White Oak Leaf Speared by a Wild Oat Stem (+5 insets!)

(+5 insets!) Please view large, the details are worth it! :)

We've been having such lovely, sunny days here that warm up to a nice, warm day…but BOY, do they start off COLD! WHOOO!!! By the time I get inside after my 30-minute tromp up and down the driveway, my hands and feet are frozen! When I get into the house I must worship the Monitor Heater God for the next 20 minutes while I thaw out again! Sheesh!

I have been having such a nice time visiting all of you and catching up on your beautiful photography. It really is like going on a trip around the world, a gift to me from each of you. Sometimes you leave something to read, sometimes it's just the picture to explain itself, but always it's nice to see what you are drawn to post for me to see! :)

Today's Pictures: "Caught" Oak Leaf and More!
My main picture is a subject that's a total favorite of mine, the "caught" leaf. On the way down to the ground, sometimes the rare leaf will get stuck on the way. Could be a bush or branch, twigs or grass stems--you never know what might interrupt a leaf on its path. Now, you must stop and think for just a moment about the odds. How in the world can a leaf get stuck on anything? Looking more closely, it's just amazing how tenuous the hang-up spot can be. A breath of breeze might be all it needs to finish its trip to the ground.

This particular White Oak leaf had me all a-gawk! As it dried up, the end of it curled up into a tube. Then it fell and somehow managed to be speared by a wild oat stem--right through that curl in the leaf! How in the WORLD could the odds have lined up to allow this miraculous capture to occur? Nearly a week ago I was walking on our road and of course this marvelous little flag caught my eye. Crouching down to take a closer look, I gasped in surprise when I noticed the leaf's curl and watched as it waved softly in the breeze. I couldn't miss out on this picture so when it warmed up I returned with my camera to capture this cool leaf. Unfortunately the breeze had kicked up in the afternoon and I was pretty annoyed to find that not a single picture turned out of the dozen I'd taken. BOO! I worried about the leaf falling but still, I waited until the next day to try again. This time, instead of a bunch of failed attempts, I got plenty of choices to pick from, yay!

I'm also including a few other prizes from my wander around our property. First off, we still have flowers! It's amazing to believe anything can grow, even though it's hovering around freezing in the morning and the soil has no moisture in it. Only hardy species can survive in our extremely hot and dry summer, an autumn with very little rainfall, and then a frozen tundra until February. But here are two stunning flowers who have no problems with drought! The beautiful yellow flower with a dried flower in bokeh behind is called "Lemon Tarweed", named for the sticky resin droplets that cling to the stems and behind-leaf veins. You'll know you've touched this plant if you smell the lovely lemon scent the disturbed resin releases. The blossoms are smaller and much more scraggly than earlier blooms, but one cannot deny their delicate beauty! The lovely little white flowers are called "Rough Eyelash" and at this point the blossoms are about 2/3 the size they normally are when they bloom earlier.

Next: behold a little upside-down apple! No, wait! That's a manzanita berry, and behind in bokeh you can see a leaf from this wonderful small tree/scrubby brush. I am shocked to say that I've never processed a single one of these berries in all the years we've been on this property! I can only imagine I've got loads of pictures sitting in my archives but I never got to any of them. FOR SHAME!! Such beautiful little berries! I'm including a cluster of berries too, so you can see how they usually grow together in clumps.

Finally, a wad of dried-up White Oak leaves that I liked the look of, all curly with a cool texture!

Thanks everyone, for your visits, comments and favorites. I'm delighted by the words that you leave and often find myself giggling or downright cackling at your remarks about spiders and such! I am equally humbled by your words of joy to see my pictures and your high regards--you are so kind and I am moved by all of your impressions. How I love you all! Please stay safe, warm, and away from nasty little buggies!

Explored on 10/30/20; highest placement #5.