iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The topography of mushrooms. #photography #fungus #mushrooms

A close-up of an amanita mushroom showing its mountains (bumps) and valleys (areas between the bumps).

A close-up of the underside of an indigo mushroom showing the gills and rim.

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Frog and Toad Bot @frogandtoadbot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Toad sat and did nothing. Frog sat with him.

Frog and Toad sit together, doing nothing together.

From "A List"
In *Frog and Toad Together*

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I usually think of the dittany plant as my winter gift-giver because it creates frost flowers but its summer flower is also a gift for me and for bees.

A bee hangs onto the bottom of a purple dittany flower. The plant's flowers are small, in tufts arising from leaf axils.

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Beaker 709 @beaker709.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

@charlieangus104.bsky.social How can this person be allowed to attend a ceremony celebrating people coming together after all that he has done to Canada? HE SHOULD NOT BE A WELCOMED DIGNITARY!!!

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

There are many things about August I do not love but one thing I will often get as a solace for the heat, humidity, and biting bugs is right-place-right-time delightful light. #photography #light #woods #hiking

Streaks of light shine through trees on a low ridge onto the forest floor, light up ferns and a moss-covered log. Seen from the hiking trail at https://sycamorelandtrust.org/preserves/the-laura-hare-nature-preserve-at-downey-hill/

At the same preserve, wagon-wheel spokes of light shine behind at tree on a ridge in a dense woods.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Not something I see every day or any day ever in point of fact. If you want an explanation, you can find it in ALT. #photography #birds #snakes #critters #nature_maybe_red_in_tooth_and_claw

Friday afternoon I heard Flit start barking at something which rapidly became what we call the 'snake bark'. All our dogs bark at snakes the same way: intense and tense barking while they approach, followed by silence while they back away and then repeat the two-step dance. I went outside to see where she and the snake were. She was just up the driveway at its edge. When I got up to her, I saw the snake but it wasn't what she was barking at.

And then I panicked because the hawk looked all wrong to me (the snake, OTOH, looked fine except that the hawk had a good grip on it). Fortunately we have a raptor rescue center in Brown County so I took this photo and called them. The person said the hawk was mantling (where they protect their prey by spreading their wings over it) and I told her that this didn't look right since the hawk was flat on the ground and twisted in a awkward way. She told me to leave the hawk alone for an hour or two but to send her the photo. If it didn't leave they would come get it.

Forty minutes later she called back and asked me to go see if it was still there. When I was about 30 feet away, the hawk flew off. The snake was gone too; no way to know if the hawk still had it, had eaten it, or it got away. The raptor people told me it was a juvenile red-tailed hawk about 10 weeks old (based on their breeding patterns) and typically juveniles wouldn't start hunting until they were about 6 weeks older than this one (so they were impressed). It probably misjudged its strike and that's how it ended up on the ground so awkwardly (so it might not have been even trying to mantle or it could've been trying very clumsily). Flit must've seen the hawk land and that's what set her off originally; she probably thought it was one her mortal enemies (vultures and crows) and intended to chase it off.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Little house in the fog and little light in the woods. #photography #light #woods #trees #Indiana

The roof of a house can be seen in the distance through trees lightly shrouded by fog.

Light comes down in streaks through the trees in a woods.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Luna moth caterpillar on the go -- not a fast mover but you can tell they are just keep trundling along. #lunamoth #caterpillars

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I rarely see the majestic Luna moth in our woods and so I was thrilled to its caterpillar crawling along a trail. Here's hoping it makes to pupa and on to adult. #photography #moths #caterpillars

A Luna moth caterpillar crawls along a trail. It's around 3 inches long, lime green, and has parallel bands across its body.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

It's miserably hot and humid in our woods but good light is a fine distraction. #photography #light #woods #trees #green

A path winds through a woods with light making highlights and shadows in the trees.

Foggy light softens the view behind trees in the early morning.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

It's Web Wednesday with bonus streaky light. This is a really good web because it's up high enough I would never walk into it. #photography #spiderwebs #

Light streaks in partial wagon spokes shine through the trees with the lower spokes highlighting a round spider web.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

This was Toddler Turtle Trio month. These 3 (2 1/4"; 2 3/8", 3 1/8") are the smallest Eastern Box Turtles I have ever seen. Eastern Box Turtles are a species of special concern in #Indiana so it's hope-making to see three young ones in such a short time. #photography #turtles #woods #Stunday

A triptych with 3 small Eastern Box Turtles, the first two are shown with my boot for size reference, the third alongside a stick (which wasn't much good for a reference but I took the stick home with me to measure). All three turtles were on trails in our woods.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The Friday Digital Archive Dive notes that among the hundreds of photos of light streaking through trees only a few feature a perfect starburst. Taken #OnThisDay June 12, 2015 #photography #light #woods

Light spreads in a wagonwheel as the sun shines through heavily wooded forest. The sun is seen in a starburst form almost in the center of the photo.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Sometimes the description 'a pop of color' is very literal. #photography #light #creeks #rocks

A shallow creek has a gray, slate bottom. The light is making the ripples stand out and casting shadows of leaves. Everything is naturally black and white, except for a brownish-red rock and a little patch of creek gravel.

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WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 27/05/2026

This is Buzz. He performs a big stretch ritual before enjoying his daily ice cube. Please do not interrupt. 14/10 (IG: goldenhrbuzz)

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The storms yesterday pretty much brought an end to the dogwood flowers but it was a great year while it lasted. #photography #trees #wildflowers #flowers

A close up of a dogwood flower with its four petals and inner bits.

A branch full of dogwood flowers with a background of a cloudy sky and green trees.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

What is the best leaf to photograph in the woods and why is it the wild yam? (Same plant as in the quoted post). #photography #leaves #plants #spring

Sunlight brings out the deep vertical veins of the wild yam leaves as well as the less pronounced cross veins.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

An icon of spring: dogwood flowers shining in the sun against a blue sky. #photography #sky #wildflowers #trees #flowers #spring

Dogwoods flowers on branches as yet empty of leaves stand out against a pure blue sky.

This time the dogwood flowers have a blue sky with gentle white clouds.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

It wasn't just the skippers that were enjoying the redbud #flowers. #photography #wildflowers #bees #spring

A bumblebee is on a redbud flower while a smaller bee is in midair approaching the blossoms.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

#Mayapples are delightfully greening up the #forest floor whether they are closed or open. #photography #plants #nature #spring

A mayapple has not yet opened its leaves which are folded in curves against its stem. Each one is edged by a ridge of short, white hairs.

A fully open mayapple is seen from underneath with the light outlining the veins of its six leaves.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Rue anemones, despite being a rather small, common woodland flower, are endlessly fun to photograph. #photography #wildflowers #woods

Two rue anemones stand above the a forest floor of dead leaves and rotting wood. They are purple which is unusual as the vast majority of the flowers are white.

This cluster of flowers, five open flowers and two closed, is growing on the edge of a creek bank. The creek below is visible as is some moss behind the flowers.

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Susan DuBose @houseofbast777.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

"I grew up across the street from a public library, and it was the only place my mom would let me go on my own. It was my second home, and I read everything that I could get." ~ Tracy Chapman Chapman by Nicholas Albrecht #Booksky

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Happy 20th anniversary to our being some of the lucky ones to score a permit to hike The Wave (have tried again; no more luck). It rained & snowed & was muddy in places but it was an absolutely spectacular once-in-a-lifetime experience. [More INFO in ALT] #photography #Utah #hiking #geology

If you want to understand the geology of The Wave, go read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(Arizona)

The Wave is a landscape of layers of red, pink, yellow and white Navajo sandstone formed by water, wind, and time into a series of huge curved stone 'hills'. This photo shows three of the formations and how you can wander among them on the flat areas that separate them.

Behind the spectacular Waves are many other fascinating formations of North Coyote Buttes. This photo has a large 'hump' in front and a cliff wall behind showing the amazing variety of formations making up the cliff. There is an arch on the top of the cliff.

More of The Waves that are not as smooth as the ones in the first photo. Red cliffs are seen in the background.

It's not often wet when hiking in Utah but when it is the mud stays with you for as long time. In this photo we are back in the car and Jim is holding up my boots which are heavily crusted with red mud.

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Jim Ferguson 🫘 @jimferguson.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

This glow in the light #cactus was probably along the David Yetman Trail, #Tucson Mountain Park, but it may have been in Saguaro National Park. #photography #Support_Public_Lands

I think this is a cholla cactus. I've heard them called teddy bear cactus, but they are not cuddly. The very sharp spines detach easily. This one is slightly backlit making the spines glow in the morning light.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Just 15 minutes before the downpour started, the morning looked and sounded like this. #sunrise #birds #dawnchorus

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

The Friday Digital Archive Dive celebrates the vagaries of March. Taken #OnThisDay March 6, 2013 and 2017 #photography #woods #snow #flowers #woods #hiking #otd

A stand of trees, mostly pine, in a woods are covered in snow.

Bunches of feral daffodils along a trail in a woods.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

The Friday Digital Archive Dive is giving up its spot to the best photos ops from yesterday's snow squall. #photography #snow #ponds #trees

Snow covered evergreen trees and snow outlined bare branches are reflected in a completely still pond.

A small cove is surrounded by snow covered ground and snow decorated trees, both of which are reflected in the water.

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Emma Mitchell @silverpebble2.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Yesterday was the midway point between the winter solstice & the vernal equinox & today is Imbolc, the pagan celebration of the return of the light. We’re climbing out of winter & the whole botanical calendar (save snowdrops & aconites) is ahead. A very good thought in case you need it today 🌿:

A miniature posy I made from flowers in my garden in a tiny Victorian burst lip bottle

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Claire Cock-Starkey @nonfictioness.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Went to my local library this morning to do a bit of research for my current book project and my goodness such a life-affirming space! There was an adult being taught to read on the next table, children enjoying story time, countless people taking out books. So grateful for our libraries ❤️

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

I was stunned by this great photo op on New Year's Day, a rare bright spot thus far in 2026. #photography #clouds #lake #StunDay #Indiana

A curving, heavy bank of puffy clouds has curved streak of blue sky below. Beneath both is a wooded set of rolling hills. All of it is perfectly reflected in a lake.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Frost flowers, many origins vs one. #photography #frostflowers #ice #frost

A frost flower has spread out from three sides of the stem of a dittany plant in swoops and swirls and even a small curl encircling the stem.

This frost flower has made a single elegant circle from one spot on the dittany plant.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

The Sugar Plum Fairy dances on Christmas Eve. A happy holiday to all who celebrate it. #photography #frostflower #winter

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Proof that a scene of quietness and serenity can also be stunning. #photography #StunDay #lakes #sunrise #fog #Canada

Morning fog over Oxtongue Lake near Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A small island with shrubs and trees is reflected in the lake and the shoreline behind it has low, forested hills.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

The Friday Digital Archive Dive finds #ponds and #creeks making very different abstract ice art. Taken #OnThisDay December 19, 2015 and 2016 #photography #ice #abstract #otd

Ice on a frozen pond makes makes abstract art that looks like shards of glass.

Ice on a partially frozen creek makes makes abstract art that looks a hodgepodge of shapes.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Part of the fun of photographing #frostflowers is deciding how to take the shot -- so many sides and angles. They can look very different from different perspectives. For example, these two shots of one frost flower. #photography #winter #Indiana

This frost flower is seen from the top and one side with an "arm" across its top and and a swirling "skirt" at the bottom with a grooved vertical shaft.

From this angle, the "arm" is on the left side, the shaft and skirt aren't visible. Instead there is a "wall" with two deep curves protruding from it.

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Jim Ferguson 🫘 @jimferguson.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Snow is not the only thing that is falling. We dropped 3°F in an hour. #snow #cold #photography

Very light snow falling on leaves and branches. Some White oaks hold onto their leaves well into winter.

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Jim Ferguson 🫘 @jimferguson.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

The #FrostFlowerFriday theme continues. Frost flowers have a number of names: frost faces, ice castles, ice blossoms, or the fancy one #crystallofolia. #photography #dittany #nature #frostflowers

This frost flower is one of the more symmetrical ice ribbons that dittany, water, and freezing temperatures produce. The brown stem in the middle of the photo is the plant that the water squeezed out of as it froze. I never know where I am going to see a frost flower, but the common dittany likes to grow at the edges of opennings in the woods. I found this one alongside our road on the way to bring back the trash can.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Two #frostflowers from the first batch of the season. #photography #winter #frost #ice [info on frost flowers in 1st alt]

A tall, swirling frost flower is partially transparent where it is melting.
In my area, the dittany plant can form frost flowers when the temperatures are below freezing overnight but the ground is not already frozen. The cold temperatures cause liquid in the stem of the dittany to expand, causing cracks to form along the length of the stem. Water is then forced out throw the cracks and freezes upon contact with the air. As more water is drawn through the cracks it pushes the thin ice layers further from the stem creating the 'flower'.

This frost flower has a window in it that lets you see a structure within it.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Third in a series of #StunDay proof that of our 8 dogs, Bebo was the one with the exceptionally stunning talent for finding me very scenic shots to take, this time with an assist from Sniff. #photography #woods #light #dogs #dogsofbluesky

A black, tan, and white beagle mix and a tan and white boxer (maybe) mix walk on a steep hillside in a woods colored by a light, golden fog.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Second in a series of #StunDay proof that of our 8 dogs, Bebo was the one with the exceptionally stunning talent for finding me very scenic shots to take. #photography #woods #trails #dogs #dogsofbluesky

A medium sized tan and white dog stands on a trail in a woods that in this area is dominated by white oaks. Their leaves that are mostly a bright red which is a fairly unusual color as they generally a much deeper and darker red (or even a reddish brown).

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Flit's #MondayMorning Wisdom: Need to shine? Just get out there and find something that makes you glow. #photography #dogs #dogsofbluesky #light #woods

A medium-sized chestnut colored dog with a black muzzle is trotting on a trail through the fall woods. The morning light is made a glowing outline around her entire body.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Of our 8 dogs, Bebo was the one with the exceptionally stunning talent for finding me very scenic shots to take. #photography #StunDay #dogs #dogsofbluesky

A tan-and-white mutt (the shelter said beagle & boxer thus the name; the vet said yes boxer, no beagle) sands in a shallow creek in the midst of a reddish gold fall woods.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

The Friday Digital Archive Dive is uncertain about frost flowers this year (drought, unseasonably warm) so is picking some from the many in the archive (see 1st ALT image for how they are formed). Taken #OnThisDay November 14, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 #photography #frostflowers #ice #frost

Two frost flowers close together, both with swirls and ripples.

In my area, the dittany plant can form frost flowers when the temperatures are below freezing overnight but the ground is not already frozen. The cold temperatures cause liquid in the stem of the dittany to expand, causing cracks to form along the length of the stem. Water is then forced out throw the cracks and freezes upon contact with the air. As more water is drawn through the cracks it pushes the thin ice layers further from the stem creating the 'flower'.

A tall frost flower with two 'wings' and a swirling ribbon.

A frost flower with small ripples, curves, and a solitary curved ribbon at the bottom.

A melting frost flower is almost transparent.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Reality meets reflection ... in stunningly perfect way. #photography #reflections #buildings #StunDay

A reflection in a glass building shows a brick church and the branches of a nearly bare tree. There is a distinct edge that is the corner of the building. Along the edge is an actual tree that is also nearly bare. Its branches are 'touching' the reflected tree branches as if they a part of the same tree.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

The Friday Digital Archive Dive has a treat for @candissabean.bsky.social -- white oaks that have turned a deep burgundy color. Taken #OnThisDay October 31, 2008 #photography #woods #fall #color

White oaks stand along a gravel lane curving through a woods. Some of the oak leaves are more a reddish-brown but in the foreground are oaks are a deep burgundy color.

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AndiF @aferguson.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

🎶Into the woods/And down the dell,/The path is straight,/I know it well 🎶 #photography #trees #woods #hiking #fall #colors

The photo doesn't match the song lyrics but the spirit is the same as a path I know well leads me into and through the woods which are a mix of colors (red, yellow, green, orange).

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