My autumn morning walk revealed various actors taking centre stage with no audition required; stars oblivious to their starring role, their transitory performance orchestrated by nature’s play of contrast, light and shadow. These photos were taken on a single morning walk from my home in Tapanui, West Otago, New Zealand. It was a beautiful day and I took over 300 photos, these 15 are just a small selection! Photos taken 29 March 2021.
Click on any photo to enlarge.
Foliage below a dahlia I was photographing; more showy than the dahlia!

Dahlias and colchicum (autumn crocus).

Stream of colour, same colchicum as in the above photo.

Small-leaved foliage in the spotlight.

The woodland field also featured star bovine performers.

Sometimes it’s surprising where nature directs the spotlight.

Gunnera leaves aglow, our local plant nursery’s water storage pond.

Spider webs on show, and an interesting gate shadow.

Leading actors make their debut in orderly procession.

Backlit golden pine tree.

Backlit birch against a gorgeous clear blue sky.

These bright colchicum cheerfully dispel any hint of moodiness.

Time to shine for a lovely dahlia bloom.

This sheep .. nonchalantly oblivious to its stand-out solo performance.

Not so the dynamic duo.

~The End~
Text and photos by Liz; Exploring Colour (2021)
It sure looks like you had a wonderful day, with lots of photo opportunities. I love the shots of the sheep with the purple flowers. I see sheep so rarely that it is a treat for me to see them–I suspect, Liz, that you see them a bit more often than I do.
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I suspect I just might see sheep a *lot* more than you do Mike! It’s nice to think that it’s a treat for you to see them. I do recall a while ago that Nigel referred to them as “land slugs” haha! Very common here 🙂
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I grew up in the suburbs of a Boston, Massachusetts and have never lived in a rural location, so sheep, cows, goats, and pigs are somewhat “exotic” to me. Land slugs? I laughed at Nigel’s term of endearment for the sheep. 🙂
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How lovely to have such variety within walking distance of home, Liz! Early morning is fun for seeing contrasts that aren’t visible later in the day. You have a great eye for photographing them!
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You’ve made my day Ellen! Big thank you hugs for your encouragement 🙂
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I’m glad nature is putting on such a lovely show for you, Liz–and all for free.
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Yes isn’t that wonderful? “all for free” 😀
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We are very fortunate not to be living on Mars!
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What a lovely walk – I’m happy to have had the chance to ‘accompany’ you! 🙂
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It’s always a pleasure when you come along!
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Thanks Liz! Internet walks are a great way to see a different bit of the world!
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By the way, I like your ‘murder and mayhem among the beasties in the garden’ in your post today. I didn’t comment because I wasn’t sure you’d be online to see it anyway. The anemone flower is a lovely blue!
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I’m back online properly now and very relieved to be too! DH and I were made aware just how much we rely on the internet. Thankfully it was fixed very quickly. 🙂 I do love these pretty blue flowers, especially when I find them in unexpected places. And there’s a lot going on in the garden on a minute scale…good job that I don’t have to police it, hehe!
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Glad you’re back online! ~have just put up a 17-photo garden post 🙂
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Sounds good – must go and do a bit of reading… 🙂
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Lovely, and great shadow play! Those black cows look like walking shadows.
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Thanks Robert! The cattle were quietly curious .. nice animals but a little restless and it was a challenge to get a good shot 😀
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A lovely mix. 😊
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Cool! thank you.
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Refreshing Images…
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