Yvonne Redknap

@yredknap.bsky.social

5803 Followers 348 Following

I am just here to enjoy beautiful photos and find some calm in these chaotic times. I am a hobbyist photographer and I live in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

Taken from a pedestrian bridge over a creek, the photo shows the creek flowing between tall trees. There are rocks along the edge and grassy areas between the trees. The early morning sun shines through some of the branches, reflecting brightly off the water and casting shadows over parts of the water for contrast.
The cardinal's smooth red feathers are a sharp contrast to the rough tree bark immediately behind him. He is perched on a bare branch, looking to the right. The branches around him are bare and broken, making his completely smooth chest a stark contrast to his surroundings.
A gull is standing on a sandy beach. He picked up a small nut to eat but it slipped out of his beak. He has his beak open, as the nut is falling back to the ground.
Three blooms of the plant Cupid's Dart. The petals are a light blue, with longer ones on the outside and gradually getting smaller on the inside. In the centre of the flower, the innermost petals are a dark blue at the bottom. The background is blurred green and brown.
A single large pink peony flower. It is surrounded by dark green leaves in the lower half of the photo, and blue sky in the upper half of the photo. There are several peony buds rising above the open bloom and they are highlighted by the blue sky behind them.
The image shows two purple cone flowers and a robber fly has settled on the copper-orange central cone on top of the front one. The flower petals are pink and the background is a mix of blurred pink flowers and green leaves.
Two blooms of a daylily. The petals are a creamy yellow, with orange around the ruffled edges. The yellow stamens in the centre have dark pods on the end and they are surrounded by a large orange circle. Behind the blooms are long, thin, green leaves.
A fully opened dark pink hellebore, blooming in the early spring sunlight. It is surrounded by several buds and one partly opened flower. The sun casts a shadow on the upper petals but shines directly onto the yellow stamens in the centre of the bloom.
A white butterfly is resting on a leaf, partly hidden by the blades of grass in front of it. Its wings look almost translucent and its white legs are spread out across the leaf. It is surrounded by the green leaves and stems of wildflowers.
A single bloom of a fully opened daylily. The petals are a creamy yellow colour with purple around the ruffled edges. The centre has a large area of purple which surrounds the yellow stamens. The stamens have dark purple and yellow pods on the tips. Two other buds can be seen on the left side of the bloom and the background has long narrow green leaves.
A female damselfly is standing on a light green leaf. She has a brown body and black wings, with a white spot near the tip of each wing. The background is blurred narrow branches and green leaves.
A narrow path through the woods leads eventually to a large pond. On the path ahead are three small birds just watching me walk slowly towards them. The trees above the path have grown into each other to form an long archway. The sun has broken through in a few places casting light and shadow onto the path.
A red winged blackbird is perched on the end of a narrow branch. He is bent over the tip of the branch, looking down at activity below. His red and yellow shoulder patch and dark black plumage are contrasted against the clear bright blue sky.
A single bloom of a yellow daylily. Although they only bloom for one day, this particular variety of daylily stays open from early morning until the evening, for at last 16 hours. It has ruffled petals and a patch of green in the centre around the yellow stamens. In the background are several buds and long, slender green leaves.
A starling is standing on the edge of a lawn, beside a narrow walkway. The lawn continues on the other side of the walkway. The starling is in profile, looking straight ahead to our right. His distinctive plumage shows his glossy black feathers with an iridescent blue sheen and speckled white spots. His beak is yellow.
A long-legged fly is standing on a petal of a yellow coreopsis flower. Its body and head are a green-bronze metallic colour, its long legs are spread wide and its lightly veined wings are slightly away from its body. It is a close-up of the flower, with just parts of three petals and half of the centre disk visible.
The bladder campion is an unusual shaped wild flower. It has an inflated bulbous calyx at the stem, with several small petals protruding from the end. It is white, with darker cream veining. It is also known as cowbell, maiden's tears and bird's eggs. In this image, the campion is surrounded by smaller wild flowers and green stems and leaves.
One single cone shaped cluster of red berries on a sumac bush. This cluster is standing upright against a backdrop of thin green sumac leaves. In the autumn these leaves will turn to bright red. The red fruit shown in the image can be used to make a sumac lemonade or tea. The hot sumac tea will sooth a sore throat.
A grackle is perched on a branch, partly hidden by the red blossoms on the tree. His iridescent blue head and neck and his silver beak contrast with the pale blue cloudless sky.
Raindrops cover the petals of a coneflower. The petals are a pinky-orange colour and the flower has a dark brown disk in the centre. Blurred leaves can be seen at the bottom of the photo.
One of the many wildflowers that are abundant in Ontario, the blue tufted vetch has approximately 30 flowers that grow on just one side of the stem. They are a lilac colour at the stem and blend to light and dark shades of blue at the tips. In this image there is one stem of the blue vetch, with white wildflowers growing behind it. Blurred green leaves can be seen behind the flowers.
A great blue heron is wading in the grass at the edge of a pond. Its head and beak are stretched forward, his beak open as he spots lunch in the water. He is surrounded by tall grass and reeds. Behind him the water is grey, reflecting the cloudy sky. A blurred branch crosses the image diagonally, at the front.
A damsel fly is perched on a narrow green leaf. Its iridescent blue head, back and tail contrast with the black of his wings and the muted greens of the leaves and stems that surround him. He appears to be very relaxed and calm, remaining perfectly still for several minutes.
A daisy-like flower with numerous notch-edged bright yellow petals. It has a central disc that is a darker yellow, with a narrow ring of brown around the central disc. The background is blurred narrow green leaves and stems.
A single bloom of an orange day lily. It has three large orange petals and three large slightly thinner orange sepals, each with a yellow stripe down the middle. The centre is yellow and has several long orange stamens that are dark at the tip. The flower is surrounded by the long, thin green leaves of other day lily plants.
A female red-winged blackbird is perched on a grey branch, her head bent forward, looking down intently at something. Small narrow branches are around her, with leaves sprouting on some of them. The background is blurred green and grey.
This plant has large silvery, heart-shaped leaves with distinct dark green veins. Scattered among the large leaves are small blue flowers, produced by the plant, and they resemble forget-me-knots.
In the foreground is a small area of sandy beach. A man is standing on a rock watching the sun rise over the open water of Lake Ontario. He stands there in silence, taking in the beauty. To the left are bare trees close to the water's edge. The sun is not yet above the horizon and the sky is shades of orange and gold, reflected on the clouds.
A chipmunk is climbing up the pole of a bird feeder. He has stopped half way up and his head is turned to his left, to look at the camera. He is a rust colour, with brown and cream stripes, and he is clinging to the pole with all four paws. His right ear looks damaged, probably caused by a bite during a fight. Behind him are the blurred green leaves of a flower bed.
In the foreground is the lake in St. James's Park in London. A weeping willow tree drapes gracefully over the water. A variety of birds are on the water, standing at the edge of the lake or walking on the grass beside the lake. Tall trees surround the water and in the background behind the trees is Buckingham Palace. To the right of the palace is the Victoria Monument. On top of the monument is the gilded bronze statue of Winged Victory, standing on a globe. The sky is blue, with patches of white and grey clouds.
A large yellow daisy-like flower, standing alone in front of a carpet of small yellow flowers and green leaves. The long thin yellow petals are a contrast to the dark brown central cone.
A Japanese Beetle is crawling up a white rose flower. The beetle has a shiny metallic-green head and thorax, and metallic coppery-brown wing covers. Behind the rose, the background is blurred dark green.
In the centre of the flowerbed are several philodendron plants. Their huge leaves are multicoloured, with the centre ones being red and orange. The outer leaves have turned from red to yellow and then to green. The philodendrons are surrounded by red begonias.
A Canada Goose swims across a pond, creating ripples around him. His tail, body, neck and head are reflected in the water. There are also reflections of the green vegetation growing at the edge of the water and the clear blue sky above.
A single cranesbill geranium flower. It has five blue petals, each with narrow purple veins that radiate out from the centre. There are ten stamens, each with a dark pollen bearing sac on the end. Behind the flower are the bright green jagged leaves of the plant.
A baltimore oriole is perched high on the branch of a tree. His orange plumage shines bright in the morning sun. His orange feathers, black head, and silver beak are a striking contrast to he bright blue sky.
Eight newborn goslings are swimming on a pond. Their little faces and fluffy bodies gleam in the early morning sunshine. Ripples on the water are created by the parents who are swimming ahead of them but are not in the image.
A bumblebee is resting sideways on an anise hyssop flower, as it searches for nectar.
A single bloom of a pinky-mauve peony. The centre petals are tightly balled, hiding the yellow stamens. Raindrops balance delicately on the petals and thin dark green leaves surround the bloom.
A single bloom of a bright orange gerbera daisy. The petals range in size from large at the outside to very small in the centre. The central disk is a very pale yellow colour.
The sun is close to the horizon but mostly hidden behind banks of clouds and the city below is in darkness. In the centre of the image, the golden yellow sun glows between the lines of clouds. The whole sky is stripes of orange in all shades, from light to very dark.
A great egret is standing in the long grass at the edge of a pond. Its white plumage stands out clearly before the green backdrop of shrubs and trees. Similarly, the white of the egret and the green if the vegetation are reflected brightly on the water, creating a peaceful, calm atmosphere.