Sitting Pretty

A ladybug beetle sits at the tip of a leaf of acer truncatum, aka Shantung maple or purpleblow maple. It (gender unknown) had a great view of some wonderful fall colors that day from atop Cobblers Knob



Here's the full shot.

What a wonderful shot, and cropping. The colors are majestic with a complimentary background. Love it! 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁(my 5 star rating system)

What lovely, intense colors in this banner.

Amazing banner!

The colours are gorgeous, and the little ladybug is cute!

Yes! Bright, beautiful colors!

Great banner - love the little lady bug!

Thoughtful, & technically well done image. Good eye.
You captured her perfectly, Elizabeth.
Where is Cobbler's Knob?

EscondidoCal said:Thoughtful, & technically well done image. Good eye.
You captured her perfectly, Elizabeth.
Where is Cobbler's Knob?

Thanks, Cal. I should have explained it in my brief description of the shot. It's one of the highest elevations in Hidden Lake Gardens near Tipton, Michigan. The place (HLG) is largely glacial moraine, with hills and wetlands and bogs all intermingled. Cobblers Knob looks out over the eponymous Hidden Lake and acres of deciduous forest. A switchback narrow one way road leads up to the Knob, which has been artificially partially cleared, making room for an off-road parking area, and affording a grand view. Then the road plunges back downhill, back into the woods.

Beautifully done.

Would love to see a few more pics please from the gardens,
and a panorama from the Knob if possible.

EscondidoCal said:Would love to see a few more pics please from the gardens,
and a panorama from the Knob if possible.

Strangely, I don't seem to have taken any actual panoramas from Cobblers Knob. A search on my smugmug site for 'Cobblers Knob' turned up 130+ photos, many of them of trees, shrubs, flowers atop the Knob, but some of the views. The photos are sprinkled throughout the site in different galleries, so a search is the best way to find them.
https://arctangent.smugmug.com...
I have a separate gallery for HLG itself, with photos intended to give a sense of what its like to visit there at different times throughout the year
https://arctangent.smugmug.com...

It's just a small sampling of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of photos I've taken there over the years.

Thanks for you continued interest. Much appreciated.

Thanks, Elizabeth!
Excellent photography & website!
https://arctangent.smugmug.com...

Cool banner Elizabeth!

Enjoyed the Hidden Lake Photos very much. All photos are really inspiring. Thanks for the trip thru the amazing gardens. Some pics would make Great Wall murals. 👍

bumplbea said:Enjoyed the Hidden Lake Photos very much. All photos are really inspiring. Thanks for the trip thru the amazing gardens. Some pics would make Great Wall murals. 👍

, Bea!

Just this page is amazing....
https://arctangent.smugmug.com...

And the Hidden Lake photos are just the tip of the photoberg!
So many folders & subfolders of great images.
A real treasure trove.

And don't miss the videos of the swans, ducks, cranes.
(they didn't play in the browser, but was able to download to
watch.....I have 100mbs internet, too).

Elizabeth,
I hope Hidden Lake Gardens gave you a lifetime pass.

Besides taking & sharing so many great images, you've done an incredible job organizing all the photos & folders....a huge task.

Thanks, so much Bea and Cal (@bumplbea @EscondidoCal) for the kind words about my smugmug photos (and videos). After seeing Cal's much more skilled videos, I blush a little over my crude efforts. All my videos are hand held and totally unedited

Cal, the organization (and re-organization) has taken place over many years. I joined smugmug in 2008, never dreaming where it would all lead. If I had to start from scratch with a bunch of unsorted photos, it would be a daunting task, but taking it bit by bit, it was more fun than work. It's still ongoing, with my latest project a re-organization of my photos of identified trees.

re: Cal's much more skilled videos, I blush a little over my crude efforts.

Thanks, Elizabeth for that nice compliment, but I have to laugh,
as that's exactly how I feel about your photos.

Now I'm blushing for a different reason, Cal.

I guess it's natural for each person (each normal person) to admire most in others the skills they know they don't possess. Rejoice in diversity!