White Flowering Bush at Louisville Zoo

This could be a snowball bush? The picture was taken at the Louisville Zoo.

Mhorr Gazelle at the Louisville Zoo

The Mhorr Gazelle found at the Louisville Zoo is now extinct in the wild. Native to Morocco, it was hunted to extinction in the 1950s and 1960s. It now only exists in zoos. According to this sign there are 138 left in the world.

It is a member of the Dama Gazelle and is known by its scientific name as Gazella dama mhorr.

Camels at the Louisville Zoo

Some camels resting at the Louisville Zoo on April 26, 2009 at Earth Day Celebration.

Here is a little bird watching the crowds walking by.

Giraffes at the Louisville Zoo

Here are some pictures I took of the giraffes at the Louisville Zoo.

Yellow Flower at Louisville Zoo

This image turned out well of a flower I saw at the Louisville Zoo growing along the walking path.

Earth Day at the Louisville Zoo

It was a big party at the Louisville Zoo today with $1 admission to celebrate Earth Day and the 40th birthday of the Louisville Zoo. I believe it was called Party for the Planet and there were a lot of people there. The Louisville Science Center had a table on the hill near the MetaZoo. I was volunteering and helping show visitors what owls eat by dissecting owl pellets. We found small leg bones, some skulls, pelvic bones, spines, and jaw bones with teeth. St. Joseph's Childrens Home was next to us letting the public know the need for foster homes for 40 or so children in their care. The Red Cross was on the other side of us making the public aware of emergency preparedness.

I arrived before the Zoo opened and there was a crowd waiting to get in. When I left the line seemed 10 times as long and cars were backed up trying to get in and out of the Zoo. Nice sunny day with some wind gusts.



Here is a little owl that only has one wing. It was hurt and brought to the Zoo to be taken care of. The handler was gracious in letting me take its picture. Its natural camouflage is amazing how it looks like tree bark. The tie in with the Louisville Science Center activity worked out as well too.

This picture is of a star attraction at the Zoo, a baby elephant named Scotty. Scotty is now 2 years old and is the cover page article in the May 2009 Louisville magazine.

I heard some loud aircraft noises while at the Zoo and saw this helicopter after I had finished my volunteer shift. This is a United States of America helicopter that looks like one the president uses. I am not sure if a high level official was visiting the area today or not. It flew by as I was trying to take pictures of lemurs so I did not get the best angle. The picture is pretty good with a out of focus branch in the foreground, a steeple of some Zoo building in the middle ground, the helicopter in the background and a backdrop of blue with cloud sky.

A bird with nice golden crown, maybe a crane of some sort.

I found the Louisville Zoo a great place to take pictures. I hope to return soon and take some more photographs.

Purple Flower Growing Wild in Yard

Not sure what this plant is called but it grows in the yard quite a bit.

Pictures taken in Louisville Kentucky.

Red Violet Azalea in the Sun

The azalea flowering shrub are blooming in the Louisville Kentucky area right now. I was at a lost to name what color this is so I looked at a Crayola box of crayons and it seemed to match the color red-violet best.

Apparently this plant is part of the Rhododendron genus.

Purple Orchid

The label referred to to this plant as a hardy orchid. It has nice transition from white to purple.

Yellow Tulips

Three Amaryllis Blooms

When it comes to flowers this flower really knows how to bloom!

Robins' Eggs in Star Magnolia

Pink Flowers

Marquis Marie de Lafayette at Louisville, Kentucky

When I was walking to the riverfront yesterday for Thunder Over Louisville I came across this bust on Liberty Street of Marquis Marie de Lafayette. He was a French military officer who helped Americans in the Revolutionary War. I did not know Lafayette visited Louisville, Kentucky in 1825.

This was a very nice gift to the city of Louisville from the people of France.

Thunder Over Louisville 2009 - Louisville, Kentucky

Here are some scenes from Thunder Over Louisville festival 2009. I was volunteering at the Louisville Science Center and most of these pictures were taken from their parking lot. Here are a pair of Apache helicopters flying over the Ohio River.

This picture was taken in the morning with a person getting a jump on everyone to see the fireworks on the river.

The barge is moving towards the locks so I guess the river does not shut down yet for the fireworks.

Yellow Flowering Holly

White-Purple Wild Violet

I found this wild violet growing in Hodgenville, Kentucky about a one hour drive south of Louisville, Kentucky. It is different from the ones growing in Louisville which are pretty much purple.

White Nancy Plant - Lamium maculatum

The distinctive leaf on this plant is great. It is called the White Nancy plant or Lamium maculatum. It has a greyish-white leaf with green outline or stroke. The veins make a neat fingerprint texture.

Groundcover Plants - Dianthus, Sedum, and Trillium

Here are some groundcover plants found in some southern Indiana flower gardens.

This plant is called Dianthus and might be a form of carnation. The name is Greek dios for "god" and anthos for "flower".
This next plant is sedum.

Trillium with the different green colors in the leaves is shown in the next two pictures.