And It's Spring (Photo Heavy)

[Mistwalker]

Spring has sprung, the rains have come, and the colors are returning Time to get back to work on a flora database I have been working on for the last five years. I need to re-shoot some of the older early season photos with a better camera.

The main knife for the day is one I have waited on for nearly four years, the mid-tech version of the Fiddleback Forge Kephart. Yes I know it is a departure from the norm, I didn't name it I just happen to like it a lot. I did a review on the handmade version back in 2012, and have been wanting one in CPM S35VN ever since. I like this steel very much for the area I live in, and areas along the coast I like to visit.

It's good to see a little color popping up midst all the gray, brown, and tan.

I found one of the things I was looking for, lots f onions around here. I needed some for my lunch so I made a quick digging stick out of some bamboo I had in the truck from another project.

A few of the plants I need shots of grow in this little gorge. Trillium was the only one I found.

Lunch time was when the onions came into play. I tried a different kind of tuna, I thought it was pretty good. I forgot that my spork is in my daughter's pack from our last hike, so I had to whittle an stir stick. I used the little pan from a zebra billy pot for a bowl, that worked really well.

…...

 

[Mistwalker]

One of the nice things about the CPM S35VN and micarta, clean up is easy. It was just a matter of soak, rinse, and a wipe on some wet moss. Plenty of water and wet moss around. Then air dried, it was good to go.

Fiddle heads are up, the fern are coming back to life.

Lots of sweet gum pollen...

These guys tend to cause my friends who are allergic to bees some distress.

But they are not bees, no stinger.

The eyes and wings give them away. They have fly eyes and only one pair of wings. They are one of the types of bee-flies that mimic bee coloring as a defense mechanism.

Bee faces are shaped much differently, as are the eyes. Bees have two pairs of wings

There are several flies that mimic bees, but they all have one set of wings, no stinger, and fly eyes.

The robber flies that mimic bees actually eat bees

The wine raspberries are under way

They aren't blooming just yet, but by summer they will look like this

But for the now the canopy is barely getting started

…..

 

[mewolf1]

The Red Buds are one of my favorites. Found a northern tolerant strain here and need them in my yard.:thumbup:
Thanks for the hike.

 

[neeman]

Kudos
A wonderful set of Photographs
I so enjoy them
thanks

 

[Pokerchip]

Nice trip sir. I've been able to get out and do some bank fishing lately, but I admit that I don't notice all the small things you do. Perhaps I'll slow down and observe more next time. :thumbup:

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Another Great Post

 

[VANCE]

Fantastic post as always Mistwalker

 

[Mistwalker]

The Red Buds are one of my favorites. Found a northern tolerant strain here and need them in my yard.:thumbup:
Thanks for the hike.

The red buds are one of my favorites too, and they were my mother's as well. When I was 10 we dug several up and took them home and replanted them in the yard. Glad you enjoyed it man

Kudos
A wonderful set of Photographs
I so enjoy them
thanks

Thank you Neeman, I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

Nice trip sir. I've been able to get out and do some bank fishing lately, but I admit that I don't notice all the small things you do. Perhaps I'll slow down and observe more next time. :thumbup:

Thank you sir. I am in the middle of a very extensive project that causes me to be looking very closely for small details. This of course has me seeing lots of other small details that weren't necessarily what I was looking for to begin with, but many of them have been added to the project and so it grows even larger.

Another Great Post

Thank you Bill, glad you liked it bro

Fantastic post as always Mistwalker

Thank you Phillip, glad you liked the post

 

[hasco]

Great post Brian with beautiful photos! I love all the shots and info on the bee mimicking flies and the kephart of course!

 

[tknife]

Excellent, vibrant pics! Love that stream and waterfalls. Your lunch looks delicious too

 

[Mistwalker]

Great post Brian with beautiful photos! I love all the shots and info on the bee mimicking flies and the kephart of course!

Thanks Todd! I'm not allergic to bees, but my mother was severely so. Lack of information cause her a lot of undo stress. Since I have close friends who are that have children who are, it was an inspiration to capture as many detailed photos as I can on the subject to include in the lecture.

Excellent, vibrant pics! Love that stream and waterfalls. Your lunch looks delicious too

Thanks T! I like that area a lot though it takes some doing to get far enough up that creek to avoid all the jerks who like to litter and paint the rocks in the summer time. If it were legal to just shoot the idiots who like to bust their beer bottles on the rocks there would be a lot of skeletons littered along that creek by now...

 

[tknife]

I know the feeling. A lot of areas I hike in have trailheads right off major roads, so there is a lot of graffiti and broken beer bottles everywhere. Luckily they don't venture too far, so a few more minutes of hiking gets me into pristine woods.

 

[TheMadIndian]

I've got to see if In can get those tuna packets by me that looked tasty

and nice pics!!

 

[Mistwalker]

I know the feeling. A lot of areas I hike in have trailheads right off major roads, so there is a lot of graffiti and broken beer bottles everywhere. Luckily they don't venture too far, so a few more minutes of hiking gets me into pristine woods.

Same here. I just go further than they do.

I've got to see if In can get those tuna packets by me that looked tasty

and nice pics!!

Thanks man! I thought it was really tasty. They had a few different flavors. I will try the Thai next time

 

[Rookie82]

Great post, I love seeing the pictures. It makes me feel like I was there with you. That area looks like good ginseng hunting territory.

 

[Mistwalker]

Great post, I love seeing the pictures. It makes me feel like I was there with you. That area looks like good ginseng hunting territory.

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed the post! Yeah we have it here in the hills

 

[Woods Walker]

You are easily a month ahead of me. I really need to crack out my DSLR to up the photos. The Coolpix is good and UL but can't get what the DSLR can. Nice photos.

 

[swonut]

nice macros in the field. thanks for sharing

 

[VTguy17]

Those bee photos are fantastic! You packed a cutting board I love it! I need a small board like that to carry around. Seriously though outstanding post and photos thank you. I'm waiting another month for the morels to start popping up here in VT.

 

[bore]

Beautiful photography! Very nice. Love the water pics. Can hear the water and the bugs Awsome