By Scott Shephard
What humans create often pales compared to what Nature creates. Consider the butterfly, for example. The threatening eye's on this butterfly's wing appear to have been painted there. But, of course, they weren't. Pretty amazing, if you ask me.
This photo was taken at the Sertoma Butterfly House in Sioux Falls. If you have a chance to visit, you should. It might be worth going at the time reserved for photographers. The day I visited, there was a 5th grade class there - it wasn't exactly relaxing for me or the butterflies.
Canon 1D 1/160s f/3.5 ISO500 200mm Some rights reserved under Creative Commons Copyright
You are looking at mature Cascade hops growing outside the Red Hook brewery near Seattle, Washington. Hops give beer a slightly bitter taste, which some beer connoisseurs crave. We are looking at flowers, too. As with many things that humans eat or drink, I'm left wondering who had the idea to put these brown buds in beer to see what it did to the taste?
My wife tells me the purple flowers are called umbrella flowers, though when I do a search, I find that there are many types of flowers called the "umbrella flower." I would never challenge the authority of my wife. Nor would I challenge the authority of Nature - who provides such photo opportunities as this one.
It must be the English teacher in me that makes me use words like this. Sorry. "Ephemeral" means "lasting for a short time." To humans, flowers are ephemeral, to South Dakotans summer is ephemeral and to my cat, Mac, his morning meal is ephemeral. But the Spring Creek Marina???!!!
This photo may be a little too abstract to have meaning but I'll post it anyway. Hundreds of seagulls have moved on to the tires that form one of the breakwaters at the Spring Creek Marina on Lake Oahe in South Dakota. And on the two previous mornings as I slowly motored by to go out sailing, they took flight as I passed. On this day I was ready with my camera: I had about 30 seconds to get photos before the birds were gone and circling overhead. I took about 15 photos as I passed but this is the only one I liked.
I went to the Redlin Art Center in Watertown to get some exterior shots and instead I got geese. Everyone probably knows that when geese fly together in their "V" formation, they get better mileage. 
I have juxtaposed a winter scene today with yesterday's photo of late July lilies - primarily because I wanted to use the word "juxtapose" in a sentence. Mrs. Connor, one of my high school English teachers, would be proud. So here's an obscure (and perhaps rhetorical) question: How is the porter scene in Shakespeare's Macbeth a good example of juxtaposition? Public praise to the first person who answers correctly.
Nature does a pretty good job of providing worthy subjects, doesn't it? Photoshop does the rest.
