Columbines are Blossoming

Columbines are one of the stars of the annual wildflower bloom in Buffalo River county. They are going strong in Lost Valley and elsewhere along creeks feeding into the Buffalo.  In Lost Valley the big bloom is by the Natural Bridge. They also border Eden Falls, but they are much easier to photograph at the Natural Bridge.

Columbines at Lost Valley

Wild Iris Lost Valley Trail

Dwarf Crested Iris -- Lost Valley Trail

Wild iris are a favorite wildflower with photographers. They are up now, and will be gone soon.

Wildflower seas is on full gear now. Don't forget the butterflies. Shooting is very good now.

Sunrise Anemone, Lost Valley Trail

Sunrise Anemone, Lost Valley

This Rue Anemone picture was taken 2 days ago. I hand held it from about 7 feet with my big 100-400 zoom.

The flower was in the middle of a bunch of dead grass that softened the morning sun. Look for these situations, often photographers don't notice slightly hidden flowers. They offer great filtered light opportunities. It is the small things that make flower photos exceptional. Note the tiny drops on the edge of the leaves.

Anemones look an awful lot like Sharp Lobed Hepaticas, but the leaves make it easy to tell them apart. Hepatica blooms have no leaves on the stalk around them. Rue Anemones always have leaves on the stalks. This picture is very typical.

The Rue Anemones are now coming on and they are a relatively long blooming wildflower compared to other spring wildflowers. Colors will range from this pink to white.

Waterfall Fan Alert -- Falls Running Hard

Eden Falls, Lost Valley Trail

The water table is very high now and Buffalo River waterfalls are flowing hard. Rain today, and predictions for tonight mean that this weekend should be about as good as it gets.

Some of the flowering trees are now starting as well.  This morning I saw some, but not all, red buds blooming. Also some flowering plums. I expect dogwood blooms within the week. Wildflowers are strong now as well.

If you are going for the "cottony" look, slow shutter speeds are the rule. Another choice is taking an HDR, that offers that soft look, and more interpretive choices . I prefer HDRs.

If you want to get that special "roaring waterfall" picture like this one on the right, now is the time. These next 2 weeks will be outstanding. Rain is predicted most of next week. This great waterfall weather should last.

Be sure to check the weather reports. Our weather can change from day to day, one way or the other. There is a lot of rain predicted, I think overall that prediction is pretty reliable. It will be wet. If experience is any guide, I think if you plan to visit, check every day and be prepared to shift your schedule.

Rocky at Lost Valley

"Rocky" at Clark Creek, Lost Valley

Once in a while a kid acting like a kid grabs my attention. "Rocky" is one such kid, vibrantly alive and passionate about rocks and water. His dad could not really contain him. Turn his back and the kid was in the rocks and water.

Gandhi said "Learn as though you would live forever". Rocky gets it.

Hepatica in Filtered Light

Hepatica in Filtered Light

This is one of the things I look for in taking wildflower pictures. To me light dynamics are everything. This is a cinematic light photo.

In this composition there are interesting lines and negative implied shapes that create a wholly different concept of a natural frame.

The ribs on the leaves surrounding the bloom point to it. Leaves at the bottom point right, intersect the leaves about it, and form an interesting zig zag pattern leading the eye to the bloom.

This photo is something given, not something taken. One only needs to first observe and work slowly.

Wildflower Photo Tip

Unopened Sharp Lobed Hepatica Blooms

If you get to your wildflower destination early, chances are good that the wildflowers will not have opened up. Noobs might imagine that the buds they see are either flowers that are past their prime, or that they are the final flower.

The picture below is a clump of sharp lobed hepaticas that have not opened.  Only a half hour later they were wide open and upright. I like this particular species both open and closed. To me they look like tiny roses when closed.

So, if all the blooms are closed, wait around. It is just a matter of time before they pop open as the morning cool lifts. Why not shoot them both ways?

Roadrunner, Lost Valley

Roadrunner, Lost Valley Entrance Road

This is an unconventional picture of a road runner.  He is not running, just checking me out.

The entrance road to Lost Valley Trail is an excellent place to get pictures of road runners. Often there are mating pairs there. Sometimes if you pay attention you can catch them feeding on cicadas in the roadside cedar trees.

If you visit, be on the lookout for them. I see them in the first block of the Lost Valley entrance road. I get the impression sometimes that they run across the road to decoy me from a nest, but I have never confirmed that.  I give animals their space as a rule.

Roadrunners are interesting, eccentric birds. I have had them play hide and seek with me out west. Last year I saw a 3 juveniles running in a line across our road that borders the Ponca Wilderness. They were about the size of sparrows, but with characteristic crest and long tails. Didn't get that picture, but I have the memory and that is pretty good.

Wildflower Season is Hitting Stride

Sharp Lobed Hepatica, Lost Valley Trail

It is early in the wildflower season,  but it feels like the cold has compressed the bloom dates of early wildflowers and they are blooming closer together than in recent years. This morning I located sharp lobed hepaticas and cut leaf tooth worts to join the white trout lilies in the early bloom.

The photo is from Lost Valley.  It is loaded with hikers today.

White Trout Lilies 2 -- Lost Valley Trail

More white trout lilies, Lost Valley Trail.

White Trout Lilies, Lost Valley Trail

My First Wildflower for 2014

White Trout Lily Lost Valley 2014
Erythronium albidum

White trout lily Lost Valley hiking trail. I would say looking at the flower bed that the trout lilies have been up a few days now. That would put the delay in the wild flower season at about a month or so compared to 2013.

This compo is unusual for me with the subject centered, but I like the alignment of the bud with the bloom. Also, to me the texture and ribs of the leaves focus the eye on the subject.

If it interests you, I took this with my 100-400 telephoto and it is hand held.

Lost Valley was pretty full when I finally got to visit today. A photographer I met confirmed that Eden Falls is running pretty hard.

People are also floating the Buffalo. The river is running pretty hard.

Winter Sunrise Lost Valley Trail

Lost Valley hiking trail is one that keeps you coming back. In late winter you can sense that spring is coming. It is a multi-sensory treat.  Wild turkey, hawks, crows and woodpeckers broke the silence. The sweet scent of the air is reason enough to love this place.

I had the place to myself on this day. As I walked back to my car, I got a picture of the sunrise cross lighting the trail and igniting the beech leaves in the distance at the trailhead.

Just a few weeks from now, the 2014 wildflower season begins. The first signs are in place. It looks like we have one more wave of arctic cold and then we are on our way.

Winter Sunrise at Lost Valley Trail

4/5/13 Elk Viewing & Ozark Wildflower Report

Elk viewing remains very good and all day long most days.  There are 4 herds and many stragglers in

Pale Corydalis is Blooming Right Now
(with other wildflowers)

the valley now. The best viewing is the herd that moves around south of the Ponca Access up to the then entrance road to Lost Valley.  Of course the herd is in the fields on the east side of HWY 43.

The wildflower bloom is finally underway in earnest in all the wildflower venues along the river including Lost Valley, Smith Creek, Pruitt (east), Tyler Bend, and the trails at Buffalo Point. Just about any tributary creek woodland area along the river should be very good.

The water table is very high now so waterfalls are flowing very well now too.

Great floating and hiking weather. There is plenty to do and see at the Buffalo National River.

Pictures of the Day 1/26/13

This morning in Lost Valley was enchanting. I have the place to myself. I am sure that has changed now, but I want to share the sunrise experience in Lost Valley. It is magic even in January. The picture below was taken just east of the natural bridge. Today I saw the first signs of wildflowers -- I think they will be quite early this year.

January Sunrise at Lost Valley Hiking Trail

Of course in Boxley Valley there is always more for wildlife watchers. The elk did not disappoint today. I get there quite early and today one of my favorite bulls "Twinforks" was posing in front of an old barn. In 2012 he was the bull that seemed to be jumping in front of my camera all year.

Twinforks at Sunrise, Boxley Valley

10/20/12 Elk Herd Location Update

This map updates herd locations based on last night's observations. 

2 more herds showed up last evening. One down by the south trailhead to the Upper Wilderness, and a second showed up in Lost Valley. This has to be a record year for elk herds in Lost Valley. It must be due to reduced forage because of the drought and army worms. 

Elk viewing should be great all weekend. 7 herds is about the most you will ever see in Lost Valley. A couple of these are on the small side, but it is a treat to see so many elk. 

Remember the ends of the day offer you the best opportunities. Elk do stay out past normal times in cold weather, but this weekend promises to be warmer and clear. I would not depend on seeing many elk past 9 AM. 

10/11/11 7 Herds This Morning

Lots of elk in Boxley Valley this morning. Some herds are pretty close together and there is plenty of bugling. Great viewing is likely tonight. Lost Valley remains a strong possibility. The herds are staying out much later in cool, rainy weather. They should come out earlier in the evening.

Remember that while elk love rain, they hate thunderstorms. If strong thunderstorms roll in this evening, they will take cover.

10/11/11 elk herd map is below:

Herd Bull JYD (Junk Yard Dog) in Lost Valley 10/8

Another picture from tonight's shoot. This is a nice bull in a pretty nice setting. He should be there with his harem tomorrow too. Plenty of feed and water.

I believe the setting is key to a good elk photograph. These pictures are better than most field pictures, and you can get up pretty close compared to many areas.

10/8/12 PM Elk Herd Still in Lost Valley

If you want to see the elk herd in Lost Valley, they were in there tonight until dark. Chances are excellent they will be bedded down and viewable in the morning. I would put the percentage at 80%.
I would recommend parking in the overflow parking lot and viewing from there. Any other approach will spook them back into cover. There is a lot of bugling with this particular herd.

Herd Bull JYD in Lost Valley 10/8/12 PM

JYD in Lost Valley 10/8/12 AM

JYD is the same bull I got on the 5th in a river crossing about a mile from Lost Valley. He is very active this year. If past experience in any guide, he will continue in the rut well into November. This year is he has a dropped eye guard on his right side, making him very easy to identify.

JYD bugling in front of the old Clark homestead 10/8/12 AM
His herd is to the right, moving to their bedding area. He is declaring his territory.

JYD Crossing the Buffalo River 10/5/12
The herd bull always follows the cows -- He is looking back for other bulls.

10/4/12 Elk in Lost Valley this PM

Elk were in Lost Valley in front of the old Clark homestead this evening. This herd seems to be sticking around. There are good chances elk will be in Lost Valley tomorrow. Be sure to check.