Links – December 31, 2010

 

Caleb Hibiscus (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

 

Here are some sites I found interesting recently. Hope you enjoy them.

Photography and Art Links

Naturography has When Publishers Request Freebies

PaidContent has  Court To AFP: Pics Aren’t Free Just Because They’re On Twitter

NYTimes has  For Kodachrome Fans, Road Ends at Photo Lab in Kansas

 

National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

BBC has US to make ‘wild’ public land eligible for protection

Daily Kos has  Obama’s new ‘Wild Lands’ policy irks Hatch and other rightists

National Parks Traveler has  Group Claims Big Cypress National Preserve Going Too Far With ORV Access, Panther Impacts

 

Wildlife Links

National Parks Traveler has  Yellowstone National Park’s ‘Psychedelic’ Wolves: Using Thermal Imagery To Study Disease and  How do You Catch a Python? Staff and Volunteers at Everglades National Park Learn the ABC’s

The Guardian has British wildlife benefits from return to ‘traditional’ seasonal weather

Monogbay has Red Pandas May be Threatened by Small Scale Trade

Hummingbird Guide has Endangered Hummingbird Photos

Vancouver Sun has Close encounter with ice-free polar bears shocks Coca-Cola exec

BBC has  Polar bears get the better of spy cameras

NYTimes has  Seven Brazilian Birds on U.S. Endangered List

Fox10TV has  Sea turtles wait out winter in rehab

Environmental Issues Links

The Guardian has  Why biodiversity loss and climate change are equal threats

National Science Foundation has What Triggers Mass Extinctions? Study Shows How Invasive Species Stop New Life

Red Rock Balloon Rally in Gallup New Mexico

One of the wonderful unexpected photo opportunities on my trip along Route 66 last month was the chance to photograph some hot air balloons at the Red Rock Balloon Rally in Gallup, New Mexico. My trip started in Gallup on Friday evening – and over dinner – one of the other photographers mentioned there was a balloon rally in town and did anyone want to get up early and photograph the launch the next morning. Since I love seeing hot air balloons – I said of course.

Early Saturday morning, several of us headed out to Red Rock State Park for the Dawn Patrol and early morning launch. We weren’t able to stay long enough to see all the balloons launch (needed to get back to start the Route 66 trip) – but we were there long enough to see (and photograph) some of the balloons.

When I’ve photographed hot air balloons in the past – it has always been in the Maryland/Virginia area. So the balloons are usually launching and flying across farmers fields. In New Mexico, I had the opportunity to photograph them against a much more dramatic landscape. In the early morning light, the jagged red rocks were a great contrasting background to the beauty of the hot air balloons.

Here are a few of the photos I took that morning.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

 

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

 

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

 

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

 

The Red Rock Balloon Rally is held in Red Rock State Park in Gallup, New Mexico on the first full weekend of December. From what little I saw – it’s a wonderful event. I’d love to go back and spend more time photographing it some time in the future.

 

 

2011 Wildflower Calendar – Year End Special

I’ve got a limited number of my 2011 Wildflower Calendars left for sale. Once these last ones sell out – the 2011 calendar will no longer be available.

I’m offering the calendars at a special year end price – only $ 8.95 (save $ 11.00 off the regular price!) with free shipping to U.S. addresses

The calendars feature 12 full color photographs of wildflowers taken in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I love photographing in these areas. So I’m thrilled to have the opportunity for you to have a year’s worth of wonderful wildflowers in your home or office. The calendars are a great way to bring the beauty of nature into your life. You’ll also be helping support a great cause – I will be donating $ 1.00 from the sale of each calendar to the National Parks Conservation Association – an organization dedicated to Protecting Our National Parks for Future Generations.

Did you forget to get a gift for someone on your holiday shopping list? Or do you need year-end gifts for your customers? If so – a 2011 Wildflower Calendar may be the perfect gift.

At the special year-end price of $ 8.95 the remaining calendars won’t last long – so be sure to order today if you want to purchase one.

Christmas at Longwood Gardens

One of my favorite places to visit in December is Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Each year they create an elaborate Christmas fantasyland in the Conservatory and on the grounds of the gardens. I thought I’d share some of my photos of the Longwood Christmas 2010 display with you today – on Christmas Day. It seems like the perfect day to share the beauty of their incredible Christmas displays.

Tree in the East Conservatory – a 25 foot Douglas Fir tree decorated with 200 red begonias

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

One of the trees in the Organ room. The day I visited Rudolph Lucente was playing the wonderful Longwood organ.

 

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

The Exhibition Hall tree is a 25 foot Douglas Fir decorated with preserved hydrangeas and surrounded by White Star poinsettias

 

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

The Mediterranean Garden tree is surrounded by lavender and decorated with lavender scented ornaments.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

At the Dupont House, the tree was decorated with pastel ornaments in shades of pink and blue. The decorations on the tree were amazing.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

The Wildlife Tree is always one of my favorites. The tree is designed to provide an all you can eat buffet for the local wildlife. From what I could tell – the squirrels really liked the ornaments this year. Fortunately, the Longwood staff keeps the tree well-supplied with ornaments.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I hope you’ve enjoyed my photos from this year’s Longwood Gardens Christmas display. If you celebrate Christmas – I’d like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

Links – December 24, 2010

Pink and White Azaleas (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Here are some more sites I found interesting recently. Hope you enjoy them.

Photography and Art Links

Courthouse News Service has S.F. Ansel Adams Prints Trial Moves Forward

Pixiq has Michigan Cop Attempts to Intimidate Citizen Videographer on Side of the Road

Virtual Photography Business has You Can’t Run Any Photography Business on Free

The Phoblographer has  The Worst Excuses I’ve Ever Heard For Not Wanting to Pay a Photographer Appropriately

BBCNews has  Kodak’s patent spat threatens photo web sites

Flower and Plant Links

Science Daily has Restoration Activities Speed Seagrass Recovery in the Florida Keys

The Telegraph has Giant tree and tropical mistletoe among 2010′s great discoveries

National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

BBC has US to make ‘wild’ public land eligible for protection

National Parks Traveler has

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail Grows by Roughly Two Miles
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Brings Blight to the Beach at Hawaii’s Kalaupapa National Historical Park
• House Republicans Continue To Blame Environmental Regulations for Border Security Woes
• A Highway Project in Congaree National Park Sparks Legal Challenges
• Record of Decision on Cape Hatteras National Seashore ORV Plan OKed, But Implementation Months Away

Refuge Watch has Okefenokee NWR – Possible World Heritage Site and Deal Reached on Bonner Bridge Replacement at Pea Island NWR

Wildlife Links

National Parks Traveler has Florida Officials to Install Panther Detection System with Hopes of Slowing Road Kills, and Some Special “Sounds of the Season”—Hear the Songs of Humpback Whales Online

BBC has Polar bears not endangered, US confirms,  ‘Ghostly’ Saharan cheetah filmed in Niger, Africa, ‘Ghostly’ cats and dogs sighted and African elephant is two species, researchers say

CSMonitor has Where Polar Bears Might Go is Climate Change Doesn’t Slow

Huffington Post has Baby Rhino, ‘Miracle,’ Saved In European Zoo (VIDEO)

Environmental Issues Links

Washington Post has Sand Islands off Louisiana Stopped Little Oil in Gulf Spill, Commission Says

CSMonitor has Gulf oil spill: Deep water cleanup still needed?

The Baltimore Sun has  Bay bill falters in lame-duck Senate

A Few More Poinsettias

Here are a few more of the varieties of poinsettias I photographed recently at Longwood Gardens. I just love seeing all the different colors and varieties poinsettias come in these days – and discovering new varieties every year.

This is the Ruby Frost Poinsettia – with white petals with red accents

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Christmas Angel Marbella -with cream and bright pink petals

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Beckmanns Altrosa – wonderful big blossoms in a fantastic shade of pink

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Nutcracker Red Poinsettia – a pale shade of red blossom

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Orion Red  Poinsettia – a fantastic deep red poinsettia

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

And finally Renaissance Red Poinsettia – a compact red flower with ruffled petals

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the poinsettias I photographed recently at Longwood Gardens. I love their Christmas display – and look forward to seeing (and photographing) it each year.

Many Shades of Pink Poinsettias

On a recent visit to Longwood Gardens I had the chance to photograph lots (and lots) of poinsettias. I think I came home with photos of eleven different varieties of poinsettias. This year, some of my favorite poinsettias came in wonderful shades of pink!

One my favorites was the Santa Claus Pink Poinsettias – wonderful big blossoms in a lovely shade of pink

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

The Visions of Grandeur Poinsettias are a wonderful combination of pale pink and white petals – they look a bit like puffy pillows!

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Peppermint Twist Poinsettias have wonderful pink ruffled petals.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Cinnamon Star Poinsettias are another one with pink and white petals

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

And finally Luv U Pink Poinsettia – with wonderful magenta petals with a hint of white around the edges

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Don’t you just love all the new colors and varieties of poinsettias? I look forward to seeing which new varieties Longwood Gardens has on display each year.

 

 

A Charlie Brown Christmas Parade in Holbrook, Arizona

On my recent trip to Arizona and New Mexico I participated in a Route 66 photographic workshop organized by Alain and Natalie Briot. We started the workshop in Gallup, New Mexico and photographed attractions on and near Route 66 as far west as Hackberry, Arizona. This was unlike any photo trip I’d been on before – I photographed everything from dinosaurs to wigwams to old cars to the Grand Canyon. I actually took alot of photos with my Graflex Crown Graphic camera using Fuji Instant film. I thought an old camera and instant film was perfect for capturing the spirit of Route 66.

The trip was great fun. I’ll be posting some of the photos from the trip in coming weeks – and you’ll see – it was completely different from my usual style of photographing!

One of the unexpected photo opportunities of the trip was the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Parade in Holbrook, Arizona. As we pulled into town – all of us on the trip were trying to figure out why there were so many cars parked along the sides of the road – and families clearly waiting for something. It didn’t take long for us to find out what was going to be starting in just a few minutes – the town’s annual Christmas Parade. It was a classic small town parade – with the high school marching band, floats sponsored by local businesses and families – and of course Santa Claus on a fire truck at the end of the parade.

Here are a few of my photos from the parade – I hope you enjoy them.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Navajo County Sheriff’s Office float

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Holbrook Head Start Program’s float

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

National Park Service float

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

And of course – the jolly old elf himself – Santa Claus!

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

 

Links – December 17, 2010

Catesby’s Trillium II (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Here are some more sites I found interesting recently. Hope you enjoy them.

Photography and Art Links

PhotoAttorney has Update on Lawsuit Against Photographer for Photograph of Statue

The Online Photographer has Several Stock Kodak B&W Sheet Films Discontinued

NYTimes has David Wojnarowicz’s “A Fire in My Belly” and Curators Criticize Controversial Art’s Removal

ArtBizBlog has Google Insights Fine Tunes Your Art Website and Guidelines for Pricing Your Art

Beauty of Nature has 100 Brilliant Examples of Bird Photography

Environmental Graffiti has Frost Crystals

Dan Williams has Hot Spots for Birds in Winter

Flower and Gardening Links

Wildlife Garden has How to Create a Wildlife Garden Meadow

Garden Variety has A Mother and Child Reunion

The University of Maryland has Gardener Alert! Beware of Herbicide-Contaminated Compost & Manure
National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

National Parks Traveler has

• El Malpais National Monument Closes Caves to Humans over White-Nose Syndrome Concerns

• Can Congress Pass Omnibus Land Bill Before Session Ends?

• Foothills Parkway Construction Continues in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with “Missing Link”

• Big Cypress Preserve Gains 29,000 Acres from State of Florida

• Interior Officials, Wyoming Officials Agree on $107 Million Deal for Roughly 1400 Acres Inside Grand Teton National Park

Defenders of Wildlife has Saving America’s Last Great Wilderness

Refuge Watch has Today Show Highlights Three Sisters Springs

Wildlife Links

Cool Green Science has Black-Capped Crossbill? I Don’t Think So and Stressed Corals Need to Chill Out

Center for Biologic Diversity has Obama Offshore Oil Plan Fails to Protect Arctic, Polar Bears from Drilling

Environment360 has Is the End in Sight for the World’s Coral Reefs?

NYTimes has Mountain Gorilla Makes a Comeback and Musk Oxen Tell a Survivor’s Tale

BBC has Giant Panda Breeding Breakthrough in China, Polar Bears Can Be Saved By Emissions Cuts and New Species of Lemur Discovered in Madagascar

Washington Post has Administration Proposes Listing Arctic Seals as Threatened

KeysNet has Rare Keys Butterfly Disappears Again

US Fish and Wildlife Service has a Twitter Account for the latest new on White Nose Syndrome

About.com has EPA Ignores Own Scientists, Approves Pesticide Toxic to Honey Bees

National Parks Traveler has US Fish and Wildlife Service Agrees Wolverines Need ESA Protection, But They’ll Have to Wait and Cape Lookout National Seashore Staff Comes to the Rescue of Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles

National Geographic has Ten Weirdest New Animals of 2010

NPR has Concerns over Eagle Safety Stall Wind Projects

National Wildlife Federation has Are Red Crabs the Latest Victims of the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster? and 2 Florida Panthers Killed by Vehicles in 2 Days

Christian Science Monitor has Wolverines May Be Returned to Colorado

The Sun Sentinel has Cold Kills Record Numbers of Manatees

Environmental Issues Links

GreenBiz has How Target Can Leapfrog Walmart on Sustainable Products

Cool Green Science has Best and Worst Environmental Moments of 2010

National Geographic has Alarming Amazon Drought – River Hits New Lows

Discovery News has American Southwest Could Face 60-Year Drought

Wired has The Tenuous Future of Water in the Desert Southwest

Links – December 15, 2010

Starburst Peppers (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Since I’ve been traveling I haven’t been able to post my regular links posts – so this week I’ll be doing two links posts. Here’s the first set of links I”ve recently enjoyed reading.

 

Photography and Art Links

PhotoAttorney has some new Legal Forms for Photographers

Miles Hecker has an essay On the High Road to Taos at the Luminous Landscape

Dan Williams has Just a Walk in the Woods

 

Flower and Gardening Links

Garden Variety has Tips of Poinsettia Care

The Independent has Me and My Garden: How Jennifer Owens Became an Unlikely Champion of British Wildlife

Overall Gardening and Plant Care has a video on Reasons for Gardening with Native Plants

WildOnes has Landscaping with Native Plants

Wildlife Garden has The Winter Wildlife Garden

MrCv4Short has a video You Can Kiss My Hoary Azalea about the proposed removal of the Azaleas at the National Arboretum
National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

The Sun Sentinal has Hunting, Off Road Vehicles will be Allowed in Sections of Big Cypress

Refuge Watch has Minnesota Valley NWR: A Refuge on the Move and Unusual Spotting of Sandhill Cranes Near Prime Hook NWR

National Parks Traveler has

Park Service Plan for Addition Lands at Big Cypress Preserve Met With Criticism

150 Cannon-Shot Salute Will Highlight Kickoff of Gettysburg’s 150th Anniversary Commemoration of the Civil War

Grant Helps Great Smoky Mountains National Park Add to Its Fleet of Hybrid Vehicles

Good Groups Related to National Parks That Deserve a Donation

 

 

Wildlife Links

Environmental Graffiti has 14 Most Beautiful Jellyfish on Earth

The Telegraph has Norfolk Chalk Reef: Full Fathom Five

Science Alert has Corals Stress Less in Bahamas

MSNBC has Scientist Sets Out To Recreate Ice Age Park

Mongabay has Hairy Enigma of the Serengeti Photographed Again

Treehugger has Saving the Oyster and the Bay: Shell Recycling Program Replenishes Endangered Oyster Population

BBC has Strange Long Whiskered Owl Spotted in Peru

 

Environmental Issues Links

National Geographic has Alaska’s Choice: Salmon or Gold

Newsweek has Empowering Women and Saving the Environment

NPR has Deep-Water Dive Revels Spilled Oil on Gulf Floor

Green Blizzard has Which is Environmentally Better? Buying Locally or Online?