Sunshine bursting through the forest along the Indiana Dunes State Park Trail #9.
Watching the darkness disappear as the sun breaks through the trees makes it worth getting up and out the door super early.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
In the Garden – A lily bursting forth with color.
It is always fun to discover a new garden. Yesterday I wandered around Hamstra Gardens in Wheatfield, Indiana for the first time and I am already looking forward to going back! It is an ideal spot for macro photographers. There are also many beautiful settings that make the perfect backdrop for portraits such as senior shoots.
I can’t believe it took me years to get to a garden that is only 30 minutes from home. This lily is the first of many images taken during my visit there. Still culling through my memory card and I have a feeling there are more pics to be posted over time.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Standing out against nature’s backdrop of green, here is a spiderwort. I wonder if it is called that because of it’s spidery looking center?
Native to Indiana, these pretty wildflowers can be found all along the Indiana Dunes National Park trails through most of spring and summer. I don’t know much about flowers but these seem pretty hardy. I’ve seen them in abundance under the shade of trees as well as spots full of sunshine. The true test would be whether or not they survive me trying to grow them in my garden!
Other summer wildflowers were featured in “Where Have They Gone.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Macro Monday
Slow down and get in close! There’s a whole lot of treasures in nature that are usually overlooked by walking right past them. While hiking along the trails, I often stop and gradually make a complete circle from one spot. It always amazes me how much more I notice just by slackening my pace through life.
See you out on the trails!
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
In the Garden – Conspicuous in Red
There doesn’t seem to be anything shy about red impatiens growing in the garden. Their colorful brightness against the green leaves drew my eyes in for a closer look.
On days when I am in the mood for macro photography, Ogden Gardens is one of my favorite go-to places. Within walking distance from home, it never disappoints with its lovely flowers through spring and summer.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Three flowers seemed to be battling for attention at Foundation Meadows Park in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Another cluster of wildflowers was featured on “Cluster of Yellow.“
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Wordless Wednesday – Broken
Another flower toward the end of its life was feature on “Imperfect Beauty.“
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
The meeting of sand, water, and sky at Lakeview Beach – Indiana Dunes National Park.
Spent a peaceful morning walking along the shores of Lake Michigan, enjoying the warmth of sand on my feet and clear blue skies overhead.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Seeing budding sunflowers in the garden makes me happy just like the warmth of sunshine. Summer and sunflowers go perfectly together like peanut butter and jelly, right?
Other sunflowers were featured on “A Slow Unfurling.“
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
This yellow salsify (also known as goats beard) seems to be reaching out to grab the day or the sunshine along the trails at the Indiana Dunes National Park.
As I headed out the door for my morning hike, I found myself wondering what I would be reaching out for and grabbing onto throughout the day. What types of encounters would I have? Would my focus remain on Jesus Christ or would the distractions of the world get in my way?
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Pollen, a bee’s delight! These three bees were enjoying a feast in the garden. What more could they possibly ask for?
Well, they did get bullied away a few times by a more aggressive and much larger bee but they all seemed to get their fill at the all-you-can-eat buffet at Ogden Gardens in Valparaiso, Indiana.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Two of a kind in the garden – A pair of spiderwort blossoms with a promise of many more to come at Ogden Gardens in Valparaiso, Indiana.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Mayapple blossoms captured from above and below. These lovely blooms were hiding underneath the mayapple’s huge leaves.
I would never have known to get down low for a look except for fellow blogger. Eliza Waters suggesting it a couple of week ago and I am so glad she did. Otherwise, I might have missed their beauty completely. Thanks Eliza!
Macro Monday
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Hello Sunshine! For me, a fun time starts by greeting the day out on the trails. This sunrise was etched across the Beverly Shores Trails – Indana Dunes National Park. The rest of the day did not disappoint and continued with warmth and full of sunshine.
Macro Monday
Wispy dandelion seeds hanging on before being tossed about by the wind. I came across these along the edge of the Heron Rookery Trail. It is one of my favorite spots at the Indiana Dunes National Park. The best time of the year to hike along this trail is spring because of the large variety of wildflowers and mild temperatures. Even though I saw an array of birds, not a single one of them was a blue heron. I have seen herons there at other times but they are elusive. They also seem to know all the shadowy places to hide along the Little Calumet River.
More pics of scenes along the Heron Rookery Trail will be posted soon so come back. See ya!
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
A slow unfurling of sunflowers in the garden at Chellberg Farm – Indiana Dunes National Park.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
A beautiful cornflower was featured on “Bright as Sunshine.”
One fallen petal left the inside of magnolia blossom bare and exposed at Ogden Gardens – Valparaiso, Indiana. A perfect set=up for me to click a few macro shots and I took advantage of it, of course! The magnolia blossoms won’t last too much longer so I’ve got to capture them as often as possible before they are gone.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Fragile and minuscule dewdrops, holding on for as long as possible before a breeze tossed them down to the ground. When I come across this type of scene, I quickly grab my camera and then find myself holding my breath as I focus and whisper, “Hold on a few seconds longer, please. Just try to hang on until I click a few more frames.” Then, comes a sigh of relief and hope of getting at least one decent shot out of many. Happily, the payback on this certain morning resulted in a few usable pics. A couple of them have been used in previous posts.
These drops of dew happened to be posing along the Great Marsh Trail at the Indiana Dunes National Park.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Ouch! A cry of pain can be caused by pins and needles in the cactus garden at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. The cacti are lovely but don’t get too close. You’ve been warned.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
A gallery of cacti blossoms were featured on “A Prickly Beauty.“
Heaven’s Sunshine – Capturing the beauty of God’s creation through the lens of a camera.
