Hop Ridgell Photography

“I've always loved magnolia trees and their blooms – there's something so beautiful about a magnolia blossom. It demands attention.” - Joanna Gaines

Magnolias are one of the oldest known flowering plants, with fossil records dating back over 95 million years. Because they evolved before bees, they rely on beetles for pollination. To withstand the rough stomping of beetles, they evolved incredibly thick, waxy petals. Here one blooms, just "Waiting on the Rain."

Please go by The Custom Framer and Gallery in Lexington and check out some of my art!! Thanks!!

"Summer's serene secret - the Snowy Egret, a vision of grace, perched on a limb. Its pristine plumage dances with the ripples, a reminder that beauty resides in tranquility".

Preening Snowy Egret near Port Royal

"Roseate spoonbills are one of nature's great acts of exuberance" — Holly Wach, 2025.

Roseate Spoonbill observing his newfound gains.

"When life is hard, we can still find strength and beauty inside us. The amaryllis flower blooms in winter... We are like that flower." — Marigold (quoting Charles F. Stanley)

My wife's amaryllis showing off in a large way on a Sunday morning.

"The tricolored heron, a marvel of elegance, perches by the marsh, its feathers painted with shades of wonder. It reminds us that beauty is often found where the earth meets water".

A Tri-Colored Heron examines his surroundings while dressed in his breeding plumage.

"In flight the Wood Stork is as graceful as any of his better known brethren, but on the ground he is a tragic comedy in progress." — Sidi Mahtrow

Here's a portrait you won't see every day! Wood Stork posing on Hunting Island.

“Even when the bird walks, one feels that it has wings.” - Antoine Marie Lemiere

A Willet takes a morning stroll on Hunting Island Beach

"The Herons stillness speaks more than a thousand words." It's so great to see a Great Blue Heron hunting in January!

"Today, we must realize that nature is revealed in the simplest meadow, wood lot, marsh, stream, or tidepool, as well as in the remote grandeur of our parks and wilderness areas." - Ansel Adams

Salt Marsh at Botany Bay