Random Photos

DennisN · Mar 8, 2025

Unexpected natural effects...

I was out taking some spring shots and discovered an effect I hadn't payed attention to before...
Old, thin bark was hanging out from a couple of branches and sunlight illuminated these thin bark pieces from "behind", making them glow...

Glowing bark...

Bare thin branches of a shrub backlit by low sun, with thin strips of bark along them glowing orange, against a dark brick wall and green foliage below.

closer...

Dark branches of a tree in low sunlight, with thin strips of loose bark glowing orange where light shines through them from behind, against a brick wall.

and closer...

Close-up of a thin dark branch with a glowing orange rim of backlit bark, against a blurred background of bokeh and bare twigs.

...and very close.

Close-up of a thin dark branch with sunlight shining through thin strips of loosened bark, which glow red-orange; a short thorn points down at left and a thorn points up at right, blurred green background.

Two more spring shots:

Stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus)

Stinking hellebore plant with pale green cup-shaped flowers and dark green leaves, growing beside a stone wall in soft, blurred sunlight.

Common whitlowgrass (Draba verna)
- these flowers are really, really tiny! I should try to shoot them with a macro lens in the future, I think.

Small white four-petalled flowers with yellow centres growing low among green leaves on dark, gravelly soil with scattered pebbles.

(Lens used: Canon nFD 50mm f/1.4)

jtbell · Mar 9, 2025

DennisN said:

Glowing bark..

A few days ago I was shopping for shoes and tried on a pair with red/orange accents including bands on the shoelaces. o0)

I prefer the natural versions.

Tom.G · Mar 9, 2025

More illuminated bark.

Pink neon sign in the shape of a stylized dog with a zigzag back, raised tail with white neon strokes, and four legs, mounted on a clear acrylic backing in a dark room.

jtbell · Mar 9, 2025

A light-coloured dog sitting on a wooden floor, wrapped around its head and body with a string of multicoloured Christmas lights.

DennisN · Mar 9, 2025

DennisN said:

- these flowers are really, really tiny! I should try to shoot them with a macro lens in the future, I think.

I did it today, and it was not easy

.
The flowers are only ca 5 cm (2 inches) tall, and they are even hard to find using your eyes...

Common whitlowgrass (close-up)

Close-up of small white five-petaled flowers with yellow centers on thin stems above dark soil, with green basal leaves and small buds nearby.

Common whitlowgrass (close-up)

Macro photo of three small white five-petaled flowers with yellow centres on thin stems against a dark, blurred background.

Some more macro shots I took when I was at it...

Pulvinate dry rock moss (Grimmia pulvinata)

Close-up of a moss mat growing on a stone surface, with small green capsules on slender stalks and brown clumps among frost-like white crystals and patches of grit.

Yellow wall lichen on rock (Xanthoria parietina)

Close-up of bright orange-yellow lichen forming irregular rosettes over a grey stone surface, with pale grey lichen patches and small moss clumps nearby.

Yellow wall lichen on tree

Close-up of lichen covering tree bark: bright yellow-orange rosettes mixed with grey-green frilly foliose lichen over dark brown bark.

Stinking hellebore (close-up)

Close-up macro photo of pale green hanging flower buds on a stem against a dark blurred background, with pink-tinged tips and green leaves.

(all shot with Canon nFD 100mm Macro + 25mm extension tube + CPL filter)

And some spring plants coming up...

Several young green daffodil-like shoots pushing up through dark soil and gravel, with dry grass stems above and small weed seedlings scattered around.

(shot with Canon nFD 100mm Macro + CPL filter)

fresh_42 · Mar 9, 2025

The German name of whitlowgrass is Hunger Flower.

jtbell · Mar 9, 2025

Seen at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds today:

Brass plaque on a dark textured background reading "Sam G. Rand Grandstand" in raised gold letters, mounted on red brick.

Also known as the Sam GRandstand, I suppose.

jtbell · Mar 9, 2025

Back to last year's Knoxville / Oak Ridge trip...

The city of Oak Ridge was opened to the general public in 1949. Security checkpoints at entrances to the entire area were replaced by checkpoints between the city and the sensitive sites where its residents worked, such as the K-25 plant.

Black and white historical photo of the Oak Ridge Turnpike checking station at night, with bright street lamps, guard booths, a barrier arm and a building with a PASSES sign. Park sign below with text about the Gate House.

Small white guard booth with a flat roof and a raised upper window, beside a two-lane road, with bushes and a grassy verge in the foreground under a pale sky.

White single-storey guard station with a raised observation tower topped by a small dome, parked cars in front, and a smaller white booth on the right side of a road.

Peeping through one of the windows:

Interior of a small room with a wooden table and six wooden chairs on a checkered floor, a window with blinds, a metal ladder against the wall, and a dark door on the right.

This parking lot for this station is now a bike/hike trailhead for the adjacent nature preserve.

jtbell · Mar 10, 2025

I passed this today, near Carthage NC.

Tall roadside sign with a yellow-brown metal star shape on top above a red RESTAURANT panel and a white MOTEL sign, beside a small low building on a gray day.

Roadside sign on a rusted steel frame under a canopy, showing a weathered white horse statue above a white panel reading White Horse MOTEL and a red panel reading RESTAURANT.

There are horse farms in this area, so it fits. Alas, both the motel and restaurant seem to have gone out of business.

jtbell · Mar 11, 2025

"Just one more thing" from last year's Knoxville / Oak Ridge trip. On the way home, I took highway US-25 through Hot Springs NC.

The Appalachian Trail runs through the center of town, marked by an emblem in the sidewalk.

Two-lane town street in daylight with a yellow centre line and a painted arrow and directional marking on the asphalt. On the left is a brick building with a United States Postal Service sign and a blue mailbox. Hills and bare trees line the background.

Then across the Asheville-Knoxville railroad, along the other side of the road in this view.

Small-town street scene on a sunny day, with a two-lane road and crosswalk in the foreground, a railroad crossing with signal lights, and a brick commercial building with awnings, one sign reading ARTISAN, backed by wooded hills.

Past the Hot Springs Resort, which served as an internment camp for noncombatant Germans during World War I. At a stamp show, possibly the one I visited in Knoxville on this trip, I saw an exhibit of mail to and from this camp.

Photo of a paved road frontage with a gravel driveway behind brick gate posts and white fencing, a white sign reading HOT SPRINGS RESORT & SPA, a roadside historical marker, and a wooded mountain ridge behind a grassy lawn under a clear blue sky.

And finally across the French Broad River via the highway bridge.

Wide brown river with white rapids flowing toward the right, bordered by bare winter trees, a house on the left bank, and wooded hills under a clear blue sky, seen past a bridge cable.

Bridge railing with a balustrade of concrete posts in the foreground, looking across to a wide river flowing between forested hills with bare trees along the banks under a clear blue sky.

symbolipoint · Mar 12, 2025

The gray ones are about 1 cm in diameter, and the straw orange one is about 2 cm in diameter. I did not try to measure.

Small pinkish-white mushroom cap with radiating gill lines and a dark central point, growing among green grass blades and dry straw.

Small pale pinkish-grey mushroom cap with radiating gill lines, viewed from above, growing among green grass blades; a brown twig lies to the right.

Close-up of a small yellow-orange mushroom with a rounded cap and pale stem growing among green grass blades and dry leaves.

Those first two, some kind of "mycela", were gone when looking there again a couple hours later.

nsaspook · Mar 13, 2025

Glass jar of amber liquid on a wooden counter containing a coiled snake, with a small white cup of pale liquid in the foreground held by a hand.

Wooden counter with a spread of Japanese izakaya dishes: pan-fried gyoza in a black skillet, skewers of grilled meat and vegetables, and a plate of cheese-topped grilled skewers with a lemon wedge, dipping sauce and chopsticks.

BillTre · Mar 13, 2025

Snake in a jar?

jtbell · Mar 15, 2025

On my way home from Florida in December, I spent the night just off I-95 in Kingsland GA. I had enough time before dark to drive to the nearby coastal town of St. Marys and look around a bit.

Street scene in a small town on a cloudy day: a cream two-story building with a covered upper gallery and red awnings, a blue building beyond, palm trees, parked cars, and a white planter box in the foreground.

Photo of a marina at dusk with white motorboats moored beside a long wooden dock, wooden pilings in calm water, and a construction crane at the right edge.

Paved residential street lined by large live oak trees draped with Spanish moss, their limbs arching overhead; a white mailbox stands on the left verge.

Front yard of a white-trimmed two-story inn with porch columns, decorated with red bows and garland for Christmas, a flag, and a sign reading Goodbread Inn 1857, with a white picket fence and a Santa figure on a bicycle.

If I pass that way again, maybe I'll check out the rates at the Goodbread Inn.

The Kings Bay submarine base is nearby, so there's a submarine museum here. It had just closed for the day.

Front of the St. Marys Submarine Museum, a grey block building with a green-and-white sign, a green garland arched over its front, a flag and banana plants beside the entrance.

This well (or what's left of it) dates to the year George Washington died (1799), or maybe the following year since he died in December.

Historical marker titled Washington Pump & Oak beside a weathered wooden pump post set in a concrete base, with a street and palm tree behind it.

Point Conception · Mar 16, 2025

What you dragged me to the fish market again

Woman in a brown spaghetti-strap dress and black face mask standing in a wet indoor market aisle, holding a long wooden walking stick, with fish stalls and shoppers behind her.

Point Conception · Mar 16, 2025

Cup of coffee on a saucer with sugar packets on a wooden table, with a red street banner, palm trees, parked cars and beach umbrellas across the road.

Rive · Mar 16, 2025

A hike (of course) but on a known trail, so we didn't look for themes - they just kept coming anyway...

So, some spring things:

An 'unknown, but strange enough' mushroom (?):

Dark red, wrinkled, lobed fungus fruiting body growing among dry brown leaves and grass on the forest floor, with a grey fallen log behind it.

The new generation of forest frogs:

Frog spawn: a clump of dark-eyed jelly eggs floating on the surface of brown, leaf-strewn pond water.

Large cluster of frog spawn floating on the surface of still water, dark embryos visible inside clear jelly, with blurred bare branches reflected behind.

Close-up photo of frog spawn in shallow water, showing many dark embryo dots inside clear jelly-like egg masses with rippled surface reflections.

symbolipoint · Mar 16, 2025

Found growing at the edge of lawn. I will not eat them. I promise!

Cluster of small brown bell-shaped mushrooms with pale striped caps growing in grass at the base of a concrete curb.

fresh_42 · Mar 16, 2025

symbolipoint said:

Found growing at the edge of lawn. I will not eat them. I promise!
View attachment 358597

They are everywhere on a lawn. What's their name?

symbolipoint · Mar 17, 2025

fresh_42 said:

They are everywhere on a lawn. What's their name?

I have no identity information about them. THESE here were only found in one limited area at the edge of the lawn. They seem to have occurred over not more than a two-day period.

Tom.G · Mar 17, 2025

View attachment 1742272159702.webp

https://treefool.com/2023/11/16/foraging-mica-cap-mushrooms/

Or how to get rid of them:
https://lawn.com.au/how-to-get-rid-of-mushrooms-in-lawn/

Cheers,
Tom

Arrgh! Used to be able to drop an image and have it display. No more, PF now just shows a link. [end rant]

symbolipoint · Mar 18, 2025

Tom.G said:

Arrgh! Used to be able to drop an image and have it display. No more, PF now just shows a link. [end rant]

My viewing of the composition field has some tool buttons along the top. There is found a rectangle with a design suggesting a mountain-view; and this button is between a chain link and a smily face. You may use the "insert image" button to begin adding your image to your post.

Tom.G · Mar 18, 2025

Just tried that.
Result was another copy of the "View attachment..." line.

pbuk · Mar 18, 2025

Tom.G said:

Arrgh! Used to be able to drop an image and have it display. No more, PF now just shows a link. [end rant]

Yet again you complain about PF when the problem is entirely yours.

Either

stop using a browser that does not comply with web standards, or
stop complaining when this causes you problems.

Do you not see how inappropriate it is to waste others' time in this way?

jack action · Mar 18, 2025

pbuk said:

Yet again you complain about PF when the problem is entirely yours.

Either

stop using a browser that does not comply with web standards, or

stop complaining when this causes you problems.

Do you not see how inappropriate it is to waste others' time in this way?

Not true. Somehow, PF doesn't like webp files.

Original file downloaded on my computer before posting with "Insert image":

View attachment 1742272159702.webp

Original file first converted to jpg before posting with "Insert image":

Cluster of small tan mushrooms with pleated grey-brown caps growing in grass among clover, with dry brown leaves on the ground.

berkeman · Mar 18, 2025

Tom.G said:

Arrgh! Used to be able to drop an image and have it display. No more, PF now just shows a link.

PF may not be able to display *.webp images (I'm not sure about that). If the image is *.jpg or similar, and you have explicit BB Codes turned off (toggle the [ ] icon in the toolbar so that the other icons are gray and not red), you should be able to paste in those images.

symbolipoint · Mar 18, 2025

berkeman said:

(toggle the [ ] icon in the toolbar so that the other icons are gray and not red), you should be able to paste in those images.

"Paste", as to mean drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste?

pbuk · Mar 18, 2025

jack action said:

Not true. Somehow, PF doesn't like webp files.

But how do you think it became a webp file? The file on the web page served to a standards compliant browser is a jpg (https://treefool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/coprinellus-micaceus-lawn-mushroom-midwest.jpg) - if @Tom.G is getting a webp then I suggest that it is due to him using outdated, unsupported software.

Tom.G · Mar 18, 2025

Hmm... Now the image file on the original website shows up as a .jpg and it will copy-and-paste here.

Before pasteing in my first post (#2661 above, https://www.physicsforums.com/posts/7249584), I previewed the copied image in Irfan View (image viewer & editor) and it reported the file as a .webp and asked if I wanted it converted to .jpg. I responded "No" and pasted it in the above-mentioned post.

Either the source site changed the file type, or my computer had a headache yesterday (I'm getting one now!).

Here it is again using the same procedure (Irfan View did not ask to convert to .jpg this time).

Cluster of small mushrooms with pale tan, bell-shaped caps and grey-brown gilled caps growing among green clover and grass on the ground.

I vote we write it off as poltergeists and move on.

Cheers,
Tom

jack action · Mar 19, 2025

pbuk said:

But how do you think it became a webp file?

How does that relate to PF not supporting correctly webp images? A format supported by ALL current browsers.

When I click on "Insert image" and want to select a file (tested with Firefox), PF sets up a file filter to restrict the selection to supported types, i.e. jpeg, png, gif, and webp. Yet, webp doesn't work as expected on the forum?

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