Year of the Monkey

February 9, 2016October 25, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 12 Comments

This year is Chinese zodiac year of the Monkey, and it certainly is for me. I have just spent a week with various monkeys in the jungles of Costa Rica. Of all of them, this is definitely my favorite. The Squirrel Monkey. Adorable little creatures flitting through the trees like a family of small, grey and orange birds. You can hear them calling to each other as they bounce around, the sound of content and happy chirpings. Being somewhat cheeky like most monkey can be, they swept through this tree eating the fruits, only taking a few bites of each one before throwing them to the ground. Sometimes I think they were even purposefully aiming at my head. However, I will gladly take a few fruits to the head to spend time with these cute and cheeky little monkeys.

Squirrel Monkeys - Photograph by Laura Lecce — Squirrel Monkeys – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Tired Monkey - Photograph by Laura Lecce — Tired Monkey – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Spot the Clowns

February 4, 2016March 8, 2017 ~ laura lecce ~ 13 Comments

Watching clownfish swimming amongst a brightly colored anemone has always been a magical moment of any snorkeling trip for me. This photo actually has three of them, with the two smaller ones safely hiding amongst the stinging tentacles of their home, whilst the leader boldly sizes me up. Its very cute to watch, and always brings a big smile to my face (which usually means my mask fills with water and I momentarily drown). Common clownfish are seen in warmer tropical waters ranging from eastern Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia. The fish in this photo call the waters around Malaysia their home. They are such a beautiful sight to see, that I get so very disappointed and angry to hear that their numbers are decreasing due to the demand of the pet trade. I can imagine for some, that it might seem nice to watch them swimming in a tank in your home, but isn’t it so much more exciting to spot them happily swimming in their home in the ocean?

Day Job

February 1, 2016May 18, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 7 Comments

Imagine your day job consisted of rebuilding your home from scratch every single day. That’s exactly what this crab, along with millions of other crabs are repetitively doing. They empty out their homes of the destruction the tide brings in with it each and every day. Some of these tiny little crabs get quite creative with their designs of rolled up little balls of sand. For this particular crab, he always exited his home on the right, and placed all the little balls on the left, and walked all the way around to place them on the outside, getting progressively further away from the entrance. Every single pattern of sand balls around the homes of these crabs looked different, as was each of their methods. Maybe they each have a plan that I cannot possibly understand. Has any individual crab ever tried to do it differently? Or each day, every individual repeats their own distinct pattern? I guess I will never know, but it always interesting to wonder.

Better With A Bit Of Snow

January 27, 2016April 28, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 8 Comments

New York Winter in Cloud - Photograph by Laura Lecce — New York Winter in Cloud – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This current winter season in New York has been quite a mixed bag. It began with one of the warmest Christmas days on record (although, being used to Christmas in Australian summer, it was still too cold for me). By mid January we were all lulled into a false sense of security, I was almost believing it might be a winter with no snow, and I was even a little disappointed (even I found that surprising about myself!). Well, the snow came, and it was a massive amount of snow in one day. Central Park was transformed from gloomy brown and barren to pristine and picturesque white. My two photographs were taken only a week apart, and I have to say that the white snow landscape makes for a prettier picture. So I guess if it has to be winter, then it is better with a bit of snow.

New York Winter in Snow - Photograph by Laura Lecce — New York Winter in Snow – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Confused Blossoms

January 22, 2016April 28, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 13 Comments

I took these photos in Charleston, South Carolina about 3 weeks ago. Sadly, the trees are confused, they think spring had arrived. Similarly in New York, all the trees have buds on them, even the magnificent magnolias in Central Park. Little do they all know, winter is still ahead of them. This week they have felt true winter temperatures for the first time this season, and this week will bring a large snow shower. Poor trees with their hopeful buds. They aren’t the only confused hopefuls, as even the bulbs planted in Central Park were climbing their way through the soil and peeking out. I hope the snow won’t destroy them too much, and when spring truly comes, they will rejoice with the rest of us!

Blossoms - Photograph by Laura Lecce — Blossoms – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Spring Babies

January 20, 2016November 22, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 7 Comments

Each year the season of Spring brings with it an influx of animal youngsters growing up in the warmer months of the year. Spring time in Tasmania, Australia, is a particularly wonderful time of year where baby wombats are following their mothers around. They are incredibly cute and cuddly, and very solid little creatures. Don’t let that fool you though, as they have quite large and sharp claws for digging burrows, and can run surprisingly fast for their short little legs. This particular mum and bub was quite happy to be photographed, even sharing a very cute and cuddly moment with the camera whilst contently munching on the grass.

Cuddly Wombats - Photograph by Laura Lecce — Cuddly Wombats – Photograph by Laura Lecce

King of the Aussie Bush

January 15, 2016November 22, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 17 Comments

Here is a photograph of my favorite Australian bird, the Kookaburra. The loud calling sound it makes is like boisterous human laughter echoing through the outback, mainly in the early mornings and approaching dusk. A skilled hunter, these birds prey on mice, snakes, small reptiles and the babies of other birds, and are fittingly called the Kings of the Australian bush. This particular kookaburra is very riled up, having just had a dispute with a fellow bird, which was perched next to him. Whatever the argument they were having… he definitely won.

Oak Avenue

January 11, 2016April 28, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 5 Comments

On a recent trip to Charleston, in South Carolina, I went to see Boone Hall Plantation. Being one of Americas oldest working plantations since 1681, it offers a unique education of American history. The house and gardens are a beautiful sight, unfortunately, they have an ugly history of black slavery. Thankfully, they now use these treasures to educate the public of the history of slavery and the trials and struggles that slaves faced in a horrific time in history. The photo above was the main reason I was drawn to this beautiful place. It is called Oak Avenue, and is a stunning, eerie and truly beautiful tunnel of oak trees planted in 1743. Hanging from the trees are drapes of Spanish moss which thrive in the South Carolina climate. The history that these trees have been a part of, and what they must have seen in their lifetime can almost be felt as you walk down this street. If only the trees could tell their story.

Oak Avenue Bench - Photograph by Laura Lecce — Oak Avenue Bench – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Being Watched

January 7, 2016March 7, 2017 ~ laura lecce ~ 4 Comments

I love snorkeling. Mostly because the ocean floor feels like a completely foreign world, with so many interesting landscapes and weird creatures to explore. Every reef I’ve been to is quite different and unique in its corals and wildlife. Even the same reef can look different every time you look at it, with new creatures every day. Sometimes I feel as though the creatures are watching me as much as I am watching them, looking at me like I’m out of place. Large schools of fish will cluster around you, or swim past you like a large shimmering wall, wondering what you are. They give you just enough space, so that you could not catch them if you are a predator. Smaller fish, which live in soft corals and anemones are very defensive about their little garden. They will face you, and even get a bit aggressive if you get too close. I give them plenty of space in the hope that they know I am just there to watch. Its a truly fascinating world, and I hope to see much more of it in future explorations.

Making The Climb

January 5, 2016April 28, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 11 Comments

What must life be like for this caterpillar? Its world is so small right now, that this plant seems like the tallest tree to climb. Maybe it doesn’t even think that at all, it just climbs upwards not worrying about how far it is to the top. Slowly, methodically and determined. Does it know or understand that it will have wings and fly one day? Or will its metamorphosis be a surprise and with wings it exits, wondering what happened to the caterpillar body it once had? Its previously small world is all of a sudden much bigger, and it will just fly.