Dunn Ranch

I came across this beautiful view on Monday but didn't have a camera with me. I was such in love with it that I took the a700 on the road with me on Tues. Luck was with me by the time I got there around 2:00 with the clouds that had moved in. It was a bit on the breezy side and I didn't have a tripod but I like the shot anyway. It's dawned on me that I've stopped shooting because, in my head, it should be tack sharp and the sky conditions perfect and no wind and the right time of the day, etc, etc, etc....and I'm missing all these beautiful flowers that God is blessing us with. So....I forgot about all the technique requirements and just shot to my hearts content. It isn't perfect but its a great memory of a beautiful view that you only see once a year.

This is Prairie Blazingstar (Liatris pycnostachya) and is growing in Harrison County at the Dunn Ranch. The ranch is home to acres of native grasses that are thousands of years old. The ground has never been plowed so the grasses have never been turned under. In the Spring of the year, you can see the huge piles of ant hills. These ants are believed to also be thousands of years old. They burn it all off about every year or so to control the weed and the ants survive it all. According to their information, the only thing that will kill ants would be plowing of their homes and since this ground has never been plowed, the ants have survived. It's a beautiful site right now with all the native flowers. I'd like to get up there early in the morning to capture images of it when its still and the dew is still on. It's acres of Queen Anne's Lace as far as the eye can see. Plus every sunflower you can image. Awesome!

BTW....how are you getting your images so large? I've tried everything and they still come in small and have to be clicked on to see them larger.