Yesterday I got up and didn’t have to dress like a polar bear. I liked that, but it got better! Due to my increased comfort I felt brave enough to just throw on some jeans, clogs and a sweatshirt to try to take some pictures in the fog. I had wanted to try this since I read about it in Kerry Mark Leibowitz’ blog entitled Lightscapes Nature Photography. The particular post I mention can be found HERE <— (click) but don’t pass up his other work it is breathtaking!
I will try not to be too wordy today, it will be hard, but I will try. But first a word about picture quality. If you want a really stunning view of the more artistic photos here, then please click them to sharpen them up! 😉
Ground fog in the country
I liked the stark beauty of these twisted branches against the muted background.
I wanted to share more of these with you, but this turned out to be the best of the bunch. So, I will share some others that I took while out on my early morning excursion.
Farming
Farmers, being early risers, need a bit of light to keep things running smoothly.
We call these the Walkingsticks, but they’re properly called irrigation and they are huge.
Each section is roughly 10 to 12 feet in length. This particular string was nine lengths long. The rest of it is on the other side of the rise in this picture. Notice the light in the upper right?
Each of the “walkingsticks” is attached to an underground water source. As it runs, sorry I don’t understand the mechanics involved, anyway, as it runs it slowly travels on the wheels and in a circuit around the well pipe to keep the crops irrigated.
This new to our area watering system was begun last year. Trenches were dug, pipelines laid , and submersed pumping stations set up to keep the crops irrigated. We are fortunate here to have massive underground water reserves to keep things growing even when it doesn’t rain… It’s all that limestone and underground rivers and caves!
A severe drought was the case in this post <— (click) of August 2010, and as it will happen, they’ve installed all the costly irrigation and now we have had plenty of rain. However, better prepared than to do without!
It has in fact rained so much that the soil is saturated to the point that the water collects in puddles now and will not drain away. Do you see the Alligator in this puddle? 😉
It takes very big equipment to prep all the fields and ready them for planting. Big tractors, and other farm equipment leave big tracks in the soil. You may have an opinion about Big Agribusiness and the practices they follow, but I will not get into that topic here. Suffice it to say that you know my mind on gardening practice here on the Farmlet.
The lake scene above came from this set of mighty tractor ruts!
This compacted area will be like concrete when it dries in summer. Note to self, when running out the door, take a moment to put on proper hikers, and not your nice expensive clogs!!!
Later that same day…
The sun came out and warmed the air to 76 degrees, everyone enjoyed the break from the cold and gloom of wintertime. This rise in temperature caused the sap to rise in the maple trees, which dripped down the trunks from the holes the woodpeckers had made. It was a sticky mess but apparently, not everyone felt the same as I did.
Do you see her?
How about now?
She is sipping the maple sugar through a straw her *proboscis.
~*~*~*~
!!!
The leftovers from last years harvest.
~*~
*NOTE: I know that technically proboscis is correct, but it certainly lacks that alliterative quality of the word straw. Does it not?
Life on the Farmlet 
Thanks for the shout out, Lynda. You’ve done very nicely with your fog shot. See how much the fog added to the mood? The leafless tree outline (trunk and branches) fit the theme nicely.
BTW, back in August, I posted an entry that dealt specifically with shooting in fog: http://lightscapesphotography.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/the-great-equalizer/
That’s the one I was looking for, but couldn’t find it. I will change it. Thank you for your comment on my shot too! 😀 ~ L
The foggy shot is marvellous. I’m off now to check out the recommended reading! Hope you have a great weekend 🙂
Thank you Claire, and you as well!
Hi,
I love your fog picture, a little bit eerie as well, would look fantastic on a book cover of a novel I thought. 🙂
It is amazing the different type of machines that farmers have now, it certainly must make life on a farm a little bit easier.
A gorgeous photo of the butterfly? You have good eyesight to spot that one on the tree, well done. 😀
Thank you! Spotting the butterfly was a fluke! I glanced out the window from the dinning room and the leaf on the side of the tree fluttered… in a very unnatural way! So, I grabbed the camera and ran outside to get a picture. I took 170 + pictures of that butterfly and a few others who arrived at the time. However most were a blur because of the strong breezes and wind gusts at the time. Ah, well… at least two of them were printable! 😉
~ L
Wonderful post – makes me feel like I am right there. That first shot is amazing!
Way to make me feel special, thank you Julie! I’m glad you liked it.
~ L
😀
I have seen that type of irrigation around here. Butterflies are amazing, aren’t they? This one looks like a leaf on its own.
I hadn’t either until the droughts. I had seen it in the desserts, though not up close. I saw the patterns they make… those giant green circles you see when you fly in an airplane! ~ L
Soil compression from big machines is a real problem without a solution. Long live small scale farming. I like the light on the machine.
I know, Tom. But (!!!) we don’t have to be a part of the problem, now do we? Let’s hear it for the small gardens everywhere! ~ L
I agree with that. Hear, hear.
😀
Very beautiful camera shots! I love fog shots and recently worked with Daisy deer in the fog… need to get that post going! The butterfly is a Comma, which is the angled-winged family of butterflies. I see them often here on the edge of the woods. Most times we will see them after trimming trees in the woods where they alight on the newly-cut wood. Are you using a macro lens by chance? The lichen on the tree is particularly fascinating, balancing the color. Great work!
The center pivot irrigation is popular in Nebraska but I am not so fond of it. Watering from higher up allows for a high percent of water loss due to evaporation and wind drift. With water shortage in some areas, it could be a concern to use this type of irrigation system in the future. However, for big farms and corporate farm setups, it’s probably time and labor saving to utilize such a setup.
You are a wealth of information today. Thank you, and thank you also for the compliments! I was hoping that someone would have an ID on that butterfly… I thought she was beautiful!
I love the photo of the tree. Trees are one of my favorite things in nature. These photos remind me of my childhood on a farm in Kentucky.
I’m glad you like them! I was raised in Southern California and this is all new to me. BTW, My Grandfather was from the south side of Kentucky, but I can’t recall the town. He was a mountain man who drank from a jug and played the “Fiddle.” 😉
~ L
Thanks for your comments on my blog! These are some beautiful photos you are taking as well. I especially like the moth and the ground fog. Stay in touch. As I am new to my “farmlet” as well, it seems we will have a lot in common.
Thank you Katy! We do, and I will! ~ L