New Hanover County Arboretum is a gem of a day trip located in Wilmington North Carolina. These spectacular gardens host educational programs, publications, and events.

My visit was in July of 2019. It was a touch warm that day (lol!) but I enjoyed photographing quite a bit of the gardens, sculptures, Japanese Tea House, water gardens, and Children's Garden. 

Here is a small gallery of flower photography from the flower gardens there. The variety of pollinators, that are very fond of these gardens, are minimally represented here as well.

I do not know the names of the flowers. If you know any of the names feel free to post them in the comments! 

The New Hanover County Arboretum Water Garden's Dragon Sculpture. 

New Hanover County Arboretum Water Garden's koi fish. 

Tiny forest are essentially miniature landscapes that can be found almost anywhere if you have a lens that sees them.  In this case I was exploring some old wooden fence post tops with a Canon 100mm Macro Lens 

These little natural fungi and moss forest have quite an array of: colors (especially for February), shapes, and plant life.  Here are some top down images of the tops of the posts. 

Some side view images. The narrow depth of field is helpful to highlight one particular plant in the forest. 

This subject is something I look forward to photographing more in the future. As the seasons change the variety of plant life must change with it so it will be interesting to go back to these same posts and see how they change. 

These images, and many more, are available for purchase through my Gift Shop. 
For images like these visit my Macro Photography collection. 

​If you don't see one you'd really like Contact Me. 

The upper Delaware River is a treasure trove of wild animals and abundant fish species. I do not go out to pursue wildlife photography on purpose but I do happen upon some of our beautiful creatures when I wander the river areas. This week I'm featuring my collection of animals that swim. 

A bird's eye view of fish in the Delaware River. The sunfish nest on the shallow warm waters on the banks. Those areas will serve as fish nurseries to protect from the larger predatory fish. The big carp was just passing through.  

A crayfish and some fish fry enjoy a sunny day. 

Beavers, turtles, and toads all live at least part of their lives in the water.  Wildlife photography tips:

• Beavers are generally pretty territorial if you get to close to their home. If they are splashing at you, you are to close and need to move. 
• Turtles are smarter and stealthier than you think. They don't look real smart but they know their environment and can spot differences (as in a photographer trying to hide behind a tree) in it.
• Toads call to each other pretty predictably so they tend to be easy to locate. The video is a toad calling to the other toads on the bank.
• ​Their eggs don't last long along the banks so don't hesitate to photograph them when you see them. ​