Photography Now and Then #17
Today’s photo1: Vapor plume from Arkansas Nuclear One Unit 2 Cooling Tower in 14°F air, Illinois Bayou area of Lake Dardanelle icing over, from Lake Front Drive pullout, Russellville, Arkansas; 9:26 AM, January 17, 2018 (Apple iPhone 6s)
The low today was 7°F at home. The heat pump can’t keep up with the heat lost from the house at these temperatures, so we are augmenting it with a fire in the fireplace insert. At night we have 2 quilts on the bed, including Karen’s newest finish. We can cope with these winter conditions, but we are certainly ready for a warmup, no matter how slight.
Photo Favorite2: Pink Azaleas, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia May 12, 2009 (Pentax K10D)
May is the time for pink azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) to bloom in the forest and along Skyline Drive, followed by the white flowers of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) in June. Summer is the time for flowers such as columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), milkweed (Asclepias spp), nodding onion (Allium cernuum), ox eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), and turk’s cap lily (Lilium superbum) to bloom. Also in summer, look for the yellow and orange flowers of touch-me-nots (Impatiens spp.) along streams and near springs, and countless spiked blooms of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) rising above the forest floor. The Park’s growing season concludes with a strong display of goldenrods ( Solidago spp.), asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), and wild sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) into the fall.3
- Today’s Photo is a photo that is almost always taken the day of the blog post. In some instances, posts may be backdated if internet access is not available on the day of the photo or other reasons prevent posting Now and Then.
- Photo Favorite is a randomly selected older photograph from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Now and Then.
- Wildflowers – National Park Service, Shenandoah National Park
Note: Reference links were accessed on the date the blog post was published, unless otherwise stated.
