Cigar Tree Blossoms

Well, I finally got my cigar tree blossoms pictures.
Blooms late June, early July, evidently.



The blossoms are beautiful and interestingly shaped, come in clumps, and smell wonderful.
White, with purple and gold.







Here's a photo of the leaves, blossoms, and last year's "string beans" fruit which is what captured my attention originally when I saw the trees. Last year's, so brown in color, but normally green when new.



The full tree was in a spot that is difficult to capture on camera, but here is the best I could get. Not a very big tree.



I love this tree.

previously
google images

A Few Photos

Magpies are a more prominent presence at our place this year, but have been difficult to catch on camera:


Water marks on the trees from the flood last year:

Trees

Another photo to add to my tree collection. I never get tired of these.

Amur Maples

I think these are Amur Maples.
They sure are pretty this year.



Lots of trees still have green leaves right now, which is unusual for our area.



usda
Amur maple (Acer ginnala)

ndsu

google images

Photo Walk

Some photos I like from a photo walk.



(Continuing the into the sun tall tree shadows photography study.)



Red Admiral Butterfly. I like the angle and the wood texture background. I thought it might be unusual to see butterflies this late in the autumn? Captured another one on camera but could not positively identify.

Peachy Autumn Colors

Playin' around in Paint Shop Pro:

VM Toolbox Crystal Ball Filter/Plugin (Free):



VM Natural Lakeside Reflection Filter/Plugin (Free):



I love the peachy orange, gold and green leaf colors on these.

Cropped Original:



Kaleidoscope:

Pretty Colors

I'm not sure what kind of tree this was.
I thought maybe sumac, but I thought sumac leaves turned red in autumn?
Anyway, I was standing underneath it taking photos of the leaves hanging down around me.
The leaf colors were actually more muted greens and golds, but I pumped up colors and contrast and they turned rust and brilliant green.

Kaleidoscope:

Autumn Sunrise

Waiting for the coffee, looked out the window, and...
Attention!
Nature is putting on a fabulous sunrise show this morning.
Go.
Now.

East:



West:



Up:

Tall Shadows

I liked this one:


So I went out to the same area and shot more the next day, but the lighting wasn't quite the same.
More contrast, and the foregrounds were too dark, so didn't get the brilliant green grass I wanted.
(S3 Canon Point and Shoot camera.)

This next one has quite a bit of post processing, but I like it.



Here's the Original, no post processing:


What I did in Paint Shop Pro:
Lifted the Shadows 90, Midtones 50, Highlights 20
Pumped up colors: Vibrancy 20, Soft Light 50
Chromatic Aberration Removal in the sky by the sun.
Burn Brush touch up on spots that got too faded.

Autumn Colors On Dirt Bike Trail

Right now, it's the perfect outdoor weather.
I love the autumn sun.
I love the cool crispy mornings.
I love the colors.
Is there anything I don't absolutely adore about autumn?
I don't think so.

Nothing I like better than to wander a new outdoor trail on a cool calm clear crispy autumn morning, with my camera, of course.

The trail:


But first,
Wild turkeys:

I thought the turkeys at alert attention with their heads in different directions made it such an interesting photograph. Perfect autumn leaves background too.
This was a situation where the DSLR gave a much richer higher quality photo than my little point and shoot. Not always that vast of difference between the two.

And then the climb up the steep hill:


Biker was going down the hill:


Pretty tree:


Sunshine in the trees:



More autumn colors:

Under The Sumac Tree

We were at the monastery beside/on University of Mary campus South Bismarck with overlook views of the Missouri river.

I was interested in these nifty fernlike trees.
I think they are sumac trees.



ND Tree Handbook
(See section III small trees.)

Family Anacardiaceae (cashew/sumac)

The tree body looked more like the image of
Sumac, Smooth (Rhus glabra)
Similar to Staghorn sumac but shorter.

But I think it's probably the
Sumac, Staghorn (Rhus typhina/Rhus hirta)
wiki
(See "Male flower cluster" image.)

Mine looks similar:


The sumac trees are probably gloriously ablaze with red leaves in autumn.



The monastery has a labyrinth.
(Better image view of the labyrinth pattern here.)
I'd like to walk it sometime. Maybe I'll return in the autumn, so I can also see those pretty sumac tree leaves.




Four Labyrinths in the state.
This one is described as Medieval, 11 circuit, grass pathway, edged with natural stones.

Snow On Water In June

Snow on water in June:


Not really.



This is why you don't want a cottonwood tree that produces cotton.
Kind of a mess.

Even the flowers got dusted with it.