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Monthly Archives: September 2014
Dragonfly Activity
Cherry-faced meadowhawks, Sympterum internum, were flying in tandem over the mud of a small drainage ditch yesterday. There were four or five pairs in this small area and a couple of solitary males. The same species is very common this … Continue reading
Posted in dragonflies, insects
Tagged cherry-faced meadowhawk, Dragonflies, nature, photography, Sympterum internum
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Phototherapy
My life has been full of stress lately. My wife has been sick, and I have spent more time driving around on errands than I ever care to again. The other day I had a few minutes, and I was … Continue reading
Why does the Monarch Hide its Eyes?
I have been taking photographs of butterflies for a long time, and I have some photos that I consider pretty good. However, I have had a hard time getting photos that I really like of monarchs. I think I figured … Continue reading
Posted in butterflies, mudding
Tagged Biology, butterflies, mysteries, nature, photography
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Late Season Butterflies
Monarchs are back! They are showing up in pretty good numbers, also. Concerns about the status of the monarch are well founded, but they are having a really good year this year. The other late season butterflies are having a … Continue reading
Posted in butterflies, monarch
Tagged butterflies, great spangled fritillary, photography
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When to use flash, and when to not use flash
Butterfly photography requires a certain amount of stealth. I use a single-focal length macro lens–105 mm, and slowly get as close to the butterfly as I can. In bright sun, I use an aperture of f/16 and a shutter speed … Continue reading
Posted in butterflies, pearl crescent, Phyciodes tharos
Tagged little yellow, macro photography, photography, tips and technique
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Blowing in the Wind
The biggest problem I had with taking this photo of a pearl crescent, Phyciodes theros, was the wind. The wind moved the subject into and out of focus. So I held the flower by the stem, and focused by moving … Continue reading
Here’s Looking at You, Kid
I ran across this fellow on our log pile. This is a very small jumping spider–unidentified as of yet. Taken with a macro lens and extension tubes–if you put it on a penny, it would not cover Lincoln’s head.