There's a pretty tree in our front yard that I haven't identified yet. The overcast light yesterday afternoon was so soft that the tree glowed yellow.
Using my iPhone 6+ I experimented with a couple of apps just to see what would happen. Foolishly, I neglected to take a "normal" picture of the tree so you could see how it really looked. Maybe today.
Using the Brush Stroke app, I created the first two images, each of which has a different painterly look.
The third photo was made using an app called Slow Shutter. Not only is the shutter slow, but I also purposely moved the phone during the exposure.
All three photos were then processed with Snapseed to give them a bit more punch.
October. My favorite month. Color and daily change. Love it.
Along with changes in local flora, local fauna is also changing. The owls aren't nearly as vocal, with just the gentle hooting of the great horned variety and an occasional complaint from the barred owls. The terns have gone, along with their strange raucous calls. The coyotes are a bit more subdued. Saw a pileated woodpecker the other day -- only the second time I've ever seen one and (bird nerd that I am) it was rather exciting to see that huge form and bright red head clinging to the side of a pine tree. A couple of what sound like ENORMOUS frogs are in residence, croaking loudly from time to time, all day and all night. And I'm still hearing the ravens, so I hope they're nesting nearby.
You know what's really weird, though? And I'm told by someone who has lived here all his life that it's NEVER been like this, is the constant hum of bees. Stepping outside you notice it immediately. They're not honeybees, though, but yellow jackets. We have a nest under the eaves both in the front and the back of the house, way up high. And undoubtedly they're nesting in the trees surrounding the property. Once the weather gets really cold, we'll get rid of the nests. But right now? Frankly, it's kind of scary. They seem to be scouring the grass both front and back, flying low, checking out every little anomaly. Luckily I'm a big anomaly and thus not quite as interesting.
Happy fall! May yours be yellow jacket-free.
©Carol Leigh
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