Art

Flight of the Maple Keys

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The lacy propellers of the maple keys have always reminded me of insect wings. When I started photographing them with shadows they kind of took on a life of their own with the wings doubling up and the stems turning into little antennae.  Sometimes things come together in a way you don’t expect. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

All images © Karen McRae

Phalaenopsis

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This is a Phalaenopsis  Orchid or Moth Orchid as they are sometimes called. It had been blooming for well over 6 months and I’ve been watching the bloom age because it’s just getting better all the time. Thin and papery with delicate veining and lovely subtle colours. Some things age ever so gracefully.


All images © Karen McRae

Avian Architecture

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So I have a little nest collection. Yes, along with collections of rocks and decaying leaves… but you have to admit they are pretty cool. And all so different. I don’t know what birds built all these nests but everyone does it their own way. Little architectural gems.  (Click to enlarge images.)

This nest is partially built with cigarette filters, lots of them...city dwellers.
A little heavy on the insulation...synthetic fibres.

Oriole Nest, plant fibre weathered and greyed. All images © Karen McRae

Delicate Decay

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Fading Magnolia Leaves
I’ve been collecting gracefully decaying leaves. It seems that magnolia leaves are ideal for this. They fade away slowly leaving behind a beautiful structure of veins. They photograph very nicely and today I was photographing them in the late afternoon with the sun streaming through the window. The tangle of leaf skeleton makes for amazing shadows. (You can enlarge each image by clicking on them.)

While the leaves are gently fading away the magnolia trees have already put on their flower buds for next spring. All images by Karen McRae