Sunset No. 1 of 2011

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 28, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm f2.4 AL
1/100 sec. f8
ISO 100

Late July is when the gorgeous-sunset season begins in earnest over Lake Superior -- that's when the evening clouds, which give the skies their most interesting character, enerally are at their best. Here's my first effort this year at calendar-pretty sunset shots. Click on it for a desktop-sized version.

Viper's Bugloss (formerly Mystery bloom)

VIPER'S BUGLOSS (ECHIUM VULGARE) UNKNOWN WILDFLOWER, SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO, JULY 21, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 70mm
1/160 sec. f16
ISO 400

While I was waiting for a train at the Soo, I spotted these gorgeous dime-sized blooms in the weeds at trackside and captured them for my wildflower collection. But I have no idea what they are and they don't appear in any of my wildflower books. Can anyone clue me in? UPDATE: This turns out to be Viper's Bugloss, a.k.a. Blueweed, Blue Devil, Blue Thistle, Viper's Grass, a weed native to Europe and west and central Asia, but an invasive species in North America.

Mayfly

MAYFLY (RITHROGENIA GERMANICA), SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN, JULY 21, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 70mm
1/400 sec. f10
ISO 800

The other day I was waiting aboard a tour boat for a trip through the Soo Locks when this mayfly alighted on a window in front of my nose. Up came the camera, and the result is this portrait. The adult insect, often called a "fishfly" around the Great Lakes for its usefulness as bait -- trout in particular love it -- has a life span ranging from 30 minutes to 1 day, depending on the subspecies.

Common daisy

COMMON DAISY (BELLIS PERENNIS), PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, JULY 12, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI macro
1/2000 sec. f8
ISO 400

What could be more ordinary -- or prettier -- than the sight of a clutch of daisies waving in the breeze at the side of a highway? I just had to stop and get a closeup shot of one, using a high shutter speed to capture the nodding blossom. Next time you're riding with a small child, casually whisper the intelligence that Roman centurions soaked bandages in the juice of crushed daisies to bind battle wounds.

This year's hawkweed

ORANGE HAWKWEED (PILOSELLA AURANTIACA), GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 11, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI macro
1/160 f9 with on-board flash
ISO 100

Also known as Devil's Paintbrush and Fox-and-Cubs, the gaudy orange hawkweed is widely grown as an ornamental plant and is protected in several European regions. Several American states and Canadian provinces, however, consider this wildflower an invasive, noxious weed. New Zealand is trying to keep it out. It has just begun to emerge in Upper Michigan and adds sparkle to the greenery.

Morning sky

MORNING SKY OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 11, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 23mm
1/1250 sec. f9
ISO 800

In mid-July, the summer skies over the south shore of Lake Superior begin to grow dramatic as isolated thunderstorms march from west to east far out over the lake. This shot was taken shortly after 8 a.m. when the sun was still low in the east. Click on the photo for a desktop-sized version.

July sunrise

SUNRISE OVER LAKE SUPERIOR AT GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 7, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 34mm
1/250 sec. f11
ISO 800

As rain clouds drifted in over Lake Superior from the west this morning, the eastern sky's clouds and colors suggested a Van Gogh-like palette, and so I padded outside in bathrobe and slippers to capture the rising sun. Click on the photo for a desktop-sized version and download it if you like.