Back yard--21 images, very photo heavy . . .

I've said before that I'm a fairly good technician but not so much an image maker. That said, the topic of Back Yard lends itself to technical talents. Not planning to enter the contest but if I did it'd be this one:


I've got almost 30 years of photos from my back yard. Just 'cause I'd like to share here are a few in no particular order:


Nope, not two butterflies doing the nasty, only one with a 50/50 chance of fooling a predator about which way he's going when he leaves.






These little geckos didn't live here when I first moved in. Global warming anyone?


Texas Rat Snake. Necessary to have around but really ill tempered.


Not technically MY back yard, but my next door neighbor's.


How cute are kids and small furry creatures?


Or large furry creatures with small furry creatures?


Brown Earth Snake. Named that for the same reason we call them Earth Worms and about the same size. Very sweet and docile, just what ya' want for small boys!












Not technically very good but just couldn't resist showing you the epitome of a Texas summer.











That's all folks!

I think both the gecko shot and the shot of the bird feeding her young are excellent, beautiful photos that have as much chance of winning as anything else I've seen from initial backyard shots. I really, really love the gecko shot!!

Yup, there is a GREAT contest entry among these.

My self imposed limit of only entering something shot after the announcement of the theme limits me to only the Stone in Rotted Stump and the Pushme Pullyou butterfly.

Other reason is that on the unlikely chance I'd actually win I'm not up to running the next contest. Too much going on to spend the time needed to do it.

Thanks for the compliments tho . . .

hosting the next contest.

I'm debating myself if I want to enter something from my backlog of backyard shots. My yard right now is pretty unremarkable, but I have some nice shots from earlier seasons/backyards in my life.

It's a great photo. Even if you think it doesn't have a chance of winning, you should still enter it just to show it off to the rest of DU. :hi:

The transparent wings might be my favorite, and I also love the Gecko on such an unusually colored "bed".
Please put one in the contest.
I very much love the top one, too.

All except the top two are too old for me to enter--when I participate I only enter stuff I shot during the contest period, it's a personal thing.

Really really nice pics. The gecko and the pink-ish blossoms just above the passionflower...gorgeous.
Thank you for letting me visit Texas..you have the same critters we do, but I don't miss the close up snake views.

I'm thinking a close up is the way to go. Maybe I can find a bug or two in my yard. We have ants. No snakes, though. Thank god.

and a host of other pests. You probably have a number of snakes in your yard and don't know it. North America only has four poisonous snakes and they're all very timid and retiring.

At the marina where I work they eat baby ducks and that's a GOOD thing! Baby ducks grow up to be big ducks that people feed so they never leave. It gets to be a crowd and they poop all over the dock, boats and walkways. Yeccch!

I'll never go in my yard again...

I have cats that deal with rodents, more efficiently than I would like, as one of them will bring the rats in and leave for me under my dining room table. At least a snake would do its dirty work outside my dining room.

I think we have snakes here. There are some rattlers and large rattler like looking gopher snakes but I have not been priviledged to find any in my yard. And for that I am grateful.

Yes, I know snakes are good things and perhaps it was you that took a photo of one a couple of years back. Put it in the crisper, next to the lettuce so it would cool down and be easily molded into a pleasing pose. I'll never forget that pic.

What people will do for a shot... :-) Was that you???

Mz Pip

slow them down and to make them easier to pose.

Love the frogs and flowers the best!

And you captured the spirit of the little one running through the sprinkler!

The flowers with the water droplets...nice shot, and I like the effect of increasing the blacks. It isolates the subject nicely. It's a nice set of pictures--thanks for posting them.

These pictures are amazing. You have quite a diverse array of critters there. I especially like the black beetle. Any one of these could win the contest, but I understand your reasons for not entering.

I loved all of your photos. They reminded me so much of my childhood. I spent my days in the woods exploring and finding all kinds of critters from a baby red squirrel only about a day old at the base of a tree (my mother gave him a jolt of whiskey, placed him in a yarn slipper on top of the warm radio;he lived with us (ruled the house) for years) to creepy, crawly things in the creek. Thanks for taking me back, if only for a few precious moments!

I love the gecko, but I also like the shiny green beatle on the leaf.

Outstanding!!

But, if I was forced to chose just one, it would have to be the bright-eyed kids feeding the bushy-tailed nut-cracker. That photo has everything. Bravo.