Tag Archives: JKLeahy photography

Writing Stories

A Burst of Life: Nature Photography

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A Burst of Life: Nature Photography – Spiders

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I shot this spider and the green bullet looking pouch (pictured below) with babies, over two days before they disappeared from my garden. That was a few days ago. It was a burst of life with small moving creatures on the dull sturdy orchid plant – a typical Queensland nature. The black ant should give you an idea of how tiny these babies were.

I’m not sure if the same spider (above) had all these babies.  I tried to Google it. They (both the large and baby spiders), were on the same orchid. I think the baby spiders were eaten by birds before I went back, on the third day. The delay in posting on this blog was because I had to try to find the name of the spider and see if these babies came from it. I was also watching the Australian Tennis Championships in between the spider investigation. I still don’t have a clue. If anyone knows, please tell me.

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Writing Stories

Hibiscus, Dead and Living Photography

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The Dead and the Living – J.K. Leahy Photography

The Hibiscus is one of my favourite tropical flowers. I enjoy looking at their delicate silky petals which open graciously at day time and close tightly at night. The flowers remind me of women and especially my mother, with a strong confident character, that others often easily bruise without being aware. And when she (my mother) has closed herself, she is closed.

In the Pacific Islands, we love wearing the hibiscus for its beauty and many assorted colours. It’s bark is used as cloth (similar to mulberry bark Tapa is made from), and the flowers of the hibiscus can be eaten. The flower is slightly acidic and is made into tangy sweet jelly. Rosella jam is made from a type of hibiscus. Here is a recipe I found on Food.com.

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I have two types of red hibiscus in my garden, one I have shown here before. Butterflies also love sleeping under the leaves. The same red hibiscus is positioned in the front of our house and after a recent dry spell that was softened by torrential rains – the one crazy weather after another bought and abundance of flowers. I ran down about 6pm two days ago and all the petals were closed. I forgot the flowers did that.

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Here are some pictures of the flower, photographed (yesterday) wherever they had fallen, except for the ones I arranged in the group. I also photographed the flowers on our driveway, where car tyres had run over the dead flowers. I felt like making some art with the fallen flowers, so I hope you like them. This week, I will also post pictures of my new star of Christmas.

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Writing Stories

Soft Leaves – Photography

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The Dead and the Living – JK. Leahy Photography

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JKLeahy Picture©

Soft Leaves are part of the Dead and the Living Photography I often do. I try to feature my own artistic view of the subtle colours and structures of leaves, plants and vegetation, insects and wildlife that surround me. Sometimes I like the beauty and art in their decaying form.

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JKLeahy Picture©

The soft leaves pictured here fell from succulent plants I grow in hanging pots. Lucky for me, they fell into an old rusted steel wheelbarrow. A couple of small seedlings were saved as well.

I really like how soft the colours and the leaves themselves were. And to have various orange and grey mirrored from a cold hard rusting steel as the backdrop was totally unexpected.

I hope you like these pictures too.

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Writing Stories

Paper Flowers – Photography

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The Paper Flower – JK.Leahy

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I’m told they are Spiraea crenata. They are tiny. Under the lens, they look like paper flowers. But, they sure are real. These beautiful white blooms look almost like bleached paper. There are several scattered bunches on the bush at our door. Hopefully by spring, more of these miniature bouquets will cover the whole bush.

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One flower head is as large as the size of an adult finger nail.

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Writing Stories

Where the Seagulls Hunt – Poem and Photography

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I took a trip with my friend Erue Bucher and her daughter, the gorgeous Livuana to Kingscliff towards New South Wales in the last few days. Sea, salt and wide open spaces always affects my perception. It also takes me back to my roots.

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Where the Seagulls Hunt    JK.Leahy©

Where the sand meets salt,

I will meet my child

Warm rivers reach for the cold

depths of unknown ocean floor;

I touch what is on hold

Down by the seashore,

scattered seagulls roam and hunt

Threading wet and dry powdery sand,

leaving behind a footprint lace,

meandering across wide open space;

mind races across history made

A slender pair of orange legs

tucked under a mop so neat,

plumed white and grey feathers

how much a heart holds so close

Beady eyes remain untethered,

scouting along the ocean shores,

where hungry beachgoers

share the harvest of the summer

Thoughts weaving beyond the shores

and everything flows where tide goes

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Art, Culture and Heritage, Indigenous, Life, People, Photography, TRIBALMYSTIC BLOG, Writing Stories

A Stunning Beauty from Papua New Guinea

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On my return home to Papua New Guinea on September 16th, it was the Independence Day. My son Chris and I were very lucky to see PNG people celebrating in their traditional costumes.

On arrival at the Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby, our first meeting was with this stunning beauty.  I wish I had taken more, but I only had time to take four photographs of this beautiful woman and rush to domestic terminal to transit to Lae. I will get her name later, that’s how PNG networking is, but she was dressed in Simbu traditional dress. I believe she was part of the Air Niugini staff and assisted the international departure passengers.

If you have any questions about her dress, ask me, but this post is purely to show the beauty of the image. When I come across moments like this, I am very proud to be a Papua New Guinean. My reasons being, we are unique people, we love our culture and we are always proud to show it.

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blogging, Nature and Climate Change, Nature and Environment, writing, Writing Stories

The art and life of the leaves

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Let’s explore the anatomy of the slow, steady growing and long-lasting tortoise-like leaves. I just happened to photograph one of my favourite subjects, the Philodendron which has tortoise-like leaves.

A study by Dr. Peter Reich is looking at the different responses of tortoise-like leaves versus hare-like leaves to changing environments, such as higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air caused by climate change. As each generation of leaves reproduces, new genetic combinations are created.

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Dr Reich studies leaves.  Basically a study of leaf takes into account the longevity, productivity and nitrogen content. The University of Minnesota Professor compares the life-patterns of leaves to the fable of the Hare and the Turtle. In the race, the hare is winning the race, but he gets too confident and takes a nap. The turtle passes the hare while the hare is asleep and wins the race. In the case of the leaves, Dr Reich compares the tortoise-like leaves to be slow and steady growers that live longer. The leaves that are hare-like are speedy growers and do not last long.

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According to this study tortoise leaves such the Philodendron’s leaves will grow slowly and steadily.  But sciences also prove that the leaves in the tropics live fewer years than leaves on trees in cold climates such as the spruce in Canada.

Below is the trunk of the Philodendron.

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Even a Philodendron’s trunk has tortoise-like patterns. This part of the plant is where my art inspiration comes from.

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