Mostly Photos

Polypore and Feather Moss Galore /  by Todd Henson

Polypore and Feather Moss Galore

This is a photo I created back in 2020, though I let it sit on the computer all this time before doing anything with it. I was drawn to the scene by the contrast between texture and color of the polypore mushroom and the surrounding feather moss. I thought it was a pleasant mixture of browns and green, and I loved that white band around the edge of the mushroom. I hope you enjoy it.

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White and Blue Balloon Flowers on a Hot Summer Day /  by Todd Henson

Balloon flower bouquet

My father and I took a summer drive out to Blandy Experimental Farm, the State Arboretum of Virginia. It was a hot and humid day so we didn’t plan any degree of hiking but we did park and walk around the grounds a bit. Planted along the inside border of the main building were some beautiful balloon flowers. Interestingly, there were both blue and white flowers. We’d only ever seen them in blue so the white were a surprise.

An opened balloon

White balloon flowers

Breaking of the balloon

Through the petals of a blue balloon

A tethered white balloon

Above the balloon

White in a field of blue balloons

I think of balloon flowers as one of my mother’s flowers. She and my father planted some of the blue variety just outside their front entrance and I’d occasionally try photographing them. It’s been almost a year since my mother passed away, just days after her birthday. I wish she could have seen these balloon flowers at the arboretum. I’m sure she would have enjoyed them.

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Mockingbird in C8 /  by Todd Henson

Mockingbird in C8

Today we look at a single photograph of a northern mockingbird, an extremely common bird in Virginia, and yet one I find endlessly fascinating. They are extremely talented musicians, able to perform a much wider range of material than most other birds. I enjoy just sitting and listening, closing my eyes and imagining I’m surrounded by a flurry of dozens of different species instead of just the one bird, so easy to do with their vocal skills.

Photographed in mid-afternoon, the sun still fairly high in the sky with clouds in the background makes for a fairly high-key image. I was pleased the mockingbird chose this perch and posed just so, allowing for this simple composition.

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