Spectacular Spring Sunset

 

On Sunday evening, as I was drawing the curtains in the house to keep out the nighttime chill, I noticed the woods between my house and the road were suffused with pink light.  I grabbed my camera and literally ran out of the house to capture some images because, as all photographers appreciate, sunset light waits for no man (or woman).  Though I captured 20 images, this was my best - by far.  I love the apparent multiple focal planes and the smoky look. 

The Forest Ablaze

For three perfect evenings just before the summer solstice, Kali and I walked the same route through "my" preserve.  As we neared home, I noticed that beams from the low-setting sun were penetrating deeply into the forest and setting it aglow. Naturally, I didn't have my camera with me the first evening, and I forgot to carry it along on the second as well.  But, I didn't make the same mistake a third time.  On June 19, 2013, I captured these dramatic images, which are even more impressive when they're enlarged (if I do say so myself).

I'm most satisfied with the first image, but the second, taken just before the beams disappeared, is more atmospheric.  I've been meaning to share them with my followers, but keep forgetting that I have the images in my archive.  I hope you enjoy them.

Arborglow

 I was cleaning up my vegetable garden and raking leaves late Friday afternoon following Thanksgiving, and looked up just as the sun was setting to see the tops of the trees ablaze. The effect reminded me of alpen glow, but translated to the Piedmont foothills rather than snow capped peaks.

Nighthawk Sunset

Despite temperatures in the low 90s, we decided that the humidity was temperate enough last evening to allow us to enjoy a walk in our natural area after dinner. Good call!

As we were nearing the end of the walk, we were treated to a sunset that rivaled the best that the West has to offer. Such sights are not common in the Mid-Atlantic, especially not in the summer, so we drank it in.

Though we've been keeping an eye out for the last week or so, we hadn't seen any migrating Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor), which usually grace the sky during the last week of August or the first week of September. These birds are in serious decline because of habitat loss, and I was beginning to despair that we wouldn't see any this year. Then, not 100 meters from the end of the trail, over the broad expanse of native grasses planted in the natural area, four nighthawks appeared in the sky, wheeling and swooping in pursuit of late flying insects. One flew no more than ten feet over our heads. Then, as the sunset faded, the birds vanished.

October Sunset and Little Bluestem

A walk at dusk in my natural area produced some interesting sunset images. I especially liked the texture of the clouds.

Just a few minutes more and a few hundred feet further along the trail produced this image. Between the colors and the shapes of the clouds, they're almost menacing.

Also along the trail I came across a stand of native little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium). Though the stems have a bluish-gray tinge during the growing season (hence the name), in the fall and winter they turn a glorious russet color that's particularly impressive when the grass grows in broad swaths.

We're in for more wet weather this weekend--especially tonight into Saturday night. Yuck--another potentially beautiful autumn weekend ruined by rain. It'll probably knock the leaves off the trees just as the colors are reaching their peak.

Sunset, New Year's Eve eve

I'm really taken with the view from my office window in the waning light of winter evenings. Last night, a sliver of a moon joined the bare winter branches.