The Orange and The Green

Bridging cultures: Asiatic lilies evoke the Emerald Isle on the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA.

On the Surface

A pool of bubbling coolness greets the visitors to the Bridge of Flowers, a beautifully repurposed trolley crossing over the Deerfield River between Shelburne Falls and Buckland, Massachusetts. The summer haze over the verdant display at 95% humidity makes the fountain display that much more soothing.

Westward Window

The view from the cool shelter of Woodward Photography‘s studio in Guilford, Vermont: ninety one degrees of summer heat and everything is growing gangbusters. As far as photography goes, these folks are true pros. Me, I have an iphone and a blog and I’m not afraid to use them.

Wye Not a Frog?

A heavily worn frog at a mill turnout on the north end of Brattleboro, on the New England Central Railroad, a section of what is known traditionally as the Connecticut River Line, and now part of the Genesse and Wyoming system.

Note: This frog has absolutely no connection to yesterday’s specimen, other than geographical proximity. 🙂

Swamp Thing

A Green Frog (Rana clamitans) poises in the fallen leaves in the upper swamp at Vernon, Vermont’s Black Gum Swamp in the J. Maynard Miller Town Forest. The stands of black gum trees, also known as the tupelo, have persisted here for hundreds of years as a holdover from another glacial epoch – the oldest has been dated at 435 years old. Green frogs are native to eastern North America; the male has a pronounced tympanum (twice as large as the female) – the circle behind the eye – which is the animal’s external ear structure and is one of its primary identifying field marks.

Overshadowed

The shadow of the Quechee Gorge bridge spans the Ottauquechee River; Vermont’s deepest gorge at 165 feet below state Route 4 draws many visitors.

From Above

The tip of the steeple at the Stone Church in Brattleboro, Vermont catches the sun in a maple’s frail net on a spring afternoon.

Mind the Gap

Railing and shadow stop short of the river.

On the New England Central Railroad arch bridge over Whetstone Brook at its confluence with the Connecticut River.

Shady Deal

Reflecting on the intricacies of small-town retail.

At Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters.

Lakeside Fade

Evening calm on the lake shore; the westering sun casts a glancing last gleam.