Some beautiful pictures there, Kitsa.

I've been doing some hiking but not so much picture-taking.

Thanks.

I did a quick hike the other day (starts to get really congested this time of year, and not as fun). Stayed on-trail, but chose a different one than I usually do. :robertfrost

As far as photography, I tried.

...and this toad.

I was really on the lookout for huge and impressive fishing spiders that might eat a toad, but they were staying well-hidden.

OMG THE COLORS

I love green. Makes me wish there was any semblance of nature around me.

One thing I always think about when I hike around here is how many ways there are to be green. Each type of tree is a slightly different shade of it, and then all of the plants on the forest floor and all of the different types of mosses, and so on. The mosses and lichen can be grayish or kelly-green or neon, depending on what they are.

Even the reflected water in the pools and on the streams is a slightly different green than what it's reflecting.

green is the best.

This was on my mom's front porch. It was easily as big as the lightbulb in her porch light.

The rational side of my brain said "Saturniid moth, probably some kind of Polyphemus". The irrational side of my brain said OH MY FUCKING GOD, A TARANTULA WITH WINGS.

Checked for moths again this morning, only to find this tarantula-with-wings laid copious amounts of eggs all over my parents' brick. They'll be warm, but I don't know any species of brick-eating caterpillars.

Will keep an eye on them.

I've actually had a giant moth lay eggs on my hand! It laid about four before it fell off. I tried to find a spot for it but really couldn't think of anything because of our bitch ass cat was trying to get it. All the time mewing at me, begging me to let it go so it can be an asshole. I got pissed and mopey even though it was most likely on the last stage of its life. :(

Bugs are neat. I like them!

That moth is a monster. Lordy.

Huge moths are great. When I worked at Laurel Caverns we had a cecropia caterpillar and when I left it was in its cocoon. :( So I'd been staring at this caterpillar for months and I leave when it's about to become the country's largest moth? Fuck!


Today I went hellbender-hunting (my girlfriend was in a class that went looking for them and found one almost immediately. We went back to the same area hoping for the same results, but got nothin'!).

And later on we were elsewhere trying to take pictures of some lampshade spiders.
Turns out they're hard to photograph!
http://klimp.dk/glown/SPIDR2.jpg

But there were also salamanders in the area! Hurray!


those didn't turn out well either! :(

Love salamanders, they always look like they're smiling. I raised marbled salamanders for a while.

Nice pic fz, what kind of camera was that?

http://sovietcamera.110mb.com/fed2/

And upon examination, I figured out why the ghostly images appear. They should no longer.

White-trash solution: Cardboard lens cap. Light is leaking through a portion of the shutter curtain when it's cocked. The previous owner tried to repair it and must've done their damnedest, but it's obviously not working any longer. Oh well. I'm going to make a lens cap that'll stay on it until the absolute last possible second before I shoot so no like can leak, should I accidentally leave it cocked.

I like all your pics Kista!! I am trying to grow my own veggie garden and everything died :( anyone have tips for me. George said I watered to much so he took over and I dont think he watered enough it was a fail...

Stat=rt with simpler veggies. Tomatoes and hot peppers grow pretty easily, as do green beans

word thanks. Do you think I should start them inside and is it to late in the year?

I went to a shitty spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway that's pretty close to Asheville and a lot of people love it. It's very popular, and I just wanted to go and see what the big deal is.

The big deal is, as usual, that people are fucking morons. It's ok, though, if they keep coming to this place they'll be less likely to fill up the other, much better trails on the Parkway.

This is a close-up of a small salamander. There was a much bigger one nearby, but he went under a rock that I didn't want to disturb (it was half-buried). An older couple caught me looking for salamanders. Later on they caught me looking at the bottom of big rocks that would hang out, "what are you looking for now?"

Seriously this place reminded me of the boring trails piedmont/tidewater Virginia. How utterly disappointing. If people like this, why don't they just fuck off to the coast?

This is ok.

This would be much better if there had been tree cover!

I get mad when I notice discarded beer cans and candy wrappers even though I see those almost every time I go on public land, but seriously? A fucking diaper? Go back to Florida and never fucking come back, you lazy underprivileged fat white piece of trash.
Normally I'm the type to carry out trash I see on trails. Fuck you, assholes.


These guys live in my garage, right above where I get in/out of my car. I always apologize to them (as if they know what that means) because when I head out there, an adult flies out of the garage.

wow thats so cool!!!! what are they?

Barn swallows make mud nests like that, but these guys look kind of big (?)

i didn't know that, that's so awesome!

i've always assumed they're swallows based on the way they fly.

they are so cute >..<
v

Tomato plants can grow inside if you use an indoor pot that hangs so the plant grows downward, but they have a strong odor to them, I would wait till next season. Possibly Mid to late May to plant saplings