DETAILS FROM THE HOLLOW

Stream at the bottom of the canyon, White Pine Hollow State Preserve, Eastern Iowa

White Pine Hollow, a densely wooded state preserve, is said to be the only old-growth patch of white pines still growing in Iowa. (source: Wikipedia) It is not very far from our home and last Sunday I thought it was time to revisit this interesting place of wilderness again. The old pines are impressive but it is the surrounding deciduous forest that gives the visitor at the bottom of the hollow a jungle-like feeling. A little caution is advised, especially if you hike with a dog, because at this time of the year you may have a good chance to pick up a tick in the woods. A nature lover who can overcome this fear is treated with a great wilderness experience. White Pine Hollow is said to contain 625 species of plants and two endangered species of animals. If macro or detail photography is your field of interest you will be in photographers heaven. A day with a slight overcast is perfect and I recommend to travel light, because it can be very humid in the canyon. Also a pair of good hiking boots and the use of common sense in this wild environment is not a bad idea for a trip to White Pine Hollow.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, FTZ adapter

Wild Geranium, easy to find almost everywhere

A mossy log of a fallen tree provides the base of life for this mushroom

 

BUTTERFLIES… BELATED POST

Tiger Swallowtail

Hi friends, I was hoping to publish this blog post already a few days earlier, but the “pilot” made an error and the files didn’t make it onto his laptop. Hence, I was traveling for business, but discovered far away from home, that the portable drive with the copies of all my photos I made last weekend was accidentally left at home…

White

OK, nothing is in a hurry, here are some pictures, …. Every year , about at the same time, I make a statement here in the blog that I’m not a macro photographer and creating pictures of insects or spiders is just a side project. Well, I tested a new light modifier and as soon I have a real opinion about it I may give you my ten cents of wisdom about the experience…

Giant Swallowtail

One of the easiest pictures... We have three of them here in our flower beds  this year. They are in constant motion , but persistance pays back....

The Monarch, like many other species, is under the thread of extinction. Much has been done here in Iowa to prevent this, but the question is, if down in Mexico, where the Monarch is during the cold season, habitats can be secured in order to make it a story of success.

NATURE CLICKS #292 - DIFFERENTIAL GRASHOPPER

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

Grashoppers, crickets, and katydids dominate the sound spectrum almost everywhere where nature has a chance to unfold in Iowa during the month of August. Especially at night it is a never ending “wall of sound” produced by these insects.

I mentioned it before, I’m not into macro photography but when Joan discovered this full grown Differential Grashopper last weekend in the Devonian Fossil Gorge, located below the emergency spillway of Coralville Lake, I had to make a few clicks. I could swear this grasshopper was at least 60 mm long (~2 1/2”) but my books say they are only 45 mm (1 3/4”). However, it was bloody big!!

The Nikkor 24-120 mm, f/4 isn’t a macro lens, but I had it on camera and any piece of my other gear was tucked away in the car. Well, this is as good as it gets under these circumstances… ;-)

NATURE CLICKS #282 - MAYFLY

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

Yesterday I saw the first Mayflies at Mud Lake down at the Mississippi. You remember, they emerge from the water as adults in often enormous numbers but have a very short life span, often not even 24 hours. I don’t think this is the “big hatch” yet but last night I saw at least a few hundred of them. I made the mistake only having the 24-120 mm lens with me, not exactly a lens for a macro shot. There was good light and only moderate wind but the lens prevented me from getting close enough.

I went back today with the SIGMA 150 mm, f/2.8, my favorite lens for this kind of photography, but I found only a few Mayflies. The wind blew a little stronger and wasn’t really photographer’s friend this evening. I believe Plato said ‘Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder’ but for me the Mayfly is just a beautiful looking insect. Beside that I’m fascinated by its biology and strategy for survival.

This was the shot I liked the best at the end, although there is room for improvement…

NATURE CLICKS #279 - SILVER-SPOTTED SKIPPER

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, SB 800 speed light

1/80s, f/5.6, ISO200        

I have been traveling again the last couple days but after I came back home today I still saw a small butterfly in the yard that I had seen already earlier this week. If you think identifying birds is difficult, you haven’t tried it with some of the butterfly species. My book says (Kaufman: Field Guide to Butterflies of North America) the Silver-spotted Skipper is the most easily recognized skipper across North America. Well, it took me a while to find that out… ;-)

This one was feeding on a cluster of blooming chives and was constantly in motion, but it didn’t care too much for my close presence. As you can imagine it took more than a few trials to find a composition where no crop in post process is needed and the background is smooth but still part of the story telling