Coasters

A yellow tulip after a spring rain.

The dial of a retro classic AM transistor portable radio.

The dial of a retro classic AM table radio.

The dial of a retro classic AM table radio.

The dial of a retro classic AM table radio.

telephone touch tone keypad

Classic AM radio dial. This one has a brass insert.

The dial of a retro classic AM table radio.

The rotary telephone dial: vintage technology for input of numerical data.

Vintage TV channel selector knob. Back in the day you got up off the couch, walked to the TV and turned this knob, which had a nice solid feel and made a satisfying ka-chunk sound as you switched the channel.

Vintage TV channel knob, made of Bakelite, the first plastic. Or Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, if you prefer the chemical name.

A Tiger Nautilus shell. The nautilus is a very ancient marine cephalopod of the family Nautilidae.

The shell of the European edible sea urchin (Echinus esculentus), family Echinoidea. Sea urchins move slowly, feeding primarily on algae.

This spiral sea shell is of the family Architectonicidae. Known as the staircase shells or sundials, they are sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks.

Shell of the horned helmet snail, Cassis Cornuta, family Cassidae, about 10 inches.

Cross section of a shell of the Chambered Nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, also called the pearly nautilus. The spiral architecture of this cephalopod's shell suggests mathematical principals and the reflection adds the element of symmetry. It's often said that the pattern illustrates the Fibonacci sequence, however that's not quite the case, the ratios are different.

Dried specimen of Diodon holocanthus, long-spined Porcupine FIsh. Porcupine fish are also commonly called blowfish, puffer fish, balloon fish and globefish. They are in the family Diodontidae.

Sand Dollars, a species of Sea Urchin. These marine creatures belong to the order Clypeasteroida.

A Scallop seashell. Scallops are saltwater clams or bivalves in the family Pectinidae. The elegant fan shape is an iconic image of marine life.

Cone shells - leopard cone snail (Lithoconus leopardus) and marbled cone snail (Conus marmoreus). These are shells of predatory, venomous sea snails.

A nautilus shell which has been cleaned and polished.

A Chiragra Spider Conch seashell, Harpago chiragra, family Strombidae.

A Keyhole Sand Dollar, genus Mellita, a species of Sea Urchin. These marine createures belong to the order Clypeasteroida.

The shell of a spiny Sea Urchin, possibly Stomopneustes variolaris, family Stomopneustidae. Black and white macro.

A starfish. There are many species and exact identification is difficult. Genus Linckia, family ophidiasteridae.

Trapezium Horse Conch, Pleuroploca trapezium, sea shell.

Closeup of Plate coral (Fungia fungites). Family: Fungiidae. These are solitary, non-reef-building corals.

A highly polished Turban sea shell. Turbans are the shells of the marine gastropods also known as sea snails.

A polished abalone (paua) shell.

Sea shell: ramose or branched murex

Coral

A Schilder's Tiger cowrie sea shell (Cyprae tigris f, shilderiana). These are large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cypraeidae. The beautiful porcelain-like shells are often used in jewelry.

Fused shells of the giant acorn barnacle (Megabalanus tintinnabulum). Family: Balanidae

Brain coral

Rudbeckia, also known as Black Eyed Susan, and rerferred to as a coneflower. This one is just ready to open.

Aquilegia, known as Columbine or Granny's Bonnet, is found in meadows, and woodlands throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It's a beautiful and hardy native garden plant and is favored by hummingbirds. The extreme depth of field of this macro photograph was achieved by combing 9 images.

Securigera varia, known as Purple Crown Vetch, isn't native but now fluorishes throughout the midwest. It was brought into the U.S. as a supposedly desireable ground cover to secure the soil along highways. Today it's seen as invasive, although the flowers are beautiful. Hopefully ways are found to control it and integrate it into existing ecosystems.

Rudbeckia, also known as Black Eyed Susan, and rerferred to as a coneflower.

Wild Bergamot also known as Bee Balm, Monarda Fistulosa, a common native Norith American plant with medicinal and antiseptic properties.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea)

A spring shower just came through, the sun is reappearing, and this new Coneflower is eager to take advantage of the opportunity to grow.

Kalanchoe - a tropical succulent flowering plant. These blossoms are only about a half inch across.

This brilliant Bromeliad is all about warm colors that suggest its tropical origin.

The center of a pink rose.

This complex structure, less than an inch across, is the flower of Rattlesnake Master, Eryngium yuccifolium. The plant is a traditional treatment for snake bite and is native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America.

Prairie Smoke - Geum triflorum - also known as three-flowered avens or old man's whiskers, is a native perennial found throughout the North American prairie. It looks disorderly, blowing in the wind; but up close you see a complex botanical structure.

A Milkweed pod opening to release its seeds into the air. Milkweed (Asclepias) is an American genus of herbaceous perennial. This plant is critical for the survival of Monarch butterflies as it is the only plant on which they lay their eggs.

Marbles: a macro wide-angle perspective.

Marbles

Sock Monkey on a coffee break

A honeybee working the flowers on a Russian Sage.

A honeybee working the flowers on a Russian Sage.

A bumble bee gathering nectar from a Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia

A honeybee working the flowers on a Russian Sage.

This brilliant metallic green insect is a Halictid bee, family Halictidae, genus Agapostemon. It's on a Russian sage.

A honeybee in its world of intense color and wildly varied plant formations. This one is at work on Butterfly Weed, Asclepias, also known as Swamp Milkweed, a common indigenous plant in Minnesota. It's the European honeybee, Apis mellifera.

A bee lives in a world of intense color, gigantic plant structures, and chemical signals, that we can't imagine. This is a European honeybee - Apis mellifera - on a purple coneflower (Echinachea).

A bumble bee gathering nectar from a Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia

A honeybee on Rattlesnake Master, Eryngium yuccifolium.

A honeybee working the flowers on a Russian Sage.

A honeybee in its world of intense color and wildly varied plant formations. This one is at work on Butterfly Weed, Asclepias, also known as Swamp Milkweed, a common indigenous plant in Minnesota. It's the European honeybee, Apis mellifera.