Ground cover thistle
New to me is this ground cover thistle. A pretty cool way to cover over a bare area in the garden. The stems are about 4 inches high keeping the blooms pretty close to the ground. A nice effect seeing dozens of these in the garden.
An Owl in the Woods
I was chasing Monarch butterflies in Congaree National Park. One was fluttering around near the water and would sometimes land on the cyprus knees. I was very intent on capturing a shot that I forgot to look around. When I finally realized I wasn’t going to get the shot, I stopped and had a look around. Looking up I saw this owl in a tree not 40 feet away. It was watching me for a bit and then got bored (I suspect). What a surprise to see this bird so close and not being scared off when it realized it had been discovered.
An early spring day at the National Zoo. The lemurs were out enjoying the weather.