Interesting places in IBM Rochester:

IBM Main Lobby

the IBM Rochester is part of Rochester, MN .

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Top photos chosen by u all:

Feeding the Kids 2
Made by Aynchent1
These are not the technically high quality shots I was hoping for, but they're all I'm going to get of the feeding until next year - and they are kinda cute. These barn swallows have been nesting for 4 or 5 seasons under the overhang of the 2nd floor of the building where I work. Not shy in the least, they're nesting no more than 10 feet from a door that's used by hundreds of people every day. This year, the number of nests and birds has increased dramatically from last year. There are maybe 10-15 nests along the overhang, and the nest here produced 4 young. These birds are beautiful in flight, picking insects out of the air. They fly fast, they change direction often and fast, kind of like people describe UFOs. They often hug the contours of the ground, picking up bits of their meal on the wing. Barn Swallows nowadays nest on manmade structures like this (or in barns, in underpasses), but I've read that they were originally cave dwellers. This is also one of the most widely distributed bird species on the planet. They're pretty much everywhere, except, I believe, Australia and north Africa They like some open water (they make mud nests), and more grasses than trees, so you probably won't see them downtown or in dense neighborhoods, but the catchment areas along the highway look like ideal breeding grounds.


Milkweed in Bloom (and Goldbug!)
Made by Aynchent1
The ever-fascinating milkweed, with its small juicy flowers - but wait! - there's a surprise! A visitor stopped by for this shot. The smallest inhabitant of Richard Scarry's Busytown is here, and just like in the books, see if you can spot him! View in the giant original size, and you'll see him clearly in the top bud! www.amazon.ca/review/product/0307157857/ref=cm_cr_pr_redi...


Carnivorous Grasshopper??
Made by Aynchent1
This limehopper snatched a bug as I was doing his portrait, and proceeded to turn it around with its forelegs, sliming it or munching it, I'm not sure. The bug now sleeps with the fishes, so to speak. I thought all grasshoppers only ate plants. Watch your step! This is actually a long-horned grasshopper (check the antennae length), more closely related to katydids and crickets. And eats other insects.


Flowering Tree Buds - Russian Olive
Made by Aynchent1
I've passed these trees in the summer, and didn't know that they flowered in the spring. They have an unusual bud, shaped like a diamond, or the head of a spear. And the tree is quite silvery, including all the leaves and the new-growth branches and flower buds! I did push the color of this (a little) into the blue for effect. Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). Very aromatic when it flowers!


Common Milkweed Flowers
Made by Aynchent1
Asclepias Syriaca in bloom! The individual flowers are on stalks from a common stem point, forming umbels of flowers. They are fragrant and subtly colored, but the flower structure is wonderfully ornate. Each of these flowers has the potential to turn into one of the large seedpods that are the hallmark of milkweed.


White Campion II
Made by Aynchent1
Silene Latifolia. (from the archive) I had a chance to reshoot the backlit campion a couple weeks after . This one shows the buds and hair a little more clearly, but doesn't have the flare of the original. At least one source I read said that this is a night blooming flower, which helps explain the closed buds in both pictures.


(|)
Made by Aynchent1
Milkweed seedpods that have completely disgorged their complement of seeds. Photographed on a gray day. Thanks to my contact .barbel for the text-o-graphic title inspiration! .barbel boasts beautiful bokeh, with a fetish for finding first-rate focus! visit her . Added the black border long after posting the picture.


Finally Some Snow!
Made by Aynchent1
We had (officially) about 11 inches of snow, but there were strong winds, so there was lots of drifting, and blizzard conditions. Those of us foolish enough to go into work were treated with drifts on the leeward sides of the buildings that were 5-8 feet high. In this spot, the drift in the corner is probably 10+ feet!


Assisi Heights
Made by Aynchent1
from the SE corner of Woodside Park. Early evening. US Highway 52, the main thoroughfare from I-90 to Rochester, and on to the Twin Cities, runs through the lower portion of the photo. Really nice . A little more info on Assisi Heights.


WildLife sign @ work
Made by C_Z_Sr
My buddy and I had our own private photo walk at work today. A general invitation was posted, but he and I were the only ones to show up. What more can you ask for.. Nice weather, bright sun, and a good friend that shares your interest. (OK, maybe a few flowers in bloom would have been nice)


Thorny Problem
Made by Aynchent1
Russian Olive buds. The tree/bush at this time of year is getting a silvery, hairy coating and the spear-shaped buds are coming out. The Russian Olive is considered an invasive alien, it's beauty notwithstanding. info.


Brome in Bloom
Made by Aynchent1
Smooth Brome (Bromus Inermis) flowering. I wanted to grab a shot of the tiny blooms, which I believe last only briefly. The blowing wind was playing games with me - these grasses and their tiny blooms moved when I breathed . . . Replaced on 6/26/09 with (I hope) a better shot.


Balloon Landing
Made by Aynchent1
I was minding my own business, communing with the flowers, when I spotted this balloon landing in the distance. Only managed to get off a couple shots before it dropped out of sight, but I thought it was a nice scene. Summer! Assisi Heights in the background.


Backlit Cattails
Made by Aynchent1
Not sure this captures the glory of heavily backlit cattails that have gone to seed. The new growth coming up gives green color throughout. From a photowalk on the grounds of the IBM plant in Rochester, MN. Perfect timing, almost NOTHING flowering;-) Best viewed


Coneflower Delight
Made by Aynchent1
Just some eye candy to remember the late summer. PSP-XII kaleidoscope effect. The interesting thing about a kaleidoscope is that you don't know what you're going to see until you see it, and you don't know what you're going to like until you like it.


Flowering Crabapple
Made by Aynchent1
I love these blooms! While I take these pictures, I'm intoxicated by the fragrance, which flows like a river on the breeze. I'm only just noticing that the blooms are fused until they open more fully. That's not true on the pink crabapples I've seen.


Flowering Crabapple at Big Blue
Made by Aynchent1
The IBM plant in Rochester Minnesota has a grouping of flowering crabapple trees on its east side. Big Blue is a nickname for IBM because of its long time corporate preference for certain shades of blue in its products and buildings (like these).


Butterfly Weed in Bloom
Made by Aynchent1
Asclepias tuberosa, smaller, more colorful relative of common milkweed. Yes it attracts butterflies, and can be grown from seed! Shown with a normal ant for scale.


Before the Storm
Made by Aynchent1
SOOC from the Walgreens $10.99 free film for life camera. There was some terrific backlighting on the clouds as a front moved into town from the west earlier this week. The camera did a pretty good job of capturing the moment!


Balloon Landing
Made by Aynchent1
I was minding my own business, communing with the flowers, when I spotted this balloon landing in the distance. Only managed to get off a couple shots before it dropped out of sight, but I thought it was a nice scene. Summer!