https://www.artlivesinnature.com/gallery daily 1.0 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/1741812043802-9ZLWAXN7LKP22E17E4TC/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Dream-time Lotus A Lotus flower's peaceful and beautiful cycle of rebirth and inspiration. Lotus Glow in Summer at Memphis Botanic Garden - A lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera) grows and transforms in a lowland pond habitat a. My sultry lotus project grew and grew over 3 very hot summers. I noticed that these amazing flowers withstood the high heat and even thrived in hot weather! Astounded, I fell in love with their brilliant contrast and decided to do a photo study. As I sat up my camera I heard busy, buzzing Carpenter bumble bees...nearby on the Thalia Dealbata plants and felt blazing heat radiating from the ground. The Lotus is considered sacred in Asia and has rich symbolism in many cultures. The Lotus flower to me can symbolize- "rebirth, purity, and enlightenment". Last summer it was extremely hot, and my camera flashed warning symbols and quit working all together. Luckily I was able to cool off in the shade. This summer, one morning I visited the tiny lotus pond again and was mesmerized to see so many. I leaned into photograph the lotus and lost track of time, even as beads of sweat dripped down my checks. These hot weather beauties illuminate the pond and contrast with their dark green textured foliage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/1743705968284-Q80MWM2U2XKTF15LKV1E/Meadow+Surfer.jpeg Galleries - Meadow Surfer Just before sunset I waited in the meadow, I go back to often. A precious project has been studying the Great Blue herons (Ardea Herodias) around Shelby Farms Nature Conservancy for several years. Right as the sunlight was nearly at the horizon, a heron flew into the meadow. They have been known to hunt small mammals. So I waited quietly and with a sudden rustle of the tall grass the heron took off in low flight over the meadow! The lighting caught the amazing deep blue to grey colors in its feathers and it was an unforgettable moment! I knew Heron did not solely hunt in water, yet sometimes in fields and what a beautiful opportunity this was to witness. The Great Blue heron’s vibrancy was such a contrast with the tall golden grass! So I waited quietly and with a rustle of the tall grass the heron took off in low flight over the meadow! The lighting caught the amazing deep blue grey colors in it’s feathers and it was an unforgettable moment! I knew Heron did not solely hunt in water, yet sometimes in fields and what a beautiful opportunity this was to witness. The Great Blue heron vibrancy was such a contrast with the tall golden grass! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/1770066920928-5B6DMWPD1WUEF5VCDTWG/1+7.JPG Galleries - Dark Horse Riding Over the Desert Sands As we gaze upwards the Milky Way glows over the nighttime desert. The camera brings out all the depth of space, colors and stars - yet the human touch is infused with art and meaning. On this night I was looking out at space and feeling humanity’s connection to the universe and beyond! The sky reminded me of what our ancestors saw, and I worked with the universe’s space-time flow to capture this image. We all have a connection to the stars, like our ancestors - INFINITE STARS, we are ALL apart of the universe. Inside this image with Milky Way Core you can see the Dark Horse Nebula, while it flows out in a stream connecting to Rho Ophiuchi. Death Valley National Park, California - International Dark Sky Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/1742409990915-FTTF2P95J5UQO0ZZMWQS/Rolling+Plains.jpg Galleries - Summer Sunset in the Meadow Early one June a beautiful and vibrant ombre sunset splashed across the sky! Striking colors halted me in my tracks, then Blue hour began to fall after sunset and the Red Wing Blackbirds sang as the crickets hummed - the meadow was settling in for the night. The foreground was bathed in a soft light highlighting every grain of grass illustrating the transition from Spring green to summer. This lovely meadow was where I flew kites with my children and our Lab pit mix ran free amongst the flowers. Extremely honored that this moment was featured on the 85th anniversary cover wrap of the Tennessee Conservationist magazine. https://www.artlivesinnature.com/info-contact daily 0.75 2026-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/978a0fa5-9831-48c8-acd3-8cc6ad44bcc4/IMG_3014.jpg About + Contact - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/e69eb8d1-d773-4a92-834e-cb888d3e4a90/IMG_1053+2+copy.jpg About + Contact - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/81ee6d43-8f05-4d72-bbc8-7dc736d60731/0c77a59e-a30b-48bf-9a5d-a4d230e50ace.jpg About + Contact - Make it stand out Courtesy of Mike Shaw Photography https://www.artlivesinnature.com/published-articles daily 0.75 2025-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/4c8393e2-3e2e-49fa-a7b4-bbeb7136505d/The+Tennessee+Conservationist+November-December+2025.png Published Articles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/471ee31b-e253-4fd9-8dff-b8d62bace233/Ely-2025-10-18-A-+copy.jpg Published Articles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/d8b77c2a-fa89-4228-8b20-4a51bc0e36a3/The+Tennessee+Conservationist+May-June+2025+copy.jpg Published Articles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/4eac75fc-2bbb-4c81-9d0a-b2abbd91a44e/The+Tennessee+Conservationist+Nov-Dec+2024+copy.jpg Published Articles The Tennessee Conservationist, November/December 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/f2857651-0cc6-4413-ada0-7d3810e0964c/The+Tennessee+Conservationist+-+September%3AOctober+2024.png Published Articles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/f1486af3-1c12-4fbb-af4b-35c9709d1c9e/The+Tennessee+Conservationist+-+March%3AApril+2024.png Published Articles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d1db4c8dcea3266826d48f/1deb8590-e219-4109-bed9-03a312ed6374/The+Tennessee+Conservationist+July-August+2022.jpg.webp Published Articles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.