One of those images blessed by the goddess of morning light...

There are certain times of day where Nature's lighting director illuminates the setting just so, transforming a simple scene into a rich tapestry of color.

I spotted this lovely Tricolored Heron searching for breakfast one morning in the shallows of our backyard lake. The water line had receded, providing lots of fertile muck for her to wade in and wonderful textures for the morning light to play upon, creating a striking backdrop for the heron's richly colored plumage.