SUMMER AIN’T OVER YET

Giant Swallowtail

It is hard to believe that this photo was created already 40 days ago, when the purple cone flowers were in their prime and a food source for some Giant Swallowtails. Time is flying. Overall it wasn’t a good year for butterflies. It seemed we had not as many as other years. My biggest concern is about the Monarch butterflies. I saw only a single one in our yard all summer long and very few at other places I visit frequently. Most cone flowers have dried-up already and the seeds are eaten by American Goldfinches. Some of the trees loose their leaves already but summer isn’t over yet and the remaining butterflies find stilll other flowers with nectar in them.

THE TWO WE SEE FIRST

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

I’m a little behind the time curve with today’s blog post due to several reasons but I still like to share these two photos with you, despite they were created already two weeks ago.

These two butterfly species are the first ones we can find here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa Valley in spring. The Mourning Cloak sometimes shows up as early as the snow thaws and this year it was even in February. It’s not an abundant butterfly, but we see them every spring after they emerge from hibernation.

The Red Admiral shows up a bit later and although we don’t have a lot of their preferred larval food plant here, sting nettles, their larvae will probably find plenty of them somewhere else.

You might expect that this was created with a macro lens but I was actually out for some bird photography, with the 150-600 plus teleconverter on camera. Both butterflies used the same tree at the same time to get some exposure to the sun. Two easy shots of the two we see first every spring…

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

NATURE CLICKS #533 - MONARCH

Monarch butterfly, Bowstring Wildlife Area, Eastern Iowa

In July the monarch butterfly was officially designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Scientists estimate that the species' population has dropped between 20% and 90% over the last several decades. This migratory butterfly is known for its spectacular annual journey of up to 4,000 kilometers across the Americas. We still see them at flower meadows, in patches of re-planted prairie, or along the edges of rivers and lakes, although this year I have not watched them in large numbers. Any time I see one I try to make a photo. I only had the 150-600 mm lens with me during a hike in the Bowstring Wildlife Area, located along Lytle Creek between Zwingle and Bernard, Iowa. Zoomed all the way in to 600 mm I like how the insect got backlit, pronouncing its colors nicely. This wooded area has several patches of restored prairies and would be a prime habitat for many butterflies. Unfortunately only two Monarchs crossed my way today. I have a hard time to imagine that this beautiful insect may disappear…

NATURE CLICKS #532 - RED ADMIRAL

As summer comes to an end I realize that we didn’t have a great year for larger butterflies here on top of the bluffs along the Little Maquoketa Valley. Yes, in early summer we had thousands of Hackberry Emperors again, most likely due to to the abundance of Hackberry trees around here, but a lot less of any kind swallowtail butterflies. However, today I saw this Red Admiral in the front yard. The photo was made at one of our Autumn Joy Sedums. This flower seems to be a preferred feeding plant for many insects. We see large numbers of bumble bees, different species of wasps, all kinds of bugs, ants, and for the first time in years even some real bees. This is good news. We have lots of other flowers but the nectar of the sedum must be good or they like how easy the access is. The admiral let me get really close with the Nikkor Z 24-70. Not a macro lens but capable to deliver the environmental shot I mostly prefer.

SUMMER AT ITS BEST

Giant Swallowtail

Pleasant temperatures allow for all kinds of activities at the moment. I spent some time this afternoon at the flower garden in front of the house. Plenty of hummingbirds are frequent visitors, but wait, this is for another blog post.

It seems the number of large butterflies is lower this year, but let’s wait until August is over before I may give a final verdict. At least this Giant Swallowtail gave me a number of opportunities today. It feeds on the purple coneflowers with very fast wingbeats and in the past I tried to make this kind of a picture with the 150 mm macro lens. Since I was actually out for the hummingbirds, the Sigma 150-600 was on camera and that allows much better tracking of a fast moving butterfly in the viewfinder. A few clouds made for quick changing light conditions and so I used the Nikon SB800 speed light with the MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender to add a hint of light for boosting colors, in particular when the sun disappeared for a minute.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender      @ 600 mm, 1/160 s, f/8, ISO 640

FEELS LIKE IN A TV AD…

Hackberry Emperor

In the last few days hundreds, if not thousands, of Hackberry Emperor butterflies have emerged and flutter around. It feels like in these TV ads that try to sell you everything with a tropical touch. Well, we have plenty of the larval host plants around here, the hackberry tree. It is not uncommon to see many of these butterfies at this time of the season but these are by far the highest numbers we have seen since we live here above the Little Maquoketa River Valley near the Mississippi. The males land on everything that is bright, sunny spots or just bright objects, and await the females. They don’t hesitate to land on your skin and I read that they readily land on people to drink sweat for salt.

An event like that is a perfect reason to get the old, well trusted SIGMA 150/f2.8 macro lens out of the bag. It doesn’t focus very fast in comparison to more modern lenses, but if it locks on, the sharpness is absolutely wonderful.

SUMMER AT ITS PEAK

Tiger Swallowtail

It is this short moment during the summer when flowers and butterflies look at their best. Today we had two Giant Swallowtails and two Tiger Swallowtails feeding in our patch of prairie and garden flowers. A light overcast made for a balanced ambient light and just a very subtle hint of flash was used to pronounce the colors of phlox and Tiger Swallowtail.

NATURE CLICKS #462 - TAWNY EMPEROR

The Tawny Emperor is not as common as its sister species, the Hackberry Emperor (see my latest post about it HERE), although they can often be found together because they share the same habitat and food source. As already mentioned in my earlier blog post, we have hundreds of butterflies here in our woods since at least a couple weeks. We can sit in the sun for a while and they will land in your hair or on your legs. Joan and I debated why we see so many more this year than any other year before. We don’t know, but maybe the mild winter played a role. However, we enjoy the presence of butterflies up on the bluffs of the Little Maquoketa River Valley here in eastern Iowa.

By the way, this was not shot with a macro lens. I had the Sigma 150-600 on camera for some hummingbirds this weekend and while waiting for their performance, this Tawny Emperor in the front yard became suddenly the subject. As always, I’m not an “eye ball photographer” but the lines of the hostas leaves and the emperor lined up perfectly and some water from the last shower was left on the leave. Summer in eastern Iowa…

NATURE CLICKS #461 - HACKBERRY EMPEROR

If we would have to crown a butterfly of the year by now, it would be the Hackberry Emperor. I can’t speak for the rest of the county or state, but here, in and above the Little Maquoketa River Valley, we see them presently by the hundreds if not more. We have quite a few hackberry trees in our woods here, their only larval food plant, and we see quite a few every year around. But this year is different and their numbers are much higher. 

They like the sunny spots on our front porch in the evening and making the photo with the SIGMA 150, f/2.8 Macro lens is not a difficult task.

NATURE CLICKS #433 - PAINTED LADY

Our yard is the feeding ground for many different butterflies, including three different species of swallowtails. They are all here theses days but I still couldn’t resist to point my lens at one of the most common butterflies in North America and even around the world, the beautiful Painted Lady. Joan manages to grow a nice patch of Purple Coneflowers every year in the yard. The butterflies like them and they make for a nice background.

Although a little slow with focus, the 12 years old SIGMA 150, f/2.8 is still sharp as a tack and a macro lens I always have recommended. The newer models have OS (optical stabilization) and probably have faster focus, but I’m sure they are as sharp as the old one in my bag.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @ 1/800 s, f/8, ISO 400

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 #383 - ORANGE SULPHUR

An Orange Sulphur on a blooming Alfalfa plant is something pretty common here in Iowa. In order to make the picture stand out composition and background can’t be neglected. Color contrast helps to make the subject pop but sharpness has to be on the spot, no matter what.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @ 1/4000s, f/4, ISO200

BEAUTY AND DRAMA

Painted Lady in Alfalfa field, near Remsen, Iowa -------

We spent most of the weekend on the family farm in northwest Iowa. Although the variety of wildlife and vegetation is not the same as here in the Upper Mississippi Valley, there are still plenty of opportunities for a nature photographer.

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

My brother-in-law Don gave me the hint about a patch of alfalfa next to his pig nursery, where hundreds of butterflies were feeding nectar from the blossoms. Most of them were Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), one of the most widespread butterflies in North America. Adults may not survive in freezing temperatures and so most of them overwinter in the south and Mexico. Their flight and wing beats are erratic and fast and it was difficult to pre-visualize how the photos would turn out.

Spider paralyzing Painted Lady butterfly

One butterfly got my particular attention while I tried to follow it with the camera. The insect suddenly stopped moving and remained still with its wings spread out. Having a closer look revealed that the Painted Lady was ambushed by a spider. While the butterfly was in a feeding frenzy, the spider used its chance and paralyzed its victim. Well, they all have to live…

ESSENCE OF THE SEASON

Giant Swallowtail -------

Summer seems to be in its zenith and I try to catch the essence of this season in light and colors. The good old Sigma 150, f/2.8 macro lens is still a perfect tool for this kind of shooting. To get the best out of it I shoot wide open most of the time, rendering the background with a nice bokeh. Focus has to be on the spot (eye and body) due to the shallow depth of field at f/2.8 or f/3.2. The butterflies have never a quiet moment and continuous-servo autofocus is the only way to get a sharp image.

ATTENTION NEEDED

Monarch on a Blazing Star --------

My German photography friend Maren Arndt knows how to make good macro shots of butterflies and insects https://marensfotoblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/04/alle-lieben-rainfarn/. She is a true artist and environmental conscious photographer. Her latest blog post has inspired me to put the Sigma 150mm / f2.8 and 1.4x Teleconverter on the camera today and try to hunt for butterflies between Joan’s flower beds in the yard. My best shot was the one above of a Monarch butterfly, an insect that is in big trouble, mainly due to the loss of habitat.

Milkweed is the only plant where the Monarch butterflies will lay their eggs. It is not the prettiest plant on the planet but we let the milkweed grow wherever it comes up in our property. Iowa has a strategy designed to help keep the threatened Monarch off the national endangered species list. To make it short, recreating habitats (instead of steril grass patches) can make a difference. Below are a few links to sources that explain why this should be a big deal for all of us here in the Midwest. If we can’t fix it, our grandchildren may not be able to enjoy this butterfly when they are grown up anymore.

https://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/graphics/monarch/annual_cycle_wheel.gif

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2017/02/27/iowa-launches-plan-save-threatened-monarch-butterflies/98492138/

http://monarchsineasterniowa.blogspot.com

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ia/programs/financial/eqip/?cid=nrcseprd889463

If you are still with me after looking at all the links (thank you, if you do!), here are some thoughts about the photo. First, it’s just a photo, and it doesn’t tell the full story. Sometimes I have to acknowledge that the picture alone is not enough to create the awareness a particular environmental case needs. The text, or like today pointing out to other sources, may make our brains working. The photo becomes second nature, it just supports the message. Still not a bad thing…