This Red Shouldered Hawk has been sparring in Holler skies recently with the Red Tailed Hawks.
“California Sister” butterflies are understandably at home in The Holler.
“Firecracker Skimmer” dragonflies float lazily by.
Passion flowers are passionately,
prolific.
Pickerelweed flowers,
reach for the sky. (Thank you Eliza Waters for identifying this plant!)
Bottle brush thrive while spiders spin.
Cheers to you from all who seek the sky~
Such beautiful photos! The bottle brush flower is so gorgeous! It reminds me of fireworks.
Thank you. I love them too and having a spider build a trapeze line from point to point was just amazing! დ
What a wonder filled place is your Holler.
Thank you Dor & hope you are staying safe and well დ
Lovely! I just saw a bright red dragonfly or skimmer the other day, difficult to get a photo, but so brilliant!
Their color is just so arresting. Happy you saw one! დ
I had forgotten the name of that butterfly – Thanks!
My husband came back from a hike describing the beautiful butterfly he had seen. I pointed to this one on a nearby flower and asked is this the one? It was. დ
Beautiful photography, Cindy! 😊
Thank you John. I am a serious admirer of your work დ
Aww thanks very much, Cindy!! 😎❤️
Wonderful captures and fly byes Cindy. Thank you 💕
You are most welcome my friend and thank you! დ
Such beautiful nature shots, Cindy. Lovely! 🌸
Grazie mille Lynette დ
Driving near a local river the other day, I glanced up to verify that the large bird above was a bald eagle. Great photos, large & small. -Oscar
How wonderful. It is always a serious thrill for me to spot one of these beauties! დ
Lovely captures as always, Cindy. <3
I believe your mystery flowering plant is Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata).
I knew you would be the one to identify it Eliza and you did not disappoint! Thank you so much. I actually sent photos of it to two nurseries and no one knew what it was. I will identify it now in the post and give credit where credit is due! დდ
You are most welcome! 🙂 Was it growing near water? They like wet feet!
Yes, indeed it is, by a small pond, you smart lady დ
A festival of Life and Colors in The Holler! Cheers and best to you, dear Cindy! 🙂
Visa versa 2UX2! დდ
🎶🥂
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Beautiful . I saw a blue damselfly yesterday but it took off so fast I couldnt get my camera/phone out in time!
Yes, they are super speedy & so lovely! დ
It was hovering about 6-8′ from me for a few seconds
How awesome. They tend to be so shy.
What a stunning collection of beautiful images!
Awww, thank you & so pleased you enjoyed them Sandra დ
WOW! You’ve outdone yourself with this set. As much as I love the flowers and insects, that hawk is winner-take-all.
Thank you very much Liz დ
You’re welcome, Cindy.
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These images take my breath away. Wonderful.
You are a wonderful friend Sheila დ
Looking at your marvellous photos, I felt like flying by myself together with the birds, butterflies and bees.
I’ll meet you at “the second star to the right, straight on till morning!” დ
So glad Eliza IDed the mystery plant! It stumped us. 🙂
I knew she would do it, even before I posted it. It stumped me and the experts I asked. Bloggers are awesome დ
The amount of detail in your pictures is unbelievable!
Thank you for noticing & cheers to you დ
🙂
Stunning captures, Cindy. The dragonfly is my favourite. 😍
Awww, thank you! I <3 my friends who <3 dragonflies დ
Amazing captures! Love Mother Nature 💚💕
Thank you Karen. Our mother earth is the most precious of them all დ
Cindy, thank you for these beautiful photographs.
Reblogged this on charles french words reading and writing and commented:
Here are beautiful photographs from the excellent photographer, Cindy Knoke!
Friends like you Charles are what makes blogging such a pure joy დ
I think you are passionate for your Holler, Thanks for the Beauty.
Visa versa 2UX2! I was just at your blog admiring your gorgeous vistas დ
Such beautiful things to see where you live! Glad you share them.
I am more happy that you enjoy them. Thank you Rebecca & cheers to you დ
I fly by Cindy, but just not quite as colorful as these lovely selections of nature 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏼 🦋
Cindy, your photos are simply amazing! They are a pleasure to look at.
O my! such incredible images…just, wow!
I love wow! Thanks so much & cheers to you დ
What a lovely series. You’re very lucky in the Holler.
That last photo almost looks like a Mexican Flame Bush.
I think it may well be. It is in the bottlebrush family. We have several different types. They do well here. დ
Ahh…it’s time to write an ad hawk comment. LOL! Impeckcable shots as always, my friend.
٩(๑•◡-๑)۶ⒽⓤⒼ*¨*• ♡
Laughing….Hawkish ad hoc comments are always appreciated! 😉
╰(✿´⌣`✿)╯♡
Amazing shots! ♥
Ah, so kind and so appreciated. Thank you & cheers to you დ
♥
Wow. Beautiful flower closeups, but I love that hawk capture. Superb.
Thank you very much John. Stay safe & well my friend დ
You too.
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beautiful! your talent is admirable!
Your kindness is much appreciated! Cheers to you დ
These are lovely close-ups. I find your photographs inspiring – thank you for that.
Visa versa 2UX2 Anne! I feel the same about your gorgeous photography დ
I like the flying bee in particular
Oh, I am so glad you do! I almost didn’t include it, so thank you very much დ
🙂
Bezaubernde Aufnahmen! Eine schöner als die andere
Sie sind ein nachdenklicher Freund Ernst. Danke & gut sein დ
It looks, you are flying in your dreams because most of your pictures about flying creatures!🦅🦋🐝🦜 And the most beautiful objects are hummingbirds!
You are right. I would so love to fly! Take good care my friend დ
Thankfully we have power to charge our cameras and cash for new SD Cards lol So many flowers, birds, animals and bugs to share 🙂
You headed on a trip anytime soon?
Where would we be without SD cards! And no trips on the horizon. We should be in Greenland now, and Antarctica in January, but I cancellation rules our days. I am so sorry you had to cancel your coast to coast trip. I would have loved reading about it დ
Same here
From the free surfaces of the air down to the wonders of the soil and most things in between. A very enjoyable morning to view your fine creations.
Your kind comment just made my morning Hans. Thank you & cheers too დ
What beauties! I hope you’re doing fine, and there is no danger of fires at the Holler.
Thank you so much for your concern. We are in the middle of fire season here, so it will take time to know what will happen in Southern California. დ
I love them all but the passion flowers are my favorite!
I hear you. Passion Flowers are just stunning creations დ
Love those close up flower shots, shows such detail in God’s creations. Absolutely beautiful. I wouldn’t mind flying by! 🙂
I wish you would fly by. We could have a lovely visit & thank you my friend დ
Stunning photos, Cindy! Such vivid colors and beautiful detail.
Much appreciated Eugenia & happy you enjoyed them დ
My pleasure, Cindy.
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Beautiful images and fun uplifting words. Thank you Cindy! 🧡
Be well Brad & thank you my friend დ
My pleasure Cindy.
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Cindy, I’ve been meaning to ask, what camera/cameras are you using. I would love to know how you caught the hawk, we have an Eagle pack flying about and I can’t identify it from the ground. I know my ohone won’t zoom in enough. I can clearly see it’s white head and body near the head but beyond that I’m stumped. In North Texas there have been Eagles spotted before. They have recently moved in. Thanks. Loving the photos.
Oh I would love to see your eagles. How exciting they are there! I use Sony’s, the HX400 for bird and macro shots, and the RX10M4 for landscapes. Cheers to you and post the eagles if you can! დ
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Lovely pictures of birds and flowers by Cindy Knoke.
You are a lovely friend & person Patricia დ
I saw a dragonfly (NOT the pretty red kind) just the other day, but he was too fast to let me snatch a photo — glad you were quicker on the draw than I was! Love the bottle brush, too!
Thank you Debbie! Dragon flies can be quite a challenge. You have to catch them when they pause. დ
Fabulous, fabulous shots. I’m in awe.
So kind and so appreciated. Cheers to you Margaret დ
Cindy, your photos have detail and clarity that always amazes me. (The hawk is breathtaking.) Combined with the way you compose the shots, and your narrative… each post is a work of art. Hugs on the wing.
Awww, your thoughtfulness touches my heart Teagan. Thank you & cheers to you my friend დ
Excellent photography Cindy.
Leslie
Merci beaucoup Leslie დ
Gorgeous.
Grazie დ
You always bring such unusual creatures and flowers to your posts — I’m in love with that purple passion flower! And that black butterfly — I have no idea how you get so close, but your pictures are truly outstanding!
In her glory, nature leaves one speechless…
So much beauty. A red dragonfly! You have them too. I saw them in Oz and the posed very nicely for me 🙂
Alison
They are stunning aren’t they, and not as flighty as some of the others დ
Absolutely FAN.TAS.TIC pictres again!
So appreciated & so kind of you. Thank you დ
WOW!! A great selections of beautiful images, Cindy. Thanks you very much.
Thank you more Isabel for your kind appreciation დ
We have a lot of Cooper Hawks flying our skies. When they take a break on a light or utility pole, that’s when you notice their size. The bee checking out the pickerelweed flowers reminded me of the poor bee that got caught in a spider web this morning. The spider moved fast to check out its latest catch. Such is nature.
Yes indeed, a whole world unfurls itself in our gardens and outdoors. Lucky you with the Coopers. Gorgeous and formidable creatures დ
Ive never seen a red dragonfly it looks like it could sting that colour. Beautiful photographs Cindy.
Thank you Charlotte & cheers my friend დ
Ah, Cindy you have capture the joy of flight. May we grow our wings together. “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” Leonardo da Vinci
Beautiful quote from a beautiful mind დ
We have a nest of baby red tailed hawks who keep shouting, “MOM, feed us”!!!
Oh I would so love to see this! დ
I occasionally see the parents but the babies are up so high. There are two nests right behind our house.
That’s incredible!
Really beautiful.
Grazie mille დ
🙂🌍🏔
Your photos are such a wonderful pleasing artwork to our eyes! I love that Hawk photo! Have a wonderful week my friend!
Happy you enjoyed & thank you! დ
You are living The Lush Life… and I don’t mean the song!
Gorgeous shots, Cindy. Thank you!
Happy you stopped by Resa & cheers to you my friend დ
The picture of the hawk flying and shot from under is cool. I imagine the hawk slowly glided. I think that can be therapeutic to watch.
The pictures of flowers are beautiful but a couple of them that have many stems coming out (except the bottle brush) look too scary. They look like aliens from outer space 🙂
Yes, some people do find them a bit creepy and I understand დ
So much to notice and connect to in nature! Travel seems a bit less relevant when we can hone in and appreciate what’s at home 💕
Yes, nature is a solace and comfort დ
Magnificent hawk. ❤ Beautiful flowers.
Merci beaucoup mon ami დ
Gorgeous shots!
Grazie mille დ
Wow! amazing captures! They all stole away my heart.
You make me happy I posted them. Thank you! დ
Sorry for the late reply Cindy.
I always enjoy your clicks and specially at times like these they are a sight of delight. 🙂
I am so glad! Thank you for letting me know & cheers to you Norma დ
Lovely. Nice start to the day.
Happy to hear this & hope your day goes well დ
Thanks. You too.
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I haven’t seen a bottle brush in ages. Love the butterfly. How you capture the shot is amazing as well as the bee on the flower. You must have a great lens to get the hawk. Great photos of the Holler since you can’t go traveling now.
Thank you Marlene. I hope you are staying safe and well my friend დ
Doing my best here. 😉
Hang in there დ
these are soooooooo beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you more for appreciating them & cheers to you! დ
Thanks for sharing and cheers to you. 🙂
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Absolutely stunning beauty and uplifting. My favs were the butterfly and dragonfly. Hugs xx
Ahhhh, thanks so much my kind friend & stay safe and well Create quick good-bye rituals. Even if you have to do major-league- baseball–style hand movements, give triple kisses at the cubby, or provide a special blanket or toy as you leave, keep the good-bye short and sweet. If you linger, the transition time does too. So will the anxiety.
That is beautiful and sage advice Cindy. Parting is always such sweet sorrow, lol. I’m sure someone said that before me, lol – Shakespeare <3 xx
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Gorgeous photos! It made for an interesting read as well!
Happy you enjoyed & lovely to meet you! დ
Glad to meet you too!
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You live in a wonderful place, and your brilliant images show how much you appreciate that,
Thank you Peter and love to you and your beautiful family დ
Really beautiful close-ups!
I’ve been not much blogging recently, lots of work, but it’s pleasure to see your photos again.
It’s lovely to hear from Inese & I am happy you enjoyed the images. Cheers to you დ
Just gorgeous!!
You are very thoughtful Jenny. Thank you. დ
You are welcome, Cindy! 🙂
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Hi Cindy, everytime I pop in I remember how much I’ve missed your spectacular pictures. And this is the spot you call home … Paradise! Hope you’ve done okay during this odd time. I guess your fans will get to see lots of pictures from around your home for the next little while! 🙂
Awwww, so kind of you and so appreciated too! Yes we are home bound now and taking care of my two year old twin grandsons while their parents work virtually so life has definitely changed dramatically. Hope you stay safe & well and thank you for your very kind thoughts დ
Such lovely photos. 🙂
I wanted to let you know that I might not be blogging here on WordPress.com for a while. I can’t figure out this new editor. For the time being, I’ll post on Tumblr and Dreamwidth.
I wish I could help you with the editor….. I will miss you and hope you come back soon. Take good care & thank you for all the good you do დ
Thank you. It seems this was all for nothing. Another friend here on WordPress showed me how to get back to the old editor so I’m still here. Thank you for your kind words and your lovely blog posts. 🙂
Oh good! I am glad you are staying. We need you here დ
🙂
These photos are just so beautiful…thank you 🙂
Awww, thanks so much. Means a lot to me, so thank you very much! დ
Just too beautiful for words 🙂 Thank you.
Thank you more for such a lovely comment Lakshmi დ
These are gorgeous fly by’s!! And the bottle brush is so aptly named. I remember when I first saw it and heard its name a few years ago!
We have several growing at The Holler. Our climate is similar to NSW and Victoria დ
This is a beautiful collection of images, Cindy: I always enjoy seeing your environmental shots. AND ALSO ,Thank You SO MUCH for subscribing to my New Blog, THE SMOKEPHOTOGRAPHIST! I am very Happy you are the First Subscriber to my blog, and I really appreciate your support. It is not so easy to get subscribers for my “abstract blogs”, but I always know there are a few people who I can count on, and you are at the very top of that list!
You are most welcome. Your creativity is a joy to see დ
Amazing
Grazie Mariel დ
I have now seen 2 flowers & a skimmer I didn’t know existed. Thanks for sharing.
I have missed you! So good to hear from you დ
Nice picture
Grazie mille დ
Gads, what flora! It’s like you live on a different planet. Phasers set to stun….Kirk and Spock beam down to investigate all the crazy specimens but are carried off by giant Firecracker dragonflies, LOL! Those Passion flowers are wild ! Thanks for the scenic tour ! xK
This comment made my morning. I want Scotty to beam me up to The Enterprise now please. It’s bonkers down here in the lower 48!! 😉
They are so beautiful. Thank you for sharing, Cindy! Best wishes, Michael
Thanks much my friend. The birdies thank you too დ
:-)) Thank you, Cindy!
Beautiful!
They are indeed and happy you think so დ
Wonderful photographs. Of course you are a very patient woman. You have great enthusiasm towards nature.
Thank you very much. Much appreciated. დ