Nature Seen
Scroll down to view photos in this collection.
Click here to read my poem called Enjoy Life.
“When I look closely, I see intricate designs, infinite shapes, ranging textures and myriad colors in a solitary place.”
(From a Steve Madden poem called Enjoy Life.)
Macro photography is both challenging and rewarding. Nobody appreciates close up photos like a hikographer (one who photographs scenes while hiking).
As you view this collection, Nature Seen, I hope you will be challenged to look more intently at wonders around you. By doing so, you will develop a greater appreciation for nature.
Words to live by: Look closely and be amazed!
SNS71V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
This Milkweed stalk, and many like it, displayed showy seed pods by the third Monday in October.
Thankfully, they escaped harm when French Broad River overflowed its banks and swamped low-lying areas of Seven Islands State Birding Park near Kodak TN.
SNS70V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Notice the similarities between this image, time stamped 7:49pm on October 17, and another from 8:29pm on March 23.
Both moon shots were captured in Woodlawn Cemetery near my South Knoxville home.
SNS65V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Numerous Hearts A Bustin’ shrubs along Metcalf Bottoms Trail displayed vibrant seed pods in mid-September.
Their brilliant pink seed pods split open in early Autumn to reveal bright orange seeds. Amazing!
SNS58H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Umbrella Magnolia leaves are typically 12 to 20 inches long.
Although common throughout Appalachia, I marvel each time I see the large leaves that are distinctive also for the umbrella shape they form.
I hiked Christmas Fern Trail at Norris Dam State Park when I captured this image.
SNS57V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
This was my view from Alum Cave where I rested during my climb to the 6593 foot summit of Mt. LeConte.
“The Alum Cave Trail probably has the most spectacular scenery of any trail in the (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)…”
Narrative by James Wedekind in Hiking Trails of the Smokies.
SNS53V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
What makes this hikographer especially happy? A year with two Spring seasons!
I hiked a short trail at Tulip Immersion Gardens in Holland MI when I saw these Lily Of The Valley plants.
Great White Trillium and Trout Lily flowers were also in bloom in Michigan during our May holiday.
SNS51V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Scenes like this beckon us to explore Appalachia in Springtime.
My solo hike along Baxter Creek Trail was an adventure, but well worth the effort to see Maidenhair Ferns, Wild Geraniums, Bishop’s Caps, Canada Violets and other flourishing plants.
SNS49V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
An up close look at Japanese Maple seeds in mid-April.
Seen in the Azalea Garden at Baxter Gardens in North Knoxville TN.
SNS46H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Green leaves and multi-colored blooms brightened an overcast afternoon at Ijams Nature Center.
Spring had sprung by mid-March in Knoxville Tennessee.
SNS44H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
The hole in a fallen log was maybe 1.5 inches in diameter. How Julie noticed this tiny Fugus growing inside the small hole is beyond me.
I am glad she noticed and pointed it out to Larry and me.
SNS42H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Powdery snow collected on this evergreen shrub the January day when eight inches accumulated on lawns, houses and streets in South Knoxville.
SNS40V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
I sat on a rock within the “cave” at Chimney Top in Frozen Head State Park.
I was weary from the climb and disappointed that I could not locate the scramble path to the chimney’s actual top.
I happened to look up and saw an evergreen Mountain Laurel jutting from the stone wall. Disappointment yielded to joyful contentment at this awesome sight!
SNS35V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
A single Maple displays amazing color in Autumn.
I hiked Harlan Road Trail in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park when I noticed the picture postcard scene.
SNS31V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
I am sometimes at a loss for words to describe nature’s wonders. However, I never tire of experiencing them!
I saw these Fungi while hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail between Jones Meadow and Allen Gap in North Carolina.
SNS30H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Do you like trees that change leaf colors? Me too!
Thankfully, some Redbud trees display multicolored leaves even in early Summer.
SNS29H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Summergreen trees reflected on Clinch River adjacent to Norris Dam State Park.
The low water level exposed fallen and waterlogged trees and Cypress knees of which I was totally unaware, although I have hiked there dozens of times.
I suppose innumerable natural wonders exist that humans never see.
SNS22H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
I spied this family of Fungi in early February at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville Tennessee.
If you live close by, I implore you to explore nature at Ijams. Some of my best nature photos, both tranquil and dramatic, were taken at this city oasis alongside the Tennessee River.
SNS01V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
This incredible Fungi-cloaked tree stopped me in my tracks.
I saw these umbrella-shaped fungal specimens in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Robbinsville, North Carolina.
SNS02V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Winter hiking can be spectacular in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
On a January day, Lumber Ridge Trail presented Tom and me with four miles x2 of winter spectacle.
SNS04V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This spooky image grabbed my attention the day after Halloween.
I suppose my imagination was overactive as I hiked Squibb Creek Trail in Cherokee National Forest near Chuckey, Tennessee.
SNS08H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
A single Maidenhair Fern is striking. This thicket of Maidenhairs was spectacular!
I saw them mid-May while hiking Porter’s Creek Trail in the Greenbrier area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
SNS12V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This picturesque portion of Dry Creek is below Margarette Falls in Cherokee National Forest near Greeneville, Tennessee.
Contrary to its name, Dry Creek seemed rather wet when I forded it multiple times that November day.
SNS13V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
These demonstrate why deciduous trees are esteemed most when their leaves turn brilliant colors.
I saw an abundance of color the November day I hiked to Margarette Falls in Cherokee National Forest.
SNS17V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Each Spring I am privileged to see Pink Lady Slippers in bloom.
These grew near the bottom of Middle Springs Ridge Trail in Cherokee National Forest near Chuckey, Tennessee.
Yellow Lady Slippers are more rare.
SNS18V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
This is a fine specimen of Rosebay Rhododendron I photographed while hiking to The Hangover in North Carolina.
This early bloomer was a few hiking miles from Beech Gap Trailhead along Cherohala Skyway.
SNS19V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Here are the best specimens of Shelf Fungus I have seen. Note their glossy finish and pancake appearance. Wow!
I captured this memory while hiking Sugarland Mountain Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
SNS21H Copyright 2016 Steven L Madden
New-fallen leaves and bleached-out ferns caught my eye one afternoon in early November.
Peter, Sue and I hiked 23 miles that day in the Smoky Mountains. Our trails included Noland Divide, Noland Creek and Springhouse Branch.