Clover

Clover, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

For such a common "weed," the lowly clover has an incredibly beautiful inflorescence. Clover is the common name for the genus Trifolium, a member of the legume family. I well remember walking through fields as a kid and plucking these flower heads to pull the individual flowers off for the purpose of tasting the nectar. I still do this, I have to admit, but the nectar is so very sweet it's hard to resist.

No Parking

No Parking, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Hmmmmmm - maybe this is an authorized vehicle? I wasn't particularly happy to see a dog in the front seat as I was processing this photo. The car was in the shade, but it's a very dangerous situation to leave a dog or a child in a closed car during the summer. In South Africa people are on notice that if this kind of scenario is seen, the windows will be smashed in with a brick. Maybe we should adopt that practice in North America, too.

Portland Head lighthouse

Portland Head lighthouse, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Yesterday I went back and reviewed some old photo libraries. I had done a series of images of Portland Head Lighthouse last August, after Steve and I visited Maine for the first time. There were still some gems to process, so here's another lighthouse pic.

Iris

Iris, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This beautiful iris greeted me each day at the guest house where I stayed in Saluda, North Carolina. I love irises, but I've not had much luck in keeping them in cultivation. They require a bit more care than I have to give...

The Titan Arum bloom at OSU

The botany begins…., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This is a detail photo of the Titan Arum spathe, just as it was reaching its prime Friday night. The color of Jesse, our most recent bloom, was spectacular - so rich and velvety. It's truly a transient phenomenon. After the first night the inflorescence rapidly declines, but while it is opening it is absolutely spectacular to see and smell.

Pollinating a Titan Arum 1

Pollinating a Titan Arum 1, a photo by Stephen A. Wolfe on Flickr.

I had a turn at pollinating Jesse in the wee hours of the morning. Photo by Steve Wolfe.

Jesse is absolutely stunning.

Jesse is absolutely stunning., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Jesse started opening between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. May 25, 2012, and finished about 1:00 a.m. May 26, 2012. Pollination occurred after the spadix reached a temperature near 35°C. The stigmas were receptive at that time, so we're optimistic that we'll have some seed set.

Visiting hours at the Biosciences Greenhouse (12th Avene, atop parking garage K) are from 9 to 9 am on May 26, and to be announced for Sunday.

Check out the FB albums for more pics and info:

https://www.facebook.com/WoodytheTitanArumatOSU

Jesse is blooming tonight!

Jesse is blooming tonight!, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The second Titan Arum in two years time is currently blooming in the Biological Sciences Greenhouse at The Ohio State University. Visiting hours tomorrow, May 26, 2012 are 9 to 9.

Patience is a virtue

Patience is a virtue, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I've been making a photo library to track the progress of Jesse, OSU's second Titan Arum to bloom, and in back-to-back years with Woody - our first, which bloomed April 23, 2011. All Titan Arums (aka Corpse Flowers) are given names as they approach flowering time. Woody was named after Woody Hayes, a beloved football coach, and Jesse is named for Jesse Owens, a legion in breaking barriers and in track and field.

For more information, check these links:

https://www.facebook.com/WoodytheTitanArumatOSU

http://bioscigreenhouse.osu.edu/titan-arum

White-faced heron

White-faced heron, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Back to Australia for today's picture. This one was from Lake Merimbula during the early morning. There is a lot of wildlife that hangs out around the shores of this huge lagoon, and it was a real treat to see the white-faced heron fishing for breakfast.

Rhododendron

Rhododendron, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Last Sunday morning I did a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina before heading to the airport. The rhododendrons, azaleas and mountain laurel were in full bloom. I never found a spot to pull off to photograph the mountain laurel, but I did find some areas where I could spend some time with the rhododendrons and azaleas. They are so beautiful in their native habitat.

I well remember my feelings about seeing the rhododendrons in bloom in the Himalayas in May 2009. Spotting them last weekend in the mountains of North Carolina brought a smile to my face with the memories of that fantastic trek with Jon Miller and Chris Marquardt as part of the Rest of Everest podcast.

O-H-I-O!

O-H-I-O!, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

We'll have a Corpse Flower in bloom in the next day or so at the Ohio State University Biological Sciences Greenhouse.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Rainbow Lorikeet, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

One of my favorite birds from the eastern coast of Australia is the rainbow lorikeet. Not only are they beautiful, but they are fun to watch as they forage for seeds by hanging upside down in the trees.

North Carolina Barn

North Carolina Barn, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I visited with John Hill and Clay Foster Saturday evening. When I was loading my car to get ready for a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway and then to the airport I noticed how the light was playing off the weathered barn on John's property. I love the warm glow the early morning sun has, and it illuminated the barn at just the right angle for a beautiful composition.

Gaura

Gaura, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The wildflowers in bloom right now in North Carolina are very beautiful. I hadn't seen Gaura since I was a graduate student in Oklahoma. It brought back some memories of my photography days in film. I won an award for a Kodachrome image I had printed - way back in the late 1980's.

Iris

Iris, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I'm in North Carolina this week to visit Polk County High School. Check out the link on the right for the "news from the wolfe lab" blog and you'll see the posts I've done about my site visit to a biotechnology classroom. This is an iris at the guest house where I'm staying.

Australia landscape

Australia landscape, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

March 27, 2012 - near sunset, between Cooma and Jindabyne, New South Wales.

Morning Run

Morning Run, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Back to Australia for this morning's post. This photo is from the first day I walked the beach at sunrise. Only a few turners at Turnfest 2012 made it to the beach at that early hour, or shortly after dawn. Here are Sharon Doughtie and Christian Delhon running the beach in the early morning. Christian's wife is also one of the runners

The beach across from SeaWorld is really a pleasant place to walk in the wee hours of the morning. For an early riser, it's perfect - very few people are up and about at that hour and so there is a wonderful feeling of solitude and contemplation as you walk the sands and hear the surf, birds, and watch how the light changes as the sun rises above the horizon.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I've had a very relaxing day, I think. I guess it was pretty busy - mostly with finishing a construction project for a plant cam stand. I'm doing a time-lapse photography project in the OSU Biological Sciences greenhouse.

Actually, the fun part of the day was a visit to the movie theater to watch "The best exotic Marigold Hotel." It was such a great movie, and it appeals to all ages, not just the baby boomers out there. It was filmed in India and reminds me so much of what we experienced in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2009. Go see it!

Carolina chickadee

Carolina chickadee, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

A few weeks ago I was walking the boardwalk at Magee Marsh when a chickadee caught my attention. It was a slow day, and so I thought I would quietly observe it. I couldn't figure out why it was staying in one spot for so long. It turns out that it was the mate of this chickadee who was in the nest with either eggs or chicks. The male was bringing food to its mate, who would pop out to see what was taking so long after a while.

King Parrot

King Parrot, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

One of the things I enjoyed most about my recent trip to Australia was the diversity of birds there. It's so cool to be out on a trail, watching a variety of parrots in the wild. Birds that we see only in cages or zoos here in the North America are native to Australia, and they are loud, raucous, and fun to watch.

Australian Pelican

Australian Pelican, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Most pelicans are kind of homely, but the Australian pelican is rather cute, in my humble opinion. This one was walking the tidal flats along the Sapphire Coast of Australia.

President Barack Obama

Interlude between blog posts about the campaign rally last Saturday. This is one of the portraits I did of the president during his speech.

President Barack Obama, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Here is the entire speech, posted on YouTube. I was inspired during the rally, and I found the speech inspiring while watching the video. If you know where to look, you can see me taking photos....

American Robin

American Robin, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I took this photo a few weeks ago at Magee Marsh on the shore of Lake Eerie in Ohio. We were there a bit ahead of warbler season so there wasn't a huge crowd on the boardwalk, which gave me the opportunity to practice taking bird photos with a flash. I had a better beamer attachment to the flash unit. Using flash for bird photography is a bit of a challenge, which is obviously amplified with a beamer. I'm glad I had the chance to experiment in a more relaxed setting than when bird paparazzi are going crazy over warblers.

President Obama Campaign Rally - Columbus, Ohio - Part 1

President Barack Obama had his campaign kick-off rally in Columbus, Ohio yesterday. I volunteered to help, and had to be on site at 7 a.m.  I entered volunteer information into a form on my iPad while working the VIP line. All volunteers who had worked on the campaign prior to the rally were eligible for a VIP ticket.  I had mine in hand, but I also volunteered my iPad for the cause.

 

Early on the morning of the rally, the line barricades were set up. This is the area for the VIP line, which is where campaign volunteers lined up to enter the building.

One surely hopes that this is the police check-in line and not a line for donuts....... (just joking around, officers).

The doors to the Schottenstein opened at 10:30 a.m. The building was undergoing a final sweep when all the volunteers arrived to the site.

Carol Mohr is the UA for Obama team leader. She's the one who recruited me to help with the campaign.  She and I volunteered to enter data using our iPads, and we were assigned to work the VIP line. How convenient - when the doors opened, we were already in line.

The VIP line is on the move. Everyone was very patient during the wait and there was a lot of cheering going on all through this area.

This videographer was working the VIP line right at the entrance to the Schott. He wanted to record the hype and so he was shouting "Fired Up!" and the people in line responded "Ready to Go!"

At this point in the line, there were only a couple of dozen feet to go before the security checkpoint. You can see the some of the volunteer VIP line in the background. There were thousands of "fired up" volunteers waiting to get into the arena for the campaign rally.

This was the first campaign rally I've ever attended, and this is the first political campaign I've volunteered to assist. I strongly support President Obama in his re-election campaign. If you're interested in volunteering - just go online and sign-up to help. It's easy to do, and you meet a lot of interesting people.

Mayor Coleman at the Obama rally

Mayor Coleman at the Obama rally, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman welcomed a crowd of 14,000 supporters at yesterday's kick-off rally for President Obama's re-election campaign.

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Today I spent all morning volunteering for the Obama campaign, and then attended the campaign rally at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University. It was a very inspirational day for me. I'll do a proper blog post soon, but I wanted to post this picture today.

Australian sunrise

Australian sunrise, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I sure wish the sunrises in Ohio were as interesting as the ones along the east coast of Australia. There will be an interesting event in the sky Saturday night - around 11:30 pm, or so. The perigee moon is rising - another Super Moon photo op...

Australian sunrise panorama

Australian sunrise, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Sometimes the scale of nature is hard to capture with a camera. For this particular sunrise, a panoramic shot is the only way to really take it all in.

Solitude

Solitude, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Walking the beach at dawn is restful to the soul.

Sunrise and sunbeams

Sunrise and sunbeams, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Sunrise on the Gold Coast of Australia: 25 March 2012. The sunrise on this particular morning of Turnfest wasn't especially spectacular until the sunbeams burst through the clouds. Such a nice way to cap off the series of sunrise walks on the beach.