Nuzzle Under The Evening Sun ...

“When you look a wild animal in the eye, it's like catching a glimpse into the soul of nature itself.”

     ~ Paul Oxton

    ~ founder & director of 

            Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation

My favorite white-tailed deer button buck ~ Buttons, as I call him, at right ~ gets a sweet nuzzle from his twin sister under the early evening sun on beautiful late April day at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

I began photographing Buttons as a precious white-spotted fawn, then a sweet button buck and then a beautiful yearling, until he migrated away in January 2020. Along the way I tossed him many apples, which he loved eating. It’s a true joy and blessing to me personally and as a photographer to have watched this white-tailed deer grow.

 

Daisy Maze Of A May Morning ...

“… I got daisies in green pastures, I got my man, who could ask for anything more?...”

               ~ “I Got Rhythm”

           ~ composed by George Gershwin,

               lyrics by Ira Gershwin

                        ~ 1930

A maze of wild daisies ~ simple, joyful flowers that are my very favorite ~ dance in the morning sun on a beautiful late May day at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

I shot this the morning of May 31, 2022 after taking sunrise photos at the preserve. I spent several hours walking through the preserve’s beautiful spring scenery with the air soft and warm in the low 70s before temperatures soared into the 90s.

 

The Awakening Spring ...

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”

     ~ John Muir

     ~ 1838 ~ 1914

What a joyful sight to see these purple and white early spring crocuses ~ also known as snow crocuses ~ bloom on St. Patrick’s Day afternoon ~ March 17, 2023 ~ as the seasons edge closer to spring in the waning days of winter at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Because of their very early bloom time, these blooming crocuses are often considered the first sign of spring, a cheery welcome to warmer weather!

Growing from bulb-like structures called corms, crocuses are low-growing perennial plants from the Iris family. They can often be seen peeking up through the snow well before any other flowers appear on the landscape.

 

Among the very first flowers to bloom each spring, crocuses come in Easter-egg colors of purple, yellow, lavender, cream and white.