Kinkakuji #Temple, the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion".

A UNESCO World Heritage site in #Kyoto, Japan. This stunning temple dates back to the 14th century. It is coated in #gold leaf, symbolically purifying thoughts and feelings, and also in keeping with that era's elaborate style.

#photography

A Rustic (Cuphra erymanthis) alights on a spray of Leea #flowers.

The Rustic #butterfly lives in SE asia, feeding on flower nectar and occasionally on rotting carcasses.

Leea has reportedly been used in folk medicine, but any medicinal properties are currently unknown to #science.

#photography

A surfer approaches the waves on the #Oregon coast.

Oregon has some of the coldest waters in the US, and other hazards like sandbars and fog. But it also has waves and beautiful vistas -- and on this #beach there were also whales feeding not far from the surfers.

#photography

A path winds through the gulleys of the Painted #Desert, #Arizona.

The pigments originate from differential deposits of iron, manganese, and other metals.

Petrified wood tumbles from the layers -- the fossilized remains of Triassic conifers revealed after 200 million years.

#photography

Summertime on the lagoon at Villa Catalana Cellars, #Oregon, 2024. A blue tile gazebo and canoe hide in the background.

I was also struck by the white calla lily #flowers, which despite their tropical looks can be hardy to USDA Zone 7.

#photography

A synthwave sunset illuminates the cumulous #clouds, seen from the air.

The water in the average cumulous cloud weighs ~1,000,000 pounds. That huge weight can float suspended in air because the weight of the clear dry air around it is ~1000 times greater. #Science is all around us.

#photography

On a beautiful day in #Boston, #sailboats plying the calm water of the Charles River.

Rushed #photography from the train going through Back Bay.

A man cleans and fillets a freshly caught salmon for customers, #Astoria, #Oregon.

The mouth of the Columbia river is a popular fishing spot. Chinook or King salmon are a prize catch here. Coho salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, cod, halibut, and many others are also found here.

#human #photography

A Skipper #butterfly drinks from a golden tansy ragwort #flower. A spider lurks in the corner, waiting for a meal.

The tansy ragwort may have beautiful flowers, but all parts are poisonous to livestock. Humans can also be sickened by meat or milk from animals that have consumed it.

#photography

An impromptu mural seen in downtown #Madison, Wisconsin, 2020.

Throwback to lockdown times. This was painted over the particleboard that covered the windows of the downtown businesses to prevent vandalism. Beauty can emerge from troubled times.

#tagtuesday

Blue delphiniums in the gardens at Stanley Park, #Vancouver, BC.

Another favorite true-blue #flower. They are spectacular in bloom, but alas the plants themselves can be short-lived. Nothing gold can stay, or perhaps blue I guess.

#bloomscrolling

Point Atkinson Lighthouse, and the sound leading back into Garibaldi Park, #BritishColumbia.

The mountains look deceptively small in the distant #landscape, so you don't realize their scale until you see the tiny lighthouse in the foreground.

Aerial #photography from a plane tour.

The Raven and the First Men, by renowned Haida artist Bill Reid, 1980.

The arresting cedar #sculpture features at the Museum of Anthropology of #BritishColumbia.

Raven finds the first Haida men in a large clamshell. But men alone were boring, so he went and found women in a chiton.

#photography

A memory of snow in #Milwaukee winters.

One of my favorite photos of #Wisconsin, taken in Humboldt Park, Bay View. The diminutive little pops of color among the silent black and white are families who have come out to sled down the hills of the park.

#photography

Another view of the serene Peninsula Park #Rose #Garden in summer. #Portland, Oregon.

There's a reason they say to stop and smell the roses. This is a little world you could get lost in.

He has a website which includes some of his work. It's definitely a modern, unique take, but beautiful in its own right. I just wish it wasn't so expensive, or I'd own a piece already. He does have exhibits around the country though, perhaps one is near you.

Lee-Tho, Recon of the North Realm Spine Watchmen. Virgil Ortiz, 2020, lithograph. #Minneapolis Institute of #Art.

Ortiz interprets his Cochiti Pueblo heritage through #print, pottery, sculpture, film, and fashion. I'm drawn to the masculine, graphic energy in his work. This is one of my favorites.

A statue of #Buddha, surrounded by the flaming mandala which symbolizes his otherworldly power. Buddha's Tooth Relic Temple, #Singapore.

So when DragonBall Z characters power up -- this is the cultural reference for the flames that surround Goku or Vegeta. That's my theory.

#photography

Simple photo: The last rays of afternoon sun over my mom’s #garden.

A Satin Bowerbird tries his best to impress.

This industrious #bird has only found a few blue-colored trinkets, but he is working hard on his bower.

At the #Melbourne Natural History Museum, 2024.

Life finds a way. A succulent happily living in a crag on the cliffs by the sea, wild #Oregon coast, 2022.

#plant #photography

My first blanket #flower, from seed! This Gallardia variety is Mesa Red. It’s a bright red, drought tolerant perennial. It’s small now, but full of promise, and wanted to show off for the whole #garden!

#bloomscrolling

Two lovers enjoy the Peninsula Park #Rose #Garden.

The park contains 32 formal beds with hundreds of varieties or rose, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and fragrances. It is free and open for recreation.

#photography

View of #Honolulu. The beaches of #Waikiki are at center, with Diamondhead to the right. The valleys lead back to the mountains at left, and ever-present clouds roll by.

As bustling as it can seem, Oahu is just a tiny speck in the blue ocean and sky.

#aerial #photography

Scenes from the #Oregon #RenaissanceFaire.

The Cirque du Sewer features trained cats and rats performing tricks and mazes, and was actually quite a delight. Melissa Arleth trained at the Clown Conservatory and has been performing with these animals for 15 years now.

#human #photography

A female brown-throated sunbird peels back a petal to sip the nectar, Botanical Gardens, #Singapore.

This #bird is ubiquitous there. They are usually seen feeding on nectar, hence the family name Nectariniidae. The males are more colorful due to secondary sexual selection.

#wildlife #photography

Striking 48 ft x 43 ft mural in the Loop, #Chicago.

The whimsicle Bubblegum Bubble by Jacob Watts is visible from the L as it winds past.

#TagTuesday

Quite simply, a row of #tulips in front of a blue sky. A little memory of the #flowers of spring...

Another towering glass #sculpture by Dale Chihuly, with his signature maximalist style. Amazing to think how this could even be assembled.

Seen at the Chihuly Garden And Glass, #Seattle, 2022.

A towering Euphorbia sp. is seen against the enormous dome of the Mitchell Park Horticultural #Conservatory, #Milwaukee, 2021.

Sadly this 40 ft giant #plant came crashing down in 2022.

The toxic latex sap of these cactus-like succulents can cause blindness, and was used to poison arrows.