iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 16h

Great egret departures and arrivals. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 5-OCT-2026 #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A great egret is seen flying low over very shallow water. The wings and head are pulled back but the legs are extended far forward. It's clear from this pose that the egret is just about to touch down in the shallow water.

013

Reposted by Teach Honest History

Michael Fenichel @drmike.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026

Door/Doorway in Prague Revisiting some lost-now-found images from over 20 years of digital, many lost to Google +, and many still online in my own 'self-walking tour' collection @ www.fenichel.com/prague Also in an "album" on Flickr, getting large. @ […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Photograph by Fenichel: Doorway in Prague

A carefully crafted wooden door is framed by wooden panels above and to the side, in darker toned wood. The door itself has a metal lock and curved carved lines. Above the door are some shapes in the wood, and a vertical bar between sides. Above that is anothercarving, with curved top to meet the stone above.
Framing the entire dooreway is stone/masonry formed in an arch above the door and woodwork. In the foreground is the stone sidewalk.

067

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026

Shorebirds seem to prefer open mudflats but this one lesser yellowlegs was determined enough to find a nice snack poking through shallow water. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 5-Oct-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

023

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026

"Don't go near this bridge on Halloween, or the Bunny Man will kill you with his hatchet!" Or so the #UrbanLegend of Bunny Man Bridge in Clifton, Virginia, USA goes. But it was a sunny morning so I thought it safe to stop briefly and take this photo of the […] [Original post on mindly.social]

A one-lane country road leads away from the viewer and through the arched portal of a short underpass. The underpass has a cement facade and lining with heavy wooden beams above to stabilize the soil. Railroad tracks pass laterally overhead. There are large mature trees and grass and a white rail fence to one side. The dappled sunlight filtering through the trees enhances the pleasant countryside ambience in stark contrast to the vivid and gruesome urban legend surrounding this location.

111

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

The eye of this green heron looks like some kind of plastic button to me, not an actual eye. It was hanging out close to the boardwalk so this photo is only slightly cropped. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 14-SEP-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

013

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

Another 'birdscape' with a great egret and a stumpy island. I had to wait for the egret to turn this way to get the composition I wanted. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 14-SEP-2026 #birdscape #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A great egret at the left edge of the photo is wading in very shallow water and facing to the right. It appears to be looking at a tiny island with some old weathered tree stumps and a small fallen tree that occupies the middle and right foreground of the photo. In the background there are more logs and stumps and dense green foliage of the far shore of the pond.

001

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

My wife says this great egret looks like a bowling pin and now I can't stop seeing that. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 14-SEP-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A great egret is wading in a pond with its legs almost completely covered is seen from the rear. The body is upright and its neck is fully stretched and almost perfectly vertical, with the head turned slightly turned. The slender body as seen at this angle resembles a 10-pin bowling pin. There is a good quality reflection of the entire bird in the slightly rippled water in the foreground.

112

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.bsky.social · 27s At first I tried to find a location where I could get a shot of this great egret without that stunted-tree-island being 'in the way'. Then I realized, hey that's actually a nice sculptural element for a […] [Original post on mindly.social]

A great egret is perched in a hunched-down pose in the shallow water of a pond in the middle distance of this photo. In the foreground There is a small island-like outcropping with some greenery and a stunted mostly dead tree with multiple short thick limbs pointing at odd angles along with some smaller branches.

002

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

Ma and Pa #grasshopper posed very nicely for their couples portrait but getting the whole family in the photo was a whole different story! Alexandria, Virginia, USA 14-SEP-2026. #herps #naturephotography

Two grasshoppers, dark brown female at upper left, and brown and green at lower right are almost side-by-side as seen from above.

Six grasshoppers are seen from above in various poses on a large leaf. Two large adults, female and male at upper left are the same as shown in the previous photo.

011

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/09/2026

How about a birdscape with a great blue #heron surveying his domain? Gender differentiation with GBH's is tough, but I'm going with male due to the extensive 'chest hair' ornamental plumage. The golden light on the background water evokes a vision of the coming […] [Original post on mindly.social]

A great blue heron is seen in the middle distance of the photo standing on one of many tiny island-like outcroppings in the shallow water of a pond. Part of the far shore covered in shrubbery is seen in the left background. The upper right shows the open waters of the pond with a pale green and gold reflection of the morning light. The mood is serene.

001

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026

If you are tired of all the ugliness being shoved in your face, than take a moment, breathe, and gaze upon the elegance of a great egret in flight. Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 14-SEP-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A great egret in flight with its wings spread wide. It's banking to the right and its legs are down indicating it's about to set back down in the shallow water of the pond beneath. There is good detail of the feathers. On the far shore there are logs and dense greenery.

001

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/09/2026

Nice to see a US court knocking down another Trump abuse of emergency powers. Trump's love of #coal is perverse. [I hope people can read the content at this link. The Washington Sun has many excellent people who left the Bezosified Washington Post] #politics #USApol […]

mindly.social

Original post on mindly.social

000

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/09/2026

This snapping #turtle looks to me like it's blackened as from a bad fire, but my minimal research indicates that while uncommon, this color variation isn't anything to get too excited about. I wanted to learn of its life experiences but it wasn't granting […] [Original post on mindly.social]

A common snapping turtle is seen from above in very shallow water. The shell of the turtle is mainly a 'burnt orange' color and their are heavy black lines and ridges in the shell. The overall effect is similar to the appearance of a severly overcooked piece of beef.

013

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/08/2026

"Angel of the Mudflats" A lesser yellowlegs with its wings in the 'angel position' in flight in Alexandria, Virginia, USA 21-AUG-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A lesser yellowlegs shorebird seen head-on in flight low over the mudflats at the edge of a marsh. The wings are toward the back but pointing outwards in a pose often seen in classical depictions of angels.

021

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/08/2026

Some Good News! Virginia has removed 3 statues of Confederate generals from Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, USA. Donating & relocating them to Shenandoah battlefield parks. Change can happen when #Democrats take power. #USApol #civilwar #news #politics #history […]

mindly.social

Original post on mindly.social

003

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/08/2026

"Yes, did you have a question?" A lesser yellowlegs pauses in mid-stride to look my way. 21-Aug-2026. Alexandria, Virginia, USA. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A lesser yellowlegs shorebirds walking left-to-right across a mud flat with just barely enough water to cover one foot. One foot is upraised in the beginning of a step forward. The head is turned sharply to its right directly facing the camera.

011

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026

This is a male 'slaty skimmer' #dragonfly. I imagine that would be a good gang name -- "Did you hear, the slaty skimmers hit the liquor store on 3rd Street again?" #insects #insectphotography #naturephotography

A top view of a male slaty skimmer dragonfly with its wings spread wide perching on a thin wood stem, against an out-of-focus background of greenery. The body is a dark slate blue with a black head.

012

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/08/2026

This is an eastern comma #butterfly, a rather dull common name given its beauty and its much more provocative-sounding Latin species name libellula incesta. #Camouflage note, when its wings are folded up it looks like a dead leaf. #insects #insectphotography #naturephotography

An orange eastern comma butterfly with dark dark brown spots and dark brown trailing wing edges is seen with its wings spread wide on a surface of very small gray stones.

An eastern comma butterfly with its wings up and closed, on a surface of tiny gray stones. The underside of the wings seen here are various shades of medium and dark brown. In this pose the butterfly can easily be mistaken for a dead leaf.

041

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/08/2026

A lesser yellowlegs looking majestic in the warm morning sun. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 21-AUG-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A lesser yellowlegs shorebird is seen flying with its wings spread wide across open water. It's flying from right to left and the morning sun is illuminating the head, back, and wing feathers given them a warm glow. The tail is fanned out wide and the legs are trailing down and behind.

022

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/08/2026

"My, what big antennae you have grandma!" Green #grasshopper, female (yes, the ladies wear brown not green. The females are also larger than the males). Alexandria, Virginia, USA 21-Aug-2026. #insect #insects #insectphotography #naturephotography

A 'head shot' of a female green grasshopper. This shot gives a good view of the head, eyes, and prominent long antennae.

012

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/08/2026

This model struck a perky pose at the end of the runway. Lesser yellowlegs, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 21-Aug-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A lesser yellowlegs is seen walking across a mudflat at the edge of a marsh. The right leg is crossed in front of the left and the head and neck are turned to its right. The body is a speckled dark brown over a white background. The chest and belly area are mostly white.

055

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/08/2026

Shore birds like this lesser yellowlegs spend the vast majority of their time wandering around mud flats poking for grubs and such. So I was really happy to get this flight shot this morning. Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 21-AUG-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A medium-sized shorebird is seen in flight with its wings spread wide against a diffuse gray-blue background. It's a lesser yellowlegs, and those yellow legs are seen trailing backward while it flies. The bird is mostly a light grayish brown with darker specks. The wings are darker but the belly and rump area are nearly white.

022

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/08/2026

An illustration of shutter speed tradeoff when shooting hummingbirds. I used 1/2500s - slow for hummers. Beak & body sharp but wings quite blurry. Could've gone to 1/5000 or 1/8000 to freeze wings but with much higher ISO. #Nikon Z8, 1.4TC, 500PF, crop mode […] [Original post on mindly.social]

021

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/08/2026

"You looking at me? You looking at ME!?!" American goldfinch, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 12-AUG-26 p.s. I posted this photo elsewhere and someone remarked that it looked like this bird was wearing sunglasses! #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

024

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/08/2026

The composition of this photo isn't the best, but the bee came out nicely enough and I really wanted to include more of that gorgeous blue flower, whatever it is. #bees #naturephotography #nature #wildlife

A large bee is clinging to a flower at the lower end of a plant stem. There are more flowers near the top of the stem, varying from white to deep sky blue.

0103

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/08/2026

Whatever troubles or challenges your are facing, would a photo of a hummingbird help? Alexandria, Virginia, USA 12-Aug-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A female ruby-throated hummingbird hovers with its wings outstretched and its long beak inserted into a small purple flower.

013

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/08/2026

Coneflower seeds, breakfast of champions! American goldfinch, male, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 12-Aug-2026. #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

014

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/08/2026

Is it just me, or is the @mindly.social server really struggling this morning? Very sluggish, long load times. #fediverse #Fediverse #performance

000

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

"Don't shoot until you can see the veins in their ears!" I was actually searching (mostly in vain) for hummingbirds when I saw this #rabbit in the undergrowth. Is that a tick behind the ear, or some kind of growth? 12-AUG-2026 Alexandria, Virginia, USA […] [Original post on mindly.social]

Close-up of the head of a rabbit partly obscured by vegetation. The eye and ears are clearly visible, and the blood vessels in the right ear can be seen clearly from light shining through the thin ear tissue. There is a small spherical black object beneath the right ear that might be a tick.

023

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/08/2026

We got this canna lily plant in a 6" pot this Spring and apparently we planted it in a good spot. The plant is waist high now and has multiple blooms like this, each the size of my hand. #flowers #flowerphotography #bloomscrolling

A single large canna lily flower. It has six large orange-pink petals visible in this view with large yellow-green leaves.

021

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/07/2026

Passing thought: Donald #Trump has the same respect and sensitivity toward #architecture and interior decorating as he has for the U.S. Constitution and the Rule of Law. #USAPOL #sarcasm #politics

012

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/07/2026

Celebrating 72 trips 'round ole Sol today. For no particular reason, here are two photos of an Eastern ribbon #snake. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 24-July-2026. #herps #snakes #wildlifephotography

An eastern ribbon snake is curled around an old shriveled brown leaf. The head is visible and the long forked tongue is sticking out.

014

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/07/2026

[Carnival barker voice] "Come one, come all, and see the amazing double-headed turtle!" Eastern Painted Turtles, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 24-July-2026. #herps #turtles #naturephotography

Two eastern painted turtles on a log in shallow water. One turtle is facing to toward the lowerr left and has its head well out of its shell looking upward. There is another turtle behind the first one but its legs and most of its shell is concealed. The head is looking upward toward the upper right of the photo. The effect of the two together is such that at first glance it appears like a single turtle with an upturned head at both ends.

022

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/07/2026

Anyone here fans of those tiny green tree frogs? Here's a quartet of photos I took this Friday. Alexandria, Virginia, USA 24-July-2026 #herps #frogs #GTF #naturephotography

A view of a half-hidden green tree frog perching in a near vertical pose on a reed. The one eye that is visible is partly open and one can see the white underside of the frog.

A side view of a green tree frog resting on the side of a reed. The sun is shining from above and illuminating the frog's face. The one eye that is visible is partly open.

A green tree frog resting on a large leaf as seen from directly above the frog. This views shows the legs and toes nicely.

A view of the top of a green tree frog. This is an unusual view because the sun is behind the leaf shining through. This makes the leaf appear bright green and reveals the ribs and veins of the leaf clearly. The frog by contrast appears a darker green here.

013

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

The eastern tiger swallowtails absolutely loved this one buttonbush. They came back to it repeatedly. #butterfly #naturephotography Alexandria, Virginia, USA 24-July-2026.

Three eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies hovering at a cluster of buttonbush flowers. All three are butterflies are of the common yellow and black color pattern and all have their wings spread wide. Two of them at the lower left of the photo are side by side and in almost exactly in the same position as if flying in formation.

012

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/07/2026

For those who enjoyed my earlier post of a common yellowthroat, here's a short #video. Apologies for old man hand-held shakiness. 500mm lens amplifies shakiness a lot! #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography #naturevideo

012

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/07/2026

Most songbirds frustrate me by perching high up in the canopy where I can't see them. Today however, this common yellowthroat perched in a small leafless tree about 8 ft off the ground in a clearing in good light and sang beautifully. Alexandria, Virginia, USA […] [Original post on mindly.social]

006

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/07/2026

RE: universeodon.com/@LaNaehForaday/116… The President of the United States isn't just an evil clown, he is an evil incompetent clown. #Trump #USApol

000

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/07/2026

RE: mastodon.social/@GeoWire/1169660353… Good thing there's no chance of an Islamic revolution turning the KSA into the next #Iran... Oh wait, weren't the majority of the 9/11 attackers from #SaudiArabia ? #nuclear #nuclearsecurity

mastodon.social

000

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/07/2026

Can any #science people tell me if wearing KN-95 or similar #masks does any good WRT to the smoke coming from the #Canada #wildfires ? We are on the fringes of the bad stuff in the Washington, DC area, but I see people doing this. #healthAdvice

013

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/07/2026

All anyone needs to know about Trump’s speech tonight. #usapol

010

Reposted by Teach Honest History

🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈 @rihilism.toot.community.ap.brid.gy · 16/07/2026

There's sort of a mental vignetting that occurs whenever I take a photograph. My thoughts disperse to the periphery, my anxieties and heart rate lesson, I breath deeply but without effort, & my racing mind gets a chance to rest. #flowers #gardening #BloomScrolling #photography #AltText

Photograph of a purple coneflower flower with a Western honeybee exploring the flower's florets and out of focus yellow and purple coneflowers in the background. The flower takes up most of the central frame and the view is from the side looking across the flower's face. The honeybee is exploring the florets on the far-right side of the flower's central cone. This bee species has a black and gold striped abdomen, a dark brown thorax with fine gold hairs and fine brown-black hairs, a black head covered in fine brown-black hairs and fine gold hairs, large dark compound eyes, mandibles, two antennae, six black segmented legs, and two transparent wings with amber veining. Purple coneflower (Genus: Echinacea) is a member of the Asteraceae family and have the typical flower shape of that family with long petals that radiate from a center filled with florets. This species has pink-purple petals that radiate from a center filled with red and green florets. The florets are green near the center and are surrounded by red-orange florets.

020

Reposted by Teach Honest History

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Maine Dems call on Platner to withdraw…

1471389373

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/07/2026

Wow, Pope Leo XIV just dropped a nuke on the reactionary Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) for consecrating 4 bishops w/o Vatican approval. Excommunicated those 4 plus 2 who did the ceremony. Good for him, time to kick ass. As a geezer recovering Roman Catholic (still scarred by the cruel […]

mindly.social

Original post on mindly.social

110

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/06/2026

Our recently planted Cannova rose hybrid canna yielded its first bloom. Water droplets are from morning rain. We hope it will grow and come back perennially, but in Northern Virginia, USA we are at the northern edge of Winter survivability for this plant. #flowers #flowerphotography #bloomscrolling

A Cannova rose hybrid flower bloom with a few green leaves. It's a large wide rose-pink flower. There are droplets of water on the petals from the morning rain. The lighting is soft and the mood is peaceful.

030

Teach Honest History @cliftographer.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/06/2026

On a dog-walk yesterday a solitary white bloom caught my eye. It was stuck right in the middle of a large cone flower bush. My phone says it's a cala lily but I'm not sure I buy that. It's vine like and nearly a meter high. Any thoughts? #flowers #bloomscrolling #naturephotography #botany

A single horn-shaped white flower between two pink cone flowers.

A vine-like plant with some horn-shaped white flowers clinging to a large bush of pink cone flowers.

A single horn-shaped pure white flower next to some pink cone flowers.

A solitary white flower in a large bush of pink cone flowers.

110