Box tortises...

Sounds weird doesn't it? I found out that turtles are actually water dwelling creatures, while tortoises live on land. Anyway, my tortoise was being contradictory and fishing in a puddle for worms and other edibles. We had just had 2 inches of rain, so I bet she had a feast.
Then I stumbled upon a smaller, younger tortoise that randomly visits my yard.

This tortises' name is Lemon, as my friend and I found her in a group of plants called Lemon Balm

This one is named Peach, because after Lemon, we named all the tortoises after with fruity names. =D

Butterfly with awesome wing pattern

 This butterfly was just begging to be photographed. With silver spots on the lower wings and tiger stripes on the upper wings, I don't think this is a butterfly I've seen often...but I'll sure remember it!

Daisies

I was able to photograph these daisies twice, once in the afternoon with mostly shade, and the second time on a clear, cool morning with dewdrops on the grass and good light.   =) When I saw the dewdrops I was one happy camper, knowing that they would make for a sparkly background; I wasn't disappointed.



You can tell a daisy's age.....



By the size of the center!





Let the sparkles begin... =)

I was thrilled when I saw the rainbow in this one...

Something I learned from my sister...when you've got all the possible angles of the front.... try shooting from the back of the flower.

Deck Stairs

I was just playing around with my zoom the other day and I liked how this picture came out.

The weathered wood and peeling stain gave it a nice texture.

Summer Flowers

While most of the flowers have bloomed, there are still a few blooming around my yard.

For most of  these I had nice light that lit up the petals and made the colors glow.  



Clematis growing on the trellis






Petunias on our deck planter

Daisies!

Orange butterfly that was very willing to be photographed    =)



Roses in my neighbors front yard...old fashioned roses, that smell wonderful.






This is one of my favorites