GLEN ARBOR, MI – Voted “Most Beautiful Place in America,” by ABC Good Morning America viewers. Sweeping dunescapes fill your viewfinder during this magical photography adventure at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. With 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline on the scenic Leelanau Peninsula, it comes as no surprise that many consider it a national treasure. [...]
Eco-Photo Excursions, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Spring
Delightful look at Mother Nature’s wild garden, photograph by Cathy Jones Featured Alumni Photo: “White Trillium and Spring Beauty” by Cathy Jones is a delightful look at Mother Nature’s wild garden of spring. It’s a well composed, well exposed capture that can’t help but bring joy to its viewer. However, one fault I find with [...]
featured alumni photo, Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tip, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowers
Michigan Nature 101: Woodpeckers Drumming, First Signs of Spring One of the very first signs of spring in my neck-of-the-woods is the sound of woodpeckers drumming. Why Do Woodpeckers Drum? Unlike other songbirds, woodpeckers do not have a distinctive song as part of their avian vocabulary. Instead, drumming is the way the birds communicate, and woodpeckers [...]
birds, Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, Seasonal Photography, Spring
Featured alumni photo of a green-tinted trillium. Featured Alumni Photo: This past May 11th, we conducted our Ephemeral Spring Eco~Photo Excursion at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The trillium were magnificent! One of our participants, Craig Stoehre, captured a photo of a Green-tinted trillium (T. grandiflorum). The green coloration is caused by a virus [...]
alumni, Craig Stoehre, featured alumni photo, Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowers
Nodding Trillium of Michigan – a shy but beautiful wildflower. Michigan Nodding Trillum. Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) could be considered the shyest trillium of our eight species native to the Great Lakes region because it hides its blossom beneath a tight whorl of broad, ovate leaves. Its habitat varies from mixed coniferous-hardwoods in the north, [...]
Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowers
Spring wildflowers love the bright light and full sunshine. Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: The majority of early spring wildflowers respond and open during bright sunshine. Sometimes good photos can be captured during such lighting conditions, but for the most part, bright overcast light would be more desirable. The image of a Round-lobed Hepatica [...]
Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, Seasonal Photography, Spring, wildflowers
Bent Trillium (Trillium flexipes) is perhaps the most confusing of the eight-trillium species native to the Great Lakes region. Also known as ‘Drooping’ or ‘White’ trillium, it often hybridizes with Red Trillium (T. erectum) and Nodding Trillium (T. cernuum), creating even more confusion for the armature botanist. It occurs in 20 Michigan counties, down the [...]
bent trillium, Mark S. Carlson, Spring, trillium, wildflowers
Trilliums of Michigan – Snow Trillium, a threatened species. Michigan Snow Trillium: Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale) is the true harbinger of spring of the eight Great Lakes trillium species. Blooming as early as mid-March, it often wakes up under a blanket of snow, hence it’s name, nivale, meaning “of the snow.” In fact, snow trillium [...]
Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, snow trillium, Spring, trillium, wildflowers
Trilliums of Michigan – Red Trillium Red Trillium of Michigan: After Snow Trillium (T. nivale), “Red Trillium” (T. erectum) is the next trillium species in the Great Lakes region to begin its bloom period. As a result, it’s sometimes referred to as “Wake-robin”. From mid to late April into June, this striking flower of the [...]
Mark S. Carlson, red trillium, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowers
Spring! Wildflowers hidden in the woods…so alluring for naturalist photographer. Michigan Photographers…The Allure to Capture Spring: For the Naturalist Photographer, change is always an inspiration and I’m not referring to the rattling in your pocket, but rather the change in seasons. By April in the Great Lakes region, particularly Mid-Michigan, photographers are drawn to the [...]
Central Michigan, Eco-Photo Excursions, Mark S. Carlson, Mystery Excursion, Seasonal Photography, Spring, wildflowers
Walk a trail bounded with springtime wildflowers…serenaded by waterfalls. Springtime Smoky Mountain Wildflowers & Waterfalls: If you’re a nature lover and you think of springtime, what’s the first thing that comes to mind, singing birds, a few raindrops, wildflowers? If you were thinking wildflowers, then where could you find over 1,600 flowering plants in one [...]
Eco-Photo Tours, Great Smoky Mountains, Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Smoky Mountains, Spring, Waterfalls, wildflowers