My dog focuses on the ground when he walks. His powerful sense of smell gives him a window into the world that I do not have. When he walks our neighborhood, he is consumed with finding and evaluating all the latest scents. He wants to know which other dogs have visited his park and if they pose a threat. Squirrels, raccoons, and rabbits: they all leave a scent trail. Then he marks his territory by urinating every few steps so no one will doubt it’s his neighborhood.
My dog doesn’t look up, as his focus is below. Up above are trees and even I take them for granted for much of the year. In spring and in summer, the branches are covered with green leaves. I can see and hear birds flying around up there on a spring or summer day.
In autumn, these leaves turned color and blanketed the ground. My neighbors paid someone to clean up the mess and take it away, then paid more for mulch to spread around in their gardens. Meanwhile, I filled one garbage bag after another with colorful leaves from my neighborhood, transporting them to my garden, where they now serve as free mulch to cover and build the soil.
There are fewer birds by the time winter comes. The smart ones have migrated south to find warmer weather with more insects and seeds. Soon, they will be back to join the hardy ones that have stayed all year: assorted blackbirds, sparrows, and some small chirpy thing that might be a vireo.
Woodpeckers have stayed also. Acorn woodpeckers make holes in the trees and fill them with acorns and other nuts. So they have a food supply throughout the year (as long as they can keep the squirrels from stealing them).
You might get seasick watching this GIF I created, since it’s a little shaky. I just pointed my phone camera upwards to capture this small bird far above me. You can see how they continue to peck holes in the trees, either for insects or to stuff later with acorns.
Deciduous trees become bony frames in winter. These branches and twigs once supported a tableau of changing colors throughout the seasons. Now stripped of their finery, only the structure remains, aside from a few leaves remaining on certain varieties of oaks. But winter also reveals some secrets.
There's a nest. It was hidden until the leaves left the tree bare.
This small one looks to be in a precarious position, but it seems to be strong.
What kind of a mess is that? Only the squirrel knows.
Olive trees still have some leaves and a few fruit that went unharvested. If this one had been in my yard, I'd have picked them all by now.
Oak mistletoe. Some species of oak trees drop their leaves and all that's left is this parasitic plant that grows on the branches. It's mistletoe.
People in some European countries put a clump of mistletoe in their house. When someone walks under it, they get a kiss.
A mighty sycamore tree goes bald as well, just like most of the oaks.
Thus we await spring and the new life it will bring.
All photos by the author or public domain. The green-leaved oak (second picture) is public domain from Pixabay. Woodpeckers made the GIF.
hello... i upvoted your blog and kindly upvote my blog as well...
Nice
It's nice to have a dog. I want to own a dog. But my wife has an allergy to the chefs. The dogs are very muscular and loyal animals. I have always loved and will love. Really the photos are refreshing the very beautiful human soul. The birds and squirrel cages in the photos are spectacular. The squirrel will not lose your way to your home. The birds gather so much material with their tiny bodies and build nests. This is the symbol of the ancestor.
I watched it in a documentary. There's a bird called juniper bird. Bi birds are also called hedgerows birds. This bird is very small in sparrow size. This bird of man alone builds a trellis into which a grown man can enter. It puts stones in various colors into this yuvan. To influence female birds. The last time he says the Night, he starts singing. To call the females around.
I saw the bird's nest in your photographs because I told you this and the arbor came to mind. I wanted to share this with you. I'll put a picture for you.
That is amazing. Nature can be incredible sometimes.
Absolutely. Whenever I'm in trouble, this bird comes to mind. I am really taking the example of this bird and its success.
I am agree with you
@donkeypong, I couldn't agree more, as it created me! LOL
TBH, it's absolutely wonderful, its just simply full of wonder.
its alwaaaays incedible hey
I have been travelling the world and just got into steem it I would like to share some of teh beauties I got in pictures though to share with steem it community as well
Its a beautiful Article isnt it?
nature can not be guessed
This looks amazing! Did u camp here @darksea?
you read the above article. spam
Nature is so beautiful, I just love trees.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@noganoo/all-of-the-top-ranked-users-claiming-to-care-about-the-steemit-are-the-same-ones-who-allowed-the-platform-to-be-abused-early-on
Very nice pictures. Thanks for the share!
nice photo.
amazing post my steemit friend wish you good luk i follow you
That's plenty of nice photos! I like the first photo because the sheer number of branches makes the tree an eye-catchy subject.
Nature is such a curencia.
Dogs are not the most graceful creatures. Bully parents know this all too well!
If you see a graceful dog doing his thing, point it out! Chances are, his owner probably already knows that he's a regal and majestic beast, but it doesn't hurt to give him a little ego boos
Nice post donkeypong. Right up my alley ;0) And I've never seen mistletoe grow! I'll have to keep an eye out for the stuff.
Regarding leaves as compost...In late fall, I like to put the bag on the mulching mower and collect a nice mulchy mix of green grass clippings along with the dropped leaves and then put that combo on the garden. This way, there is a combo of nitrogen (fertilizer) and carbon.
That's a good way to break up those leaves. Thanks for stopping by!
you're welcome !
Hi @donkeypong, This is an excellent post primarily for its description and then for the selection of the photos. Seems as if you are just like me. For example, this paragraph is exatly what I like:
Reading some book in the company of these autumn leaves would be nice.
I really like the creative side of this post the most.
Steem On!
awesome post my steemit friend wish you good luk
This is winter in all its glory. Trees falling and making a mess of the whole place is just 'winter'. All those leaves can be put to good use like you have. Thank you for sharing.
I'm appreciative of the pictures in this post...Being a photographer has heightened my senses towards everything...Everything is a picture..And I'm mostly drawn to nature.
Nice pictures..
I just had to mashup them up a bit because I love them.
These pictures were edited on my smartphone. Using the google developed app "Snapseed".
I hope you like the new look.
Haha. Your graphic skills are better than mine.
Hahaha....not exactly sir.
You just decided not to edit the pictures.
I love editing pictures.
Meanwhile I worked on some others
The original image of this picture was over exposed and highly saturated. Maybe that was your specification, but I made it a little dim and add vignette. Making the sides a little dark and the leaves in the middle the point of attraction.
This leafy path is awesome. Wish I could take a walk there and snap awesome pictures of families.
Btw this a photo I snapped and edited on my smartphone.
I'm eager to edit more photos you put out.
Thank you. I don't make many photo posts, but your versions are an improvement.
Thank you very much.
I'm appreciative
I stoped by and invited myself to your post here.lol I realy enjoyed your story, especially about the birds and squirrels. We have one black with one leg missing squirrel coming to our backyard so we feed him, we also have two birds cardinals family coming to us everyday for almost 5 years. There was one time when they came with their kids, only once, then they chased them away when the grew. I definitely prefer spring when everything comes to life. Following you!
It was nice to stop by.
That's wonderful. We fed the squirrels for a while, but they started climbing all around the house at all hours, so we stopped. Cardinals are beautiful birds. Yes, spring is special!
@donkeypong, You've nicely explained what's variation doing in nature winter and summer using amazing captures. I always stay with our nature coz I'm such a massive nature lover. Your details would be important and captures can saved my nature folder. Nature equal our life. If life stay live we can go success way also if our nature stay live we can go success.
So think preserve our environment. Professional photography collections real inspire me. Thanks for the effort.
Owk I must say that this is a really cool documentary of the four seasons you guys have.
Here in Nigeria ,we have just two, the rainy and dry season. During the rainy season, we have a replica of what you guys experience during the spring. The tree flourish with green leaves and looks so beautiful but during the dry season they all look skeletal with just their branches showing.
Hehehe......is that how much you love olives?
Talking about the wood pecker, never seen one before though . Don't even know if we have one in Nigeria.
Not picking them means they go to waste. Yes, I do enjoy them.
In Colombia we have almost all de seasons at the same time. I invite you to know some of the magical places in this tropical contry.
nests of 'mochileros' birds - Amazonas Colombia
https://steemit.com/photography/@dabird/approximations-birdart-photographic-work
Dogs are truly precious friends anyone could have from the animal kingdom. Their sensing of things so perfect. I lost my dog when I was younger and felt guilty. So, I decided not to get a new one yet. But following your posts about this favorite pet of yours, I might have to reconsider @donkeypong
I really wanna don't have much experience with the atmospheric conditions of the western world.
Great post as always! Very nice writing accompanying your pictures, i really like the one with the leaves of the pathway, reminds me of a park close to where i used to live. There are woodpeckers here where i live, beautiful birds really... what i don't like about them is that their favorite time to peck trees on my neighborhood is around 6am >.< at the beginning i hated them, but you get used to it and it doesn't even wake me up anymore...
Birds can be a nuisance when they wake up early. In the summertime, there's one that sings on our roof every morning.
I've heard about the mistletoe myth.. dont know how true it is! But i like pictures especially the colourful brown and red leaves of autumn!
For a long time, I never connected the mistletoe people buy and hang in their houses with the weed that grows for free in these trees...very similar stuff, apparently!
Very beautiful photos, Winter has its own nature beauty . But in winters most of us have seen a nest or two, either perched in a leafless tree or lying on the ground after an especially blustery day. Typically used only once for a brief span of time, these nests are essential for breeding and require tremendous amounts of energy and time to construct.
Thanks. Hey Zuck, when is Facebook getting its own Steem SMT?
hahaha
Smart dog, creating marks by urinating.. hadn't heard of that before.
Am in love with these trees and birds in the neighborhood. They bring out that atmosphere of nature at home, too bad for the trees that winter doesn't leave the same. To an extent of the hidden nests getting exposed. Oh no. Winter is bad for the trees.
The shots you took are a beauty to watch.
Wow @donkeypong. This is a really beautiful writeup.
All I can say is that this is nature at its very best.
It is what it is.
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE; its called...
As the earth revolves around the sun and the moon rotates around the earth, the seasons arrive one after the other.
Winter is coming?! Not G0T though...lolx.
As these things happen, the whole of livng things must adapt to the changing weather or get withered by the cold hands of death
The birds must migrate. The trees must wilt. Humans must coverup for warmth.
Thank you for being less like your dog and more like a human...
Noticing the beauty around us is definitely a part of living.
Dont stop living Sir!
#AIR-CLINIC
Winter mostly affect virtually everything (both living and non-living).
Winter doesn't allow for raindrop and therefore making everywhere dry. This a period where human being afford getting injured due to severity of what it might cause.
Natural effect of winter on the tree
In short winter is a period when animals have to go into the rainforest inother to survive this period.
I do the same. We don't have squirrels, raccoons or rabbits here, but there are plenty of other doggos and cattos in my neighbourhood, and it's important that they all know that I am boss around here.
It's summer here right now, so lots of things to sniff and explore. I almost got attacked by a black swan the other week because I dropped my ball in his pond and tried to get it back, but his babies were in the pond.
Fortunately, I got my ball back before he got to me, but it was very scary. My human told me I'm not meant to go in that pond, but I'll probably try and do it again!
It sounds like you know your business!
It is very serious business, too
Moral of the story: Don't drop the ball or you could cause a black swan event.
Stunning photos @donkeypong! Thank you so much for sharing. I love the story you've written with it too. And real mistletoe, I have never seen it before...so awesome!
this post is so buityful i love nature thanx for share this post
good job your all picture is very nice
All your ictures are great !
it's good!
There is nothing beautiful than nature
Cute dog :)
There is nothing beautiful than nature
Very well written post:)
Great shots. Did you ever find out what kind of nest that was?
The Family of birches and maples outside the window covered with snow. Pleasant view waiting for me everytime I look out the window.
I am always amazed how the animals make provisions for the winter. My backyard has a similar glob of vines, leaves, etc. in the trees and I watch as a couple of squirrels busy themselves collecting and storing acorns. Nature is always interesting in how the different parts work together. Thanks for your interesting post.
Very interesting post! Great pictures
soo much beautiful the nature of beauty
Wow....such a wonderful and interesting nature photograpy collection by @donkeypong sir....
Smart photograpy collection....
Actualy I'm realy like secand photograpy.....bcz...green color is my faverite...third photograpy is best...amazing color combination in nature....
Upvoted and resteemed....
Specialy Followe U....I'm become your fan...I'm try followed your blog every day...
Cheers~~~
Boy! That woodpecker is going to get a concussion with all that pecking!
wow
you described very good about all the photos. i loved your gif and that black olive tree , Oak mistletoe was wonderful too , thanks to let us know some thing about them .. hey by the way I love your colorful shots ,, i mean the first one and the second one .. green yellow and orange and red all together .. great
This is a beauty to behold. The trees are made bare by winter but an opportunity for the birds to peck away, seeking insects.
You just described it all. It's a wonder how the trees and forests are stripped of their lushness and vibrance, but then when spring comes.......... All are made beautiful again.
Thanks for sharing sir
I love winter! So cold!! :)
So beautifully written. I really enjoyed the way you write. Ever since I was little I always wanted a dog, they never seem to amaze. Such intelligent animals! Sucks I can’t have one due to my severe allergies :( enjoy them for me <3
"Woodpeckers made the GIF" - those are some pretty cool birds. I would also ask them to write the post :P
Super
You have a very beautiful place to walk your dog arround! I live in the city so not much nature for me ;)
Well we've got some parks and in my street are Pink japanese blossom tree's, that makes the streets very pretty but they only flower for a few weeks :(
It's very interesting to reading and indeed ordinary contents and attractive photo clicks and glorious small bird's gif. I like perry much those changing environment. Look at massive trees and their leaves. Its more changed color. Autumns leaves shown their own beauty. All once attractive. Thanks for sharing more acknowledged information. I'll give these information for nature project creator.
An amazing participant of the master @donkeypong winter Cdalk in Morocco and all parts of the world witness the winter is short but spring is coming and carries with him beautiful flowers
The leaves are lovely when it's looked vivid. Particularly in spring, I adore it.