Cupped Peony Petals

A beautiful, delicate looking pink and white peony with its multi-layers of petals shaped into a cup as the blossom opens to the light.

Peony Parfait

I love seeing peonies. To me, these lovely pink and white, multi-layered ruffed beauties, are the ultimate in visual parfaits - an eyeful of fluff, froth, creaminess and sensory pleasure.

Memorial Day Tribute

A day to remember those lost serving their country, defending r and protecting the freedoms and rights of their generation and generations to come. And... a day to pray that we, have the wisdom, inspiration and commitment to support what they fought to preserve.

Pink Peony and Buds

A lush, buautiful pink and white peony and two buds.

Peony Joy

This beautiful pink and white peony with yellow and green center, seems to be bursting with the joy of the Spring season, seen against a green grass background.

Great Egret and Mating Plumes

A beautiful white Great Egret displaying its mating plumage (aigrettes) with the green breeding colors of the eye area matching the lush new Spring vegetation at a rookery in the coastal wetlands of southern New Jersey. Final post from my Mother's Day weekend visit to the rookery. Eggs have hatched and I'm wanting to go back to see the chicks.

Snowy Egret in Flight

The last of my Snow Egret series, as he departs his nest area to acquire branches for the nest. He made several trips back and forth to the nest, as I watched, to find and bring back nesting materials. When he returned, he stayed in the nest, which was out of sight, to rest or perhaps to work on inserting the branches into the nest platform.

Snowy Egret on a Mission

This nesting Snowy Egret made repeated trips in and out of the nesting area, deep behind the vegetation, to gather nesting material for his nest. He had just delivered a large branch and, here, is ready to lift off to acquire another. He made multiple trips back and forth, bringing est materials, before going into the nest for a rest.

Snowy Egret Delivering Nest Material

A male Snowy Egret delivering branches to its nest in a well hidden area of dense salt marsh vegetation. Like Great Egrets, the Snowy males select the nest location and lay down a platform for the nest, which is the base for his mating displays. Once mating occurs, he brings additional branches to complete the nest forthe female to lay eggs by going to and fro collecting the materials needed. They work together to arrange the branches to their liking in the nest.

Snowy Egret Gathering Nest Material

A nesting Snowy Egret foraging on the ground to gather twigs and branches to bring back to the nest in a wetlands area of Great Egg Harbor Bay in southern New Jersey.

Endless View of Marsh Grasses

Layer upon layer of marsh grasses in warm hues from low, late afternoon sun at a NJ wildlife preserve. I drove south 2.5 hours for a Mother's Day overnight visit with my firstborn, daughter Carolyn. Due to a foot injury, she was unable to walk very far so we drove through this 8 mile preserve hoping to see migrating birds. No luck with the birds, other than sandpipers and multipe osprey nests with adults on the eggs. All too far away for photographs. But, it was a lovely drive and visit. "Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge protects more than 48,000 acres of southern New Jersey coastal habitats. More than 82 percent of Forsythe refuge is wetlands, of which 78 percent is salt marsh, interspersed with shallow coves and bays. The refuge’s location in one of the Atlantic Flyway’s most active flight paths makes it an important link in seasonal bird migration."

NYC Last Call for Sundown

The final deep hues of sundown copper, gold and yellow seem to obstinately cling to the skyscrapers and reflect in the darkening Hudson River just before the sun drops below the horizon to usher in the night.

Two Coral Roses

A close up portrait view of a pair of beautiful coral orange roses.

Spring Bouquet for Mother's Day

A section of a bouquet filled with a gorgeous array of flowers and colors - a gift from my youngest and her family for Mother's Day.

Yellow Hibiscus Flower

A close up view of a beautiful saucer-sized yellow hibiscus flower.

Red-winged Blackbird Portrait

A red-winged blackbird perched on a marsh reed against yellow- green grasses and sky background.

NYC Afternoon Sailing on the Hudson River

It's always an uplifting sight each Spring when the first 'little' sailboats begin dotting the Hudson River to test out the boats and the sailor skills after a winter out of the water. Actually, they are not so little but seem that way from afar compared to the surrounding structures.

Spring Pink Flower

I don't know what this flower is, but saw it blooming in a large mixed pot as the tall center stalk flower surrounded by phlox and violas. Seemed like a cheerful, uplifting way to send Mother's Day greetings to SM moms, grandmoms, stepmoms. Hope everyone has a lovely day!

A Hair-Raising Heron Moment

This Yellow-crowned Night Herons were sitting in the branches of wetlands vegetation - perhaps on a nest, calmly preening each other when a red-winged blackird did a flyby a little too close and spooked them. They became instantly alert and raised their feathers in a show of strength and "Don't Mess with Me" attitude - at least that's what it seems like to me.

Glossy Ibis Breeding Plumage

A Glossy Ibis during breeding season perched atop a wetlands grouping of trees and shrubs with the open lighting bringing out the iridescent qualities and colors of its plumage,with blues, greens, deep copper and violet. There is a nest nearby in that dense foliage. I saw several, climbing around in the underbrush, hard to find with their typical almost black color. Delighted that I had two opportunities to see one come out in the open.

Breeding White Ibis NJ Wetlands

A beautiful specimen of a female white ibis, standing in the tree tops, during breeding season with her bright orange face and legs and blue eyes. This image shows a good view of her neck red gular pouch which is only displayed for about 10 days during the breeding time. The male and female white ibises have the same coloring but only the female displays the pouch.

Preening White Ibis at Breeding Time

A White Ibis with the breeding season deep red-orange beak and blue eyes preens its feathers in a wetland rookery of southern New Jersey.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Raised Wings

A Yellow-crowned Night Heron in breeding plumage showing long head plumes, with raised wings as it preens while perched on a tree branch. . Photographed at a wetlands area in south New Jersey. Both Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned have red eyes typically. During breeding season, the area in front of the eye also turns red as do the legs. After mating, within a few days, the breeding colors begin to fade away. They are nocturnal feeders and the red in the cones and rods of their eyes, allow them to have the night vision required to find food. Both types of night herons are on the threatened species list in New Jersey due to loss of habitat.

Perching Black =Crowned Night Heron

A Black-crowned Night Heron in breeding plumage, with long head plume and red eyes, perched on a branch in a south New Jersey wetlands area. A nest is well hidden deep in the vegetation.

Nesting Great Egret and Eggs

A nesting Great Egret tending to the three eggs in the nest in a wetlands area of southern New Jersey.

Nesting Great Egret

A Great Egret lying on the nest protecting the new eggs which should hatch in about three weeks. Photographed in the wetlands of southern New Jersey.

Great Egret Mating Display

A male Great Egret putting on an eye-catching mating display in Southern New Jersey. Bobbing up and down and fluffing out his long and beautiful plume, he was sure to catch the attention of one of the females nearby. I stopped at this wetlands area in South New Jersey on my way for an overnight visit with my daughter, then again on my drive back home. Day 1 visit did not produce much due to mid-day harsh light. Happily, I did get a couple of shots of this display.

NJ Shore Seascape in Blue and Gold

A tranquil, beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean with a gentle surf coming onto shore in whitecapped layers with a cloudy horizon and blue sky. Photograped in Ocean City New Jersey.

Fishing Club Pier , Sea, Sand and Reflections

A view of a fishing pier at Ocean City. NJ reflected on the wet sandy beach and topped by a blue puffy cloud-filled sky, as a gentle surf rolls ashore.

Boardwalk Attractions NJ Shore

A shot from a quick trip to the beach last week. Boardwalk and oceanside attractions and eateries are spruced up and ready to start the season. On this day, there were few people enjoying the boardwalk and a few of the shops open, but by the end of the month, it will be booming here. Ocean City NJ.

Pear Blossoms and Blue Sky

A branch of white blossoms, that I believe are some kind of wild pear tree, blooming high atop the tree against a blue sky.