well it has been a hot one this last month and last night was not much different. hard to do much in this heat(100+ heat index and humid and no air conditioning) and I really am looking forward to a big storm to push this heat on out. the heat and humidity have made way for some great photo shots and last night there was a spectacular cloud in our southeastern skies that needed to be photographed. The colors were very vibrant.

looking carefully above the center of the cloud, an added bonus was captured on this shot. venus is that little white dot in the night skies. the cloud was illuminated by the warm setting sun to the west and it was not quite dark just yet.

the cloud was not moving very fast, and as a bit of time went on, some flashes of lightning could be seen between its layers.






after i was finished with the cloud, i found myself walking around this open area surrounded by trees, plants and brush -- left alone and wild. Growing it must have in the early american praries. this display of plant layers and interaction caught my eye and i snapped a few shots before walking back home.











one last shot for the evening found me taking a picture of these trees and wild shrubs and plants. It was getting much darker now and these were taken with a flash.