Beautiful Stone House For Sale In St Louis 4939 Gresham Ave 63109

Winter Birds and Raptors Beautiful Creatures

My favorite time of the winter is to capture the Birds of Beauty . Winter they are all dressed up in there thick feathers that just makes them beautiful. Everything from Red Shoulder Hawks , Red Tail Hawks to that Gorgeous Red the Cardinal  Male shows off.  

The Missouri Bird ” Eastern Blue Bird ” You will seem him on the tree above along with the 
 

 

 

 

Hiking in Hickory Canyon

I just love hiking when I can get out. I loved doing this beautiful hidden gem. This is Hickory Canyons. Located in St. Genevieve , Mo . It is a moderate hike with lots of up and downs along with many different  things to see. We went from seeing frozen icicles  to melting and cascading  waterfalls. The 1 mile hike is very unexpected in the winter months. It was a a warmer day so we  got see both. Frozen and melting. This is very active when after a rain. This is a great hike for a mile . 

Natural Features Description:
This area is botanically rich, supporting 541 native vascular plant species and 152 bryophyte (liverworts and mosses) species. A number of these species are considered glacial relicts. Glacial relicts are species that were more common in Missouri 12,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. Since then, the climate has warmed, forcing some species to inhabit micro-climates that mimic the cool, moist conditions of glacial times. Glacial relicts at Hickory Canyons include hay-scented fern, fir clubmoss and winterberry. The area is rich in fern species with over a dozen species represented.

A Marginal Shield Fern grow along a creek at Pickle Springs Natural Area near Farmington, MO

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places-go/natural-areas/hickory-canyons

Macro Flower Photography and Meanings

Sweet Williams flowers are at the center of many romantic legends. One such legend is steeped in the poetry of the English writer John Gay, who wrote, Sweet Williams Farewell to black-eyed Susan: A Ballad. In this piece of poetry, both the sweet William and the black-eyed Susan were depicted as real people sweet William as a sailor, and the black-eyed Susan as his beloved, who must part from him. The story tells of the two meeting, then having to separate again sweet William assuring his love and fidelity all the while. Aside from having some artistic acclaim, sweet Williams flowers are also thought to be very useful in the culinary arts. These blossoms, which have a mild, clove-like taste, are mostly used as garnishes for cakes, pastries and drinks; however, they are also known to add a unique dash of flavor to salads, floral liquors, jellies and butters, as well as herbal tea.

Dahlia’s are spicy flowers, and their meanings range from a sign of warning, to change, to travel, to even a portent of betrayal. The varied symbolic meanings of the dahlia make this flower a wild card. Give to that unique, eclectic person whom you wish to compliment his/her wild side. Combine them with slender flowers like irises or tulips for a striking visual display as well as a combined symbolic message that says “temper your adventures with a kind heart.”

This is a capture of rain drops reflections on The Bachelor Button Flower. There is no secret there and it has nothing to do with processing either.Each droplet reflects its surroundings, so in each of them you can find many different reflections by simply changing the angle you look at it.A water drop is a spherical mirror which shows the reflective image inverted compared to the object (in this case).
To capture reflections in a raindrop you have to look for it unless you have serious knowledge of geometric optics.

If you don’t know the Bachelor Button by this name, you aren’t the only one. Probably, you know it by one of these names: Basketflower, Bluebottle, Hurtsickle, and Cornflower. Sometimes, this flower is known as the Boutonniere flower. But, all of these names will connect you to the same flower, which is the Bachelor Button. There is a story behind this flower, of course with a name like that. You will see that bachelors wore this flower if they liked someone and wanted to date them. The longer the flower stayed alive and the longer they wore it, it showed how strong their feelings were for that person.

BACHELOR BUTTON

PLEASE ALWAYS REMEMBER THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHT, Protected by United States Copyright and the Property of FranzsFeaturedFotos, Peggy Franz

Trip to the Wilderness to Relax

I Had to get away from the stresses of life.. We went to St Francois Park in Bonne Terre Mo. It was just so beautiful with the river and all the bluffs. It amazing how just getting away into nature changes your mind and makes you feel renewed.

Sun Ray Glow

Just Beautiful

Lightrays

Waterfall

Deer Season Approaching Take a Look at My Captures

I know that it is deer season coming up as well as turkey.I just have never seen a Turkey nor a Deer together..Is that normal?
I thought I share my captures of them. I know there is many people  may  honor that season ,but I am not one of those. I also know the need to have to do it. I just thought I share a fun moment with you as well I just show off a few of my shoots!!.

 

Haunted Grist Mill and Hotel In Rural Missouri

The town of Morse Mill, Missouri, was named for industrialist, John H. Morse, who settled in that area in 1847. Mr. Morse, a farmer and miller, came from Massachusetts and settled near the Big River about six miles northwest of Hillsboro.

Old Grist Mill in the Hay day

Here is a Picture That I captured just a few weeks ago. It is still very pretty and Serene there.

THIS IS THE CEDAR HILL MILL

peggy+franz/all” style=”font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;”>autumn  peggy franz art

The Dam at Big River near the Cedar Hill Mill

Morse was a contractor and builder and also known for building Gravois Road and the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge on Old Lemay Ferry Road. Built in 1872, the bridge still stands and is one of the few covered bridges still existing in Missouri. The bridge has been restored and a marker placed on the south end by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. It is considered an important historic landmark since it provided a necessary link for Jefferson County’s road system.

In his own era, Morse was a pioneer and developer. He was known to have strong conservative views, he fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, and was later a state senator representing parts of Jefferson and Washington Counties. He did not live to see his little town become a playground for rich tourists as he had envisioned. 
He was also known by his Hotel which now is presumed haunted.

Moorse Mill Haunted House

MORSE MILL HOTEL – MORSE MILL, MO –
Morse Mill Hotel was built by John H. Morse in the 1870s. The Hotel is a three-story frame house, built of maple and limestone, with a New Orleans-style balcony on the second floor, and a “widow’s walk.” There is an abandoned mill dam down the road on the Big River. Its use as a hotel began sometime in the 1920s, and saw the likes of Al Capone, Charles Lindbergh, Charlie Chaplain, and Jesse James and his gang. However, this is not what gives the Hotel its infamy. No, that would be Bertha Alice Williams Graham Gifford. Bertha Gifford was married to her second husband, Eugene Gifford, and lived her life at the Morse Mill Hotel as a simple housewife during the early 1900s. She loved to cook for people and make candy for children. Unfortunately, she also liked adding arsenic to her recipes. She was accused of murdering 17 people over 20 years, including her first husband, Henry Graham. She was arrested in 1928, had a three-day trial in Union, MO, and was found guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to the Missouri State Hospital #4, where she died in 1951.

For more information http://morsemillhotel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morse-Mill-Haunted-Hotel/211903828849561
http://directoryofstlouis.com/blog/tour-the-haunted-morse-mill-hotel/

PLEASE ALWAYS REMEMBER THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHT, Protected by United States Copyright and the Property of FranzsFeaturedFotos, Peggy Franz

Missouri’s Natural Beauty

 

Well visited one of my favorite place to go which is Pickle Springs Park in St.Genevieve Missouri which also is very close to Farmington ,Missouri. 

 Explore a geological wonderland that is a National Natural Landmark.

 View scenic waterfalls and cool box canyons that harbor unusual plants and animals.

 Enjoy the blossoms of rose azalea along the sandstone valley in the spring.

Natural Spring Waterfall

Natures Beauty Waterfall

Forest Lights

The Key Hole

The Key Hole

The View from Above

 This scenic natural area contains all sorts of fascinating sandstone rock formations including box canyons and wet weather waterfalls. The sandstone rock here is the Lamotte sandstone that was formed from sandy beaches of a shallow ocean that existed here 500 million years ago. 

Missouri has so much to offer as far as beauty of nature and wildlife. 

 

Mother Nature’s Hydraulics of Water

This is Johnson Shut-In located in Missouri. This place is so beautiful!! great place to take a trip with the family and enjoy swimming. Play in the shallows of the East Fork of the Black River. Shoot through Mother Nature’s hydraulics in the shut-ins. Hike a trail that will show you 1.4 billion years of geologic history. Take your horse on a pretty mountain trail. Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park is a jewel of the system, a place with something for everyone: pretty picnic areas, Ozark landscapes, natural places to swim, great campsites.

PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHT, Protected by United States Copyright and the Property of FranzsFeaturedFotos, Peggy Franz

Oh My Deer

Well, I did not go another season without capturing my most favorite wildlife creatures. The Deer. On my walks I was lucky enough to capture such beauty and grace.
I try to get through as many Missouri parks as I can. These were captured at Jefferson Barracks in South County , Mo as well as Route 66 park located in Eureka,Missouri. I so enjoy watching them.Hope you enjoy these majestic creatures.

Captured in Route 66 Park

Jefferson Barracks Park

Jefferson Barracks Park

Route 66 Park

Please check out this wonderful group who rescues our wildlife deer takes care of them then releases back to the wild!! THANK YOU! Kindred Spirits Fawn Rescue
http://www.kindredspiritsfawnrescue.org

Contest Winner at JAVA Magazine

THANK YOU JAVA JOURNAL !! Proud to to have been RUNNER UP in the “WINTER WONDERLAND CONTEST”
http://www.javajournalstl.com/ Magazine PAGE 20 FEB ISSUE- YOU WILL SEE check it out !!
for my” Cover Bridge ”

Runner Up in Magazine

EWWWW Creepy Spider in Web

Arboreal Orb Weavers

There are several species of Neoscona and Araneus orb weavers in Missouri, and some are quite difficult to distinguish, even by specialists. Often, one must note small details of their anatomy in order to “key them out” to determine the species.

Neoscona species have a slightly triangular-ovate abdomen with a pattern resembling an upside-down spruce tree. On each side of this midline may be black, brown and greenish-brown markings. The legs usually are gray with brown rings. The carapace may be gray with brown markings. Araneus species may be similarly marked and colored, though some are quite showy and less hairy.

Size: 

 Length: usually about 1/4 inch (not including the legs); males are smaller than females.

Habitat and conservation: 

 These rather large and often hairy spiders are common in open woods, brushy fields, in tall grassy areas, and around fenceposts and buildings. They are common on the eaves of houses and barns. They may build their webs wherever structures are present for support and where flying insects commonly pass through.

Eating a daddy long leg spider. 

Foods: 

 Flying insects such as moths and crane flies are the principal prey. Once caught in sticky strands of the web, they are bitten and trussed by the spider, which later eats them. Many orb weavers are nocturnal and have the peculiar habit of eating and rebuilding their webs each day. Webs are built at dusk and used for snaring prey during the night. At dawn, the spider reingests the strands (along with moisture that has collected on it as dew) and recycles the nutrients in making the next web.

Human connections: 

 The amazing web patterns have fascinated humans for millennia. E. B. White wrote his classic “Charlotte’s Web” about an Araneus spider. Orb weavers control populations of flying insects, many of which are pestiferous. Orb weavers don’t bite unless molested, and their bites are not dangerous, anyway.

Ecosystem connections: 

 These spiders control populations of flying insects. Although they may seem ferocious, outside their webs and hiding places these delicate creatures are quite vulnerable to predation themselves. Also, their egg sacs are relished by many species and, for example, provide winter food for many birds. For more information please check it out at http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/arboreal-orb-weavers#