Winter Beauty
Category Archives: prairie plants
Prairie Perspective
Fences may separate us, but beauty remains.
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Summer on the Prairie
…summer on the prairie.
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Prime of My Life
Apparently, I’m in the “prime” of my life…
A prime lens has just one focal length (in contrast to a zoom lens that covers a wider range of lengths).
Back in the day I used prime lenses while shooting with medium format film cameras, but the digital world has found me using zoom lenses exclusively for several years.
Why would I want a prime lens when I could have a zoom that covers a variety of lengths? Easy answer – money. In the midst of downsizing equipment, I’ve found myself in need of an affordable lens to go on an older body. Quality and price are both factors and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM seemed to fit the bill. My other lenses open to 2.8, so having a faster lens at 1.8 could be interesting. Maybe I’ll reinvent myself as a low light street photographer – you never know.
So, at sunset I took my new little lens to our nearby slough to try it out… pretty much straight out of camera except for tweaking exposure.
Used this 50mm lens while trying out a DIY beauty dish, of sorts, with equipment I already had on hand – cheap $37 slave that screws into a regular light socket inside a silver chick warmer. Not much for catch lights, but kind of worked.
Price for this handy little lens? $125 – much less than the $1600 price tag for a new 24-70 Canon 2.8 zoom. While I like the lens for stationary subjects, I did find the autofocus slow when trying to capture moving subjects.
Following is one of many reviews: Digital-Picture Review of Canon 50 mm EF f/1.8 STM Lens
All images posted were taken by myself, Joyce Meyer, in Manfred Township, Lac qui Parle County, located in Southwest Minnesota.
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Lesson from a Bee
Just a thought as I found this bee hunkered down working diligently on this thistle in full bloom. Man, I’m good at growing these kind of flowering weeds!
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Under the prairie sun
“We who live in quiet places have the opportunity to become acquainted with ourselves, to think our own thoughts and live our own lives in a way that is not possible for those keeping up with the crowd.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Giant dandelions?
Western Salsify (T. dubius Scop.) and Meadow Salsify (T. pratensis L.) are the most common species of this plant that looks like a giant dandelion. Western Salsify is native to Europe and Northern Africa and was brought to North America as a garden vegetable for its carrot like taproot and “oystery taste”. Since then it has spread to roadsides, old abandoned fields, no-till field, pastures and other undisturbed areas. ~ btny.purdue.edu
Eaten raw, the roots are very bitter; fried, roasted, or boiled, the taste of salsify roots have been compared to that of parsnips. Others say they slide down like oysters, hence its common moniker, oyster plant. Cream the roots in a soup or simmer young stalks in butter for a side dish rich in Vitamin B6. ~aspoonfulofthyme.blogspot.com
I’m O.K. with parsnips, but oysters? No thanks!!
RJMeyerArts 