, they really stand out. And if you look close, they do have some yellow spot detail on their wings, and especially on their bodies.
One of the few hummingbirds that we managed to catch was secretly sitting in his own little tree swing. He was in the shade under a lot of coverage, so it was a hard shot. I didn’t have the camera set up perfectly, but I fired off a shot anyways because he wasn’t sitting in one place very long at all. It’s not in focus just right, but I really liked the way he was just sitting there “Just a Swingin” so to speak.
On our way around the edge of a large field, we happened across a few of the strangest flowers we had ever seen. As far as we can tell they are called Purple Passion Flowers, and as you can see they are almost prehistorically beautiful. The flower itself was about 4 inches in diameter and the long, tall stamens stand up a good 1 inch or so above the flat of the flower itself. The smell of the flower seemed very sweet to me, but to each his own I suppose.
It was a spur of the moment trip to just relax a little after mowing the 3 acres, I did have some hopes of maybe catching some good bird shots as there are a few ponds and waterholes on the farm, but I think the heat and humidity had them all hiding. But as usual, something is always there to photograph, and in this case the butterflies and flowers certainly didn’t disappoint.
So don’t fret if you find yourself on the weekend with nothing planned, just find a place close by, take the camera, and fire off a few shots. You just might be surprised at what you find.
As always, don’t forget to click on the “Like” button below and leave me a comment. After seeing the Purple Passion Flower, Monica has already looked them up and next spring I can guarantee that I’ll be planting Purple Passion flowers here and there. Don’t forget that all of my photos are available for print and would make great gifts.
So until next time, Enjoy Our Wonderful World!
RM Goldsmith Photography 