Hi friends, I’m back from the moon! (just kidding…). The photo was made today during a flight from Denver to Chicago. Business required my presence in Colorado this week and the only camera that was in the pocket was my iPhone. I don’t know the exact location of this shot, it was somewhere between eastern Colorado and western Nebraska. It was fascinating how every little creek and water vein was filled with snow or ice, while other parts of the fields below showed the blank soil. Back home here in the Little Maquoketa Valley in eastern Iowa the reality was more disenchanting. We don’t have any snow on the ground, very unusual for this time of the year, but the weather forecast says this may change during the next few days…
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…
THUNDERSTORM, GONE QUICKLY
We had a busy weekend attending the first birthday party of our grandkids Anthony and Teegan and finally today the baptism of the twins and their dad Danny. This all took place in Jefferson, a small town in central Iowa just northwest of the capitol Des Moines. With the possibility of some thunderstorms this weekend my landscape gear was always with me.
Finally a small, very local thunderstorm approached the area yesterday evening. The picture was made through the glass of a surprisingly clean window from the third floor of our hotel. I would have preferred to go outside, close to the little pond behind the hotel, but the light spectacle lasted only a few seconds. Despite the “extra filter” between the lens and the subject, the click had to be made and I think the photo tells the story of a very common little thunderstorm approaching. By the way, it dissolved as quickly as it came up and we didn’t even see any rain at our location...