Category: Nature

Views of nature and the natural world. Plants, animals, and wildlife from around the world.

Four-Years Ago (10-June-2013) — At Sea

Gone to See Europe. Semester at Sea Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Day 45: At Sea between Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Late night or early in the morning (hard to tell this far north when there isn’t much darkness at night) I looked out my cabin window on the MV Explorer and saw the electric blue Noctilucent clouds. I read about them before (http://www.spaceweather.com/), but had never seen them.  The clouds are ice crystals that are very high that you can only see for a short time when the sun is below the horizon. One theory is the crystals are nucleated when micro-meteors pass through the upper atmosphere. We were in the Baltic Sea traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen and the sun doesn’t set until very late I set up a camera in my cabin and and started taking pictures.(Nikon D4 camera, 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 200 or 800, 28 mm, f/1.8, 1 sec)).

Noctilucent Clouds Over the Baltic Sea. From my cabin on the MV Explorer while traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 200, 28 mm, f/1.8, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Noctilucent Clouds Over the Baltic Sea. From my cabin on the MV Explorer while traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 200, 28 mm, f/1.8, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)


Noctilucent Clouds Over the Baltic Sea. From my cabin on the MV Explorer while traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 800, 28 mm, f/1.8, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Noctilucent Clouds Over the Baltic Sea. From my cabin on the MV Explorer while traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 800, 28 mm, f/1.8, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)


Noctilucent Clouds Over the Baltic Sea. From my cabin on the MV Explorer while traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 800, 28 mm, f/1.8, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Noctilucent Clouds Over the Baltic Sea. From my cabin on the MV Explorer while traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 800, 28 mm, f/1.8, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)


Five-Years Ago (09-June-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Spring Nature in New Jersey.

OK, I nibbled your Yucca Flowers, but they were so sweet.  Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens ((ISO 800, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC.

OK, I Nibbled Your Yucca Flowers, But They Were So Sweet.  Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens ((ISO 800, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC. (David J Mathre)
OK, I Nibbled Your Yucca Flowers, But They Were So Sweet.  Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens ((ISO 800, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC. (David J Mathre)

Wednesday (07-June-2017) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Walkabout in my wildflower garden with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 90 mm f/2 lens. Lots of red poppies, some large and some small. One series at different apertures (including a close-up crop). Still only one blue bachelor button (cornflower) blooming.

Pink Poppy flower. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 90 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 90 mm, f/11, 1/70 sec). (© 2017 David J Mathre)
Pink Poppy flower. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 90 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 90 mm, f/11, 1/70 sec). (© 2017 David J Mathre)
Bachelor button wildflower. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 90 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 90 mm, f/2, 1/5400 sec). (© 2017 David J Mathre)
Bachelor button wildflower. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 90 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 90 mm, f/2, 1/5400 sec). (© 2017 David J Mathre)


Ten-Years Ago (07-June-2007) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Afternoon walkabout. A bunny running away, a daisy wildflower, and a white moth.

Bunny on the run. Late-spring backyard nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens and SB-800 flash (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec) (David J Mathre)
Bunny on the run. Late-spring backyard nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens and SB-800 flash (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec) (David J Mathre)


Tuesday (06-June-2017) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Wildflowers and plants after yet another rainstorm this spring. Including the first Bachelor Button flower of the season.

First bachelor button wildflower of the season. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 55-135 mm lens (ISO 100, 135 mm, f/5, 1/160 sec) (David J Mathre)
First bachelor button wildflower of the season. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 55-135 mm lens (ISO 100, 135 mm, f/5, 1/160 sec) (David J Mathre)
Red poppy flower drooping after the rain. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 55-135 mm lens (ISO 100, 135 mm, f/5, 1/160 sec) (David J Mathre)
Red poppy flower drooping after the rain. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 55-135 mm lens (ISO 100, 135 mm, f/5, 1/160 sec) (David J Mathre)