As always, it started with the rainbow.
It was a short rain preceded by fast, shape shifting clouds eager to enclose my hometown as soon as possible. From my prospective, it looked like being in the center of some giant cocoon, isolated from the rest of the world. Then the rain started to fall. A few drops for an overture, and then a complete shower. Accompanied by the strong southern wind saturated with a cocktail of salty scents from the sea. All this took less than a half an hour to be done ... and after that short intense weather change, not unusual for the month of May - the portal was opened.
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I passed through the majestic gate and returned to OZ.
My first visit happened in the year 1978 ... or 1979 ... I was a very young and small child and I didn't wander under the rainbow on that occasion, but went on a trip through the TV. The old, 1939 movie was going on inside the magical machine in my living room, and I was so amazed and fascinated by what I saw, that my complete consciousness ... and a good chunk of the unconscious, left the body and entered the TV screen.
I remembered getting seriously scared when the lion, even more scared than me, started to run through the long emerald hallway after seeing the apparition of the great, fraudulent wizard.
This time, a few days ago, the land of Oz was quiet and serene. The scarecrow was thinking deep thoughts in the sea of yellow cabbage flowers ... enjoying his well - deserved brain.
Not far from there, among some less exuberant cabbages with no flowers, some seagulls were chatting about the latest Oz - news.
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There was nothing dramatic going on, all the wizards and witches, bad ones and good ones, were too lazy for conflicts. The good, the evil, and anything in between were busy enjoying the elusive beauty of spring.
While walking across the vast emerald grassland, headed to the distant horizon, I remembered my second excursion to Oz.
I was still a child, but I could read more than a picture book now. The magical bus, colored in red with a bit of white ... and filled with books ... was passing through the center of the village every week, and there I took - The Wonderful Wizard of OZ book.
This time the journey was deeper and longer. It started with the words evoking the Imagery from the movie ... but along the way, slowly ... the words turned into my own, pretty different visions of Oz.
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With this picture, I'm back in the current time line, wandering through the grass, observing the minuscule flowers of this very common, but still amazing plant ... that successfully grows in and out of Oz.
Here among the grasses, I encountered this fairy - like, fairy tale - biological creature, that just like the grass, inhabits both worlds.
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The Green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea). The only difference between Lacewings here and those from our world is that the Lacewings from Oz can speak English. They speak English better than many Croatian people, me included ... but is an insect version of English, so I didn't understand what she was telling me.
Some plants below my feet were covered with aphids.
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On our side of the rainbow this species is called Aphis sambuci ... or Elder aphid. But they don't feed only on Elder trees. Here on the meadows of Oz, just like on the meadows around my hometown, they use various herbaceous plants like Pigweed (Chenopodium album), Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) and others, as feeding grounds.
I had to watch my steps carefully to avoid a disaster that can result in great loss of aphid lives. Here in Oz they are regarded as citizens, and I didn't want to have any trouble with the bizarre laws and practices of this foreign country.
A bit further, on the top of some small plant, I encountered an interesting and eloquent bug. She asked if I have some news from her relatives outside the Oz.
Believe it or not, this strange insect with heart on its back lives in our world too.
It's called Lygus pratensis and is very common in gardens and on the meadows throughout most of Europe, Northern Africa, Middle East and Northern parts of Asia.
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I left the Lygus bug behind and continued through the grass ...
... attracted by some red dots not far from there. As I was approaching them I felt slightly dizzy and strangely drunk with no alcohol around.
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Yes, I was in the field of magical poppies again.
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But I didn't fall asleep. After a brief dizziness, I was more awaken and focused than before. Unlike Dorothy and the lion, I never get sleepy here. Maybe, like the two others from the Dorothy's expedition, I also miss some important biological part, like a hart or brain, which disrupts the biological processes that can lead to sleep.
I didn't fall asleep here among the beautiful flowers ... surrounded by heavenly scent of magical soniferum vapors ... but ...
... I sank into my memories for a while.
In the year 1985 I was twelve years old ... and I saw the trailer for the movie Return to Oz. It was playing in theaters, I was excited to see something new about Oz and I liked what I saw in the trailer, but somehow missed the movie back then. I watched it some decades later, a few years ago actually, on YouTube. And I liked it. Is much darker but it has some cool effects and imagery.
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As this interesting shield bug of the Dolycoris baccarum species was passing by ... I was thinking about the strange fact that for years, back at the time when I was a kid, I was convinced that Lyman Frank Baum wrote only one book about Oz.
And that was a slightly sad thought because I wanted to read more about adventures in that colorful land. Much later, when I learned that there is more to read about my favorite fairy tale place, I couldn't find those books translated in Croatian, and since reading in English wasn't an option for a pleasurable read because of the too many words I couldn't understand, I still don't know all about Oz.
Maybe now, with my English getting better through practice on HIVE (and Steemit before) I'll finally find the rest about Oz somewhere on the Internet.
And so ... I was laying in the poppies, thinking about all this stuff ...
... when the gentle stream of buzz brought me from the memories to the present moment, which is present no more ... because happened a few days ago.
It was some kind of bee. Or relatively small bumblebee. I don't know the exact species, but they are buzzing around poppies in our world too.
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I stood up ...
... and continued through the field of red poppies.
A bit further, I met a wasp ... of the Polistes gallicus species.
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She was protecting her nest and had no time for idle conversations.
This tiny moth landed on one of the many gorgeous red petals around me ...
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... and started to sing about crazy night in the Emerald City.
I recognized him from my everyday life outside the Land of Oz, but I can't tell you the exact species.
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Some strange plants, like surfaced green carrots were growing among the poppies ... and when I say strange - I mean they looked strange ... because these are only cabbages, when people don't pick them, and they continue to grow losing their usual shape that you can see in markets and supermarkets all around the distant world on the other side of the rainbow.
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The minuscule moth that I showed you before, was following me ... and singing along the way ... and then ...
... we came across this other moth.
I never saw this one before, although I encountered many similar species at home.
I saw also this strange thing nearby. I think this is a moth pupae. But I'm not sure.
I saw a good deal of incredible stuff on my journey ...
... even a poppy bud curved above the opened red petals.
The bud was diving into the flower.
A few steps further this minuscule translucent spider appeared ...
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... and started an acrobatic exhibition ... and then ...
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... I saw a lovely little ghost ...
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... this elegant white moth, with wings like soft feathers and a bit of shiny scales.
I was on the edge of the field now ...
... soon I passed through some layers of green and yellow ...
... said goodbye to the intellectual scarecrow, who besides thinking can also dance and sing ... and returned home through the now invisible portal, were the rainbow was coloring the sky some hours ago.
As always in these posts on HIVE all the photographs are my work - THE END.
And now :D after the end ...
... you can take a look behind the camera ... on the shot made by the scarecrow.
I love poppy fields - so cool that you have a scarecrow taking pictures for you :)
:D
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Thank you
A pleasure. I haven't seen your cats for a few posts :))
:) Coming soon, on Caturday.
What a long journey through the rainbow portal into the land of Oz! So many beautiful photos of spring creatures in so many fancy clothing.
The poppy field is intoxicating and I could feel the temptation to linger there for a long time. Good timing! You cane back through the portal just in time!
:D One day I'll end up stuck in one of those imaginary worlds hihihi
Beautiful post :)
Thanks :)
Amazing photography ! especially the macro shots are fantastic. The storytelling also is so well done that it is a real pleasure to read from your journey ^^ .. Thank you for sharing this great tour with us ;)
Thanks. :) Glad you liked this combination of biology and fairy tale ramblings.