Learning to See

As you can probably guess, when we are talking about finding and photographing insects, "learning to see" is not about the results of your latest eye exam. Rather, it is about training yourself to be aware of even the smallest creatures that share our world. 

Like all living things, humans have evolved to survive a scary world. That means we are especially attuned to things that might threaten our health and safety. There is little chance we would not notice a grizzly bear in our yard but we can walk right by a multitude of insects day after day, year after year and not even realize they are there!

There are several steps we can take to awaken our senses in regards to the insects that surround us. 

1. Education

    It is probably pretty obvious but the number one things we can do to jump start our insect awareness is to educate ourselves on what should be found in our area. Field guides are invaluable in helping to identify various species as well as in providing range maps for them. Wildflower books for your location can help identify plants and once you know more about the flora, you can begin to explore the insects that use those plants for food or as habitat. 

Sumac flea beetle

On my property there are dozens of skunk sumac bushes. Over the years I noticed that occasionally the leaves of various bushes would be riddled with holes. Upon closer examination, I discovered the larval form of an unknown insect munching away on the plants, usually in mid-summer. It wasn't until I started really staring at the plants this year before they leafed out that I discovered the adult insect, above. These are sumac flea beetles and it turns out they are quite common. There are probably many dozens spread throughout my property but it took me almost three decades to see my first one!

It is also helpful to educate yourself on the various forms an insect might take. The photos below both depict the white-lined sphinx moth but one shows the larval stage while the other shows the adult moth. 

Caterpillar of sphinx moth

White-lined sphinx moth

2. Pattern Recognition

    Camouflage clothing works because the fabric patterns blend into the background. Many insects are experts at doing the same thing. Some insects mimic very specific things in nature, such as leaves or twigs, while others use pattern as means of blending into their surroundings. 

Hooded owlet moth

This hooded owlet moth hangs out on tree trunks or wooden structures. Unless you are looking very closely at the surface, it is easy to look right at this moth and not see it. Even the circles on the wings are meant to mimic knotholes in the wood. 

It is possible, with practice, to train your eyes to pick up on the subtle difference in pattern of various insects and their backgrounds.

3. Visualization

    Athletes and business people have been successfully using the technique of visualization as a means of achieving success for years. But visualization can help with many things, even finding insects! Once you know what creatures are likely to be found in your area, you can start trying to visualize them on various surfaces when you are out and about. Just like becoming aware of a particular word for the first time and then seeming to hear it regularly from then on, once you visualize a particular insect and then find it, it often seems that you start seeing that species on a regular basis.

Brachys aerosus

The tiny metallic wood-boring beetle, Brachys aerosus, is very difficult to spot unless you can picture what it is you are looking for. Not only are they about the size of the head of a pin, they often tuck in their legs and antennae so it is hard to even realize you are viewing a living creature. But once you visualize their form, you may suddenly realize there are dozens of them to be found on a single cottonwood tree. 

4. Time in the field

    After education, spending time in the field practicing looking for insects is probably the best technique to ensure future success. The more time you spend outside, the more you will see and I am willing to bet you will be astonished to discover the richness and diversity of the landscape right outside your home! 

Bug on a Stem

A few years ago I had a lecture that I gave several times to various groups titled "Bird on a Stick". In it I discussed three stages of bird photography as I saw them.

The first stage was "UFO" or Unidentified Flying Object. At that level, the photographer knew she had witnessed a majestic bald eagle soaring overhead but she was having a hard time convincing anyone else based on her grainy, out of focus image of a black dot against a white sky.

Her frustration might lead her to take some classes, maybe upgrade her equipment and, most importantly, practice, practice, practice. That would lead to the second stage which I called "Bird on a Stick". In that stage, the photographer was making lovely, technically correct images of identifiable birds. She was now the star of her Facebook birding group and all her non-photographer friends were telling her how great her images were. But in her heart, she knew something was still missing.

So then she started studying the photographers whose images spoke to her. She began exploring the stories behind the images and learning more and more about her subjects. At that point she discovered the third stage which I like to think of as the "Tell Me More!" stage. At that level the photographer has ceased being a mere image recorder and has begun to truly communicate something about her subject to the audience. She has sparked a reaction in the viewer that makes them want to know more about the intriguing creature they see in front of them.

I believe those stages also exist in bug photography.

In the beginning, you may be trying to capture that beautiful butterfly in your garden. But bugs have very good eyes and you may quickly discover they really don't like having cameras shoved in their faces. And bugs are fast! Just as you get set up, ready to click the shutter, off they go, never to be seen again. Photographing butterflies and bees can quickly morph into trying to capture images of all sorts of bugs, many of which are probably unidentifiable unless you study entomology in your spare time.

My first shot of a flea beetle in my yard.

So you study up, do your research, watch some podcasts and Youtube videos. That leads to buying a decent macro lens and maybe even some lighting equipment. Now you can capture those great i.d. shots, the "Bug on a Stem" images that allow you to search in your new bug book to discover that the tiny creature you are looking at is a flea beetle, Disonycha latifrons, to be exact.

A beautiful flea beetle seen from above.

But something is still missing.

Flea beetle peeking around the corner of a leaf, watching the watcher. 

So now it is time to strive for those "Tell Me More!"shots. With bugs, these types of shots seem even more critical because it is not easy to get people to stop and look in wonder at the beauty before them.  The variety in insect appearances and behaviors is mind boggling and absolutely intriguing, if only we can spark that curiosity in people to look more closely and to ask for more of the story.

That is my goal. To make people look. To introduce the individual in all his wonder and glory. To be the storyteller.

Change

It is hard to believe that it has been more than 2500 years since the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, declared that "The only constant in life is change". Somehow the message seems just as valid today as it no doubt was during those ancient days.

A couple months ago I listened to a discussion on NPR in which the scientist being interviewed had conducted a study regarding the concept of personal change in individual lives. The simplified summary is that he asked a group of people at various stages in their lives two questions: 1) How much has your life changed in the last five years? and 2) How much do you expect your life to change in the next five years? Invariably the answers to the questions were 1) a lot and 2) not much. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the belief that everything would remain static into the future was more pronounced the older the subject being asked the question. Then he went back five years later and asked the same question of the same people, and again another five years after that and each time, the answers were exactly the same! That is "My life has changed a lot in the last five years but it is not going to change in the future." But of course, it did!

If someone had suggested to me twenty years ago that I would be spending the bulk of my days searching for, taking and editing photographs at this point in my life, I would have had a hard time believing it. If someone had told me three years ago that almost all the photos I would be taking would be of bugs, I would have said they were crazy! Yet that is where I find myself at this stage of my life - and loving it, I should add.

Close-up image of a dragonfly

Cabbage white butterfly

Bee fly

The great unknown for me as I go forward is whether or not I can find a way to use my images of tiny things to communicate an environmental message. Not only is there the bigger story of the importance of biodiversity in our world, there are the individual dramas of each unique creature with its unique purpose for existence. 

I look forward to telling their stories in much more detail!

The Dark Side

I am not sure why but my favorite images from the latest visit to Florida were all taken under low light conditions and have a feeling of the spotlight about them. Almost all were shot underexposed - in a couple cases, dramatically so. 

 This Brown Pelican, above, flew into the first light just at sunrise. The extreme low tide adds to the feeling of darkness. These birds seem prehistoric to me at the best of times but especially so in this image!

 I was thrilled to capture this group of preening White Pelicans just after day break. Underexposing for the brightness of their feathers left the background moody and dark.

 This Great Blue Heron stood stoically as a flock of Dunlin flew by him. The smaller birds can't seem to sit still and kept swirling around the calmer, large bird.

I managed to capture several frames of this White Pelican coming in for a landing. The water almost looks like ice as he gets ready to touch down.

A Tale of Two Winters

There is nothing quite like Yellowstone in the winter. Ken and I spend more time in the Park in the cold months than in the regular tourist season of summer. But conditions can be very different depending on the year. Last year at this same time we spent five days at Old Faithful during a period of record cold temperatures. The high while we were there last year was -30 degrees. We were warned by everyone not to ski because of the frigid conditions. But we know our capabilities and so we went ahead and enjoyed day after day of cross country ski adventures where we had the backcountry all to ourselves. 

This year is a marked contrast. The road in by snow coach from Mammoth was bumpy because of lack of snow in so many areas. The temperatures were at record highs with averages in the mid 40's each day and night temps barely making it to freezing. Again we were warned to stay off the ski trails, this time because of incredibly icy conditions caused by the daily freeze-thaw cycle. Even walking the boardwalks was a challenge because of the ice. And again we ignored the naysayers and enjoyed the incredible peace and beauty of near empty trails. 

 We saw very little wildlife on our trip into Snow Lodge. Even the swans on the Firehole River seemed to be in hiding. One exception was a pair of healthy looking coyotes who were hunting rodents along the river's edge.

Once we arrived at Old Faithful we threw our stuff in our room and headed out on a hike around the boardwalk. This Hairy Woodpecker entertained us for a while as he searched for bugs in a downed log.

 There was a small herd of bison hanging around the Upper Basin for most of the time we were there. I know they must have been enjoying the chance to get at the winter vegetation without having to push through inches or even feet of snow.








Our big plan for our time at the lodge was to try and get a winter shot of Grand Prismatic - no easy feat in a normal year but definitely possible this year with the incredible stability of the snow making the avalanche danger much smaller.

On our first morning back at OF I ventured out alone with my camera before sunrise in the hopes of capturing some special light on one of the features in the basin. As it turned out the light was extremely flat and nothing very exciting was happening with the thermal features. I wandered around for about an hour, enjoying the amazing opportunity to "own" the boardwalk with not another person in sight. About 7:30 am I found myself back in front of Old Faithful debating whether or not to return to the inn and join Ken for breakfast when I saw my first fellow humans of the day. As social creatures are wont to do they approached me and began making small talk. It turned out they were a very nice couple from Atlanta, Georgia; newlyweds despite being about my age. After we exchanged a few pleasantries, I heard the woman ask a question that I have only heard before as a punchline.

Her: So what time do they turn Old Faithful on?
I laughed politely then turned to see her indignant expression and realized she was dead serious.  Her husband, to his credit, was looking decidedly embarrassed.
Me: Ummm…they don't turn it on. It is a natural phenomenon.
Her: Well then, how did they turn it off during the sequestration last year?
Me: They didn't. That was a joke.
Her: They certainly did! I read that they shut it off to save water while the Park was closed.
Me: They didn't. It was a joke.
Her: I DON'T THINK SO!
At this point her husband, embarrassed for her, interrupted in an obvious effort to save face.
Him: What is that can you're carrying on your belt?
Me: (relieved at the change of subject) That is bear spray. With the warm weather we have been having, a few grizzlies are already leaving their dens.
Him, to his wife: Honey, I should get you some bear spray since you like to hike so much.
Her, obviously still upset: Why on earth would I need bear spray? The only bears in Georgia are black bears and they don't hurt people.
Me: (Bite your tongue, bite your tongue, damn…can't do it) Ummm…actually black bears are just as dangerous as grizzlies. Any wild animal is dangerous if it feels threatened.
Her: Well you obviously have a different kind of black bear here than we do in Georgia because OURS DON'T HURT PEOPLE!

At that point I decided the safest thing to do was to go have breakfast. I walked away feeling depressed. This was not a stupid woman. She was just incredibly ignorant of the natural world. How does nature stand a chance when humans are so blind to the world around them??

Once Ken and I started out on our mission of ski touring/climbing above Grand Prismatic, my depression quickly evaporated. It was a perfect day in so many ways. We managed to climb to the top of the ridge above the hot springs and I captured a five shot panorama of the area with no people and no vehicles, just pure white snow and glorious sunshine. On our 7 mile ski back to the lodge we crossed fresh wolf prints followed a short time later by fresh grizzly prints. As we entered the Upper Basin we encountered a charming woman from California who was absolutely overjoyed that she had just witnessed the eruption of Riverside Geyser. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

All in all we did about 12 miles of skiing on our first day and loved every minute of it!

Fall Getaway

This summer has been busy beyond believe with many obligations taking us to lots of different places. This past week we decided to get away again, just for fun, by heading into Yellowstone for a few days of beautiful fall weather. On the way out our drive we came across mama golden eagle sitting on a rock with her youngster just off in the distance. The sun was hitting her in a way that truly showed off her golden crown, making it obvious why the species is named as it is.

 Our first day was spent just outside the northeast entrance of Yellowstone near Cooke City. We have enjoyed quite a bit of time in the mountains to the north in the winter but really have never penetrated that exact area in the warmer months. We rented an ATV to get us back the 10 miles of jeep track to the Forest wilderness line and then hiked into Goose Lake from there. The photo above was taken after we left the ATV and were hiking toward the lake. The large mountain sticking up in the background is Wolf Mountain.

 In the photo above I was standing in the middle of Goose Creek shooting back to the west.

 The next morning we got up early and headed into the park under overcast skies.

The fog was hanging in the valleys as we crossed the Lamar River and began climbing to get a panoramic view of Lamar Valley once the sun broke through.

The small dots in the foreground in the image below are bison.

 This rough-legged hawk chased a red-tailed hawk out of the tree before landing. He then sat quietly while I snapped a half dozen shots of him.

 The third day we moved on to Mammoth for a hike up Sepulcher Mountain. It is one of our favorite hikes in the Park at a distance of 13 miles and 4000' vertical. We didn't see a soul the whole time although the Park still seems to be full of visitors on the roads. The elk are just beginning to move down into the Mammoth area but we saw lots of bulls with their harems up high, like this one near the top of Sepulcher, above.

 When we popped over the top of the last ridge we found ourselves eye-to-eye with a herd of mountain goats. I actually missed most of the shots because I was too close with my 100mm - 400mm lens! This fellow was the last one over the edge and he stopped to take a look back at us - to make sure we weren't following, perhaps.

Then, a minute after they had disappeared out of sight, this little head, below, peeked back over the ledge for one last look.

 On our way back to Mammoth we spotted a dark creature moving through the grass toward us. We immediately stopped and so did he. We started up again, trying our best to move away from the black bear but he followed right along, paralleling our tracks. We stopped again and he stood on his hind legs to get a better view of us. Finally he came down lower and crossed the path some distance in front of us before heading up the other side and out of sight.

Seeing Red

 Today's post is a very photo intensive piece about my recent three day trip to Wyoming's Red Desert. A fellow photographer and I had talked about doing a short camping trip in the area with the goal of getting some unique landscape shots. What we didn't count on was the heavy smoke from the massive wild fires in the Pacific Northwest that cast a thick haze over everything.

Lucky for us we ended up seeing quite a bit of wildlife so the trip was not a photographic loss, by any means. And I still got a few landscape shots - they were just not the ones I thought I would get!

 We started our trip by heading south and driving into the desert not far from Eden. We picked a camping spot with a great view of Boar's Tusk and hoped the haze would clear by morning. It didn't. The smoke in the air did make for a red sunrise over Killpecker Sand Dunes as you can see in the shot below.

 We spent the second day driving a lot of miles over dirt roads to get to our destination of Honeycomb Buttes. Along the way we saw an amazing variety of wildlife which you will see in the photos following the landscapes. The first two shots of Honeycomb are early morning looking north.

 By the third day the haze had cleared a little bit compared to the previous day so the closer landscapes were actually sharp with the smoke clouding up the more distant landmarks.

 Prairie dogs were in abundant supply just about everywhere we went and seemed curious about our presence.

 The highlight of the trip for me was the chance to see numerous members of the rare and unusual Red Desert non-migratory elk herd. They actually have a slightly different look from the animals I am used to seeing in Yellowstone and they are much warier of humans. A large group serenaded us for some time that evening as we settled in our tents. They were a long ways away and out of sight but they were extremely vocal!

 Desert cottontails were also active throughout the areas we visited.

Another treat was the chance to see several herds of wild horses. Like the elk, these animals were much more cautious toward humans than the ones I have seen in this area.

 We saw several small groups with foals.

 The biggest group we saw consisted of about a dozen horses - ten mares and foals and two stallions. As soon as we stopped the truck, still some distance away, the stallions rounded up the mares and drove them even further back from the road. We thought that was it but then the stallions turned and began running straight at us. The message was pretty clear - they didn't want us there. We immediately backed off toward the truck and they stopped some distance away but they had made their point!

 Another unexpected and thrilling sighting was of this rare mountain plover, below. She looks as if she is standing up for an ovation and she certainly deserved it. Never have I seen a bird so convincingly mimic a broken wing. If we hadn't spotted her running around before she went into her "poor me" act, it would have been impossible to believe she wasn't injured.

The last shot is of a pair of young antelope twins with their mother. The Red Desert hosts the largest migratory herd of pronghorn in the US.

All in all I would call it a successful trip!

Bald Ridge Rainbow

Every summer Ken and I take a couple of serious, multi-day pack trips into the mountains, usually with the llamas hauling most of our gear. This year we are striving to add on a number of super short, one night trips to a few special locations with the goal of capturing some "magic hour" shots. For these mini adventures we are carrying the absolute minimum amount of gear, not including camera equipment. 

Our first excursion took place earlier this week with a drive up to the top of Bald Ridge and a short hike into a place where we could set up camp for the night. 

In my opinion the results of this effort were well worth it. I was hoping to come away with one or two shots to add to my growing collection of one-a-days of Heart Mountain which I have been snapping since January first of this year. I feel as though I achieved my goal and then some. The wildflowers were in perfect form and the sudden rainstorm that passed quickly through the area left a sky that begged to be photographed!

 These images are not in chronological order as the first few are from the next morning and the ones from the evening before are further down the page. We pulled ourselves out of the tent just a few minutes after 5 am to capture some color in the morning sky.

Not far from the tent I was scolded by a squirrel. When I turned around to take her photograph I discovered why she was upset - she was protecting two babies  that she had stashed away in an old woodpecker hole.

The trees in the area have a hard life with lots of wind and snow at high elevation. 

The larkspur and wall flowers were at their peak.

 Just after dinner we huddled in the tent to wait out a passing rain storm. As soon as it was over we grabbed the camera gear and ran for a perch at higher elevation in the hopes of capturing the aftermath in the magical light of the evening. I ended up with two shots that really made the trip for me. The first one is special because of the double rainbow as well as the view of the tent in the lower right corner. It definitely gives you a sense of scale!
The photo below was shared on Facebook and has received a lot of nice comments for which I am extremely grateful. It was actually snapped on the way back to camp after most of the storm had passed by.

 I learned something the next morning when we again climbed up the ridge to try and photograph the land to the west. In reality I should have been taking those shots the night before as well. The canyon is so deep that the shadows from the ridge I was on were not allowing any of the images I thought I would be getting. Oh well…that just gives me an excuse to go back and try again!

 On the way out to the highway we came to a field at lower elevation where the prairie smoke were abundant and perfect. Even though the rain had once again started to fall we stopped long enough to take a few shots of this colorful flower.