Beautiful Boring

As soon as my online office hours were over at 11 a.m., spring break began! Elizabeth and I made our second trip to Lukas Nursery, where she bought more plants, and I spent time with the flying beauties in the Butterfly Encounter. I don't want to become a boring one-trick pony, but here are the latest takes with the camera:

Click photo for large version.

Click photo for large version.

Click photo for large version.

Click photo for large version.

New Beginning

A student approached me after class the other day to ask, "Do you post as Sparky Lightbulb?" I said no, and at the moment that I responded, I meant it. Then I remembered that I used to blog—as Sparky! Oh, no! Students had learned my secret identity! Oh, no! What information that I didn't want to share had they discovered?

I signed into my Blogger account ready to "draft" any embarrassing posts—if not delete the entire body of work—but I discovered that this blog is a charming snapshot of my life two years ago. So what if a person who knew me as Clark Kent got a little insight into my Superman?

Rereading some of the posts here reminded me how much I enjoyed blogging—as well as photographing, something else I've essentially abandoned as my work life and other projects swallowed up my time. I dusted off the camera, and, in search of a sure thing, drove to the Lukas Nursery Butterfly Encounter, where I shot those proverbial fish in a barrel:

Click photo for large version.

Click photo for large version.

Click photo for large version.

Click photo for large version.

Click photo for large version.

I had so much fun that I might just have to dust off the Spandex and cape, ready to soar through cyberspace once again!

Bzzzzzzzzzz

I cannot let May 2007 end without a single post here. I haven't lost enthusiasm for blogging; I just don't seem to have any time! I did go out with the camera last weekend and noticed [in a completely unscientific way] that the insect population—butterflies, dragonflies, and bees—was less abundant than this time last year.

The weather, though, is different, much drier than last May. The Old Farmer's Almanac says that Florida will have a wetter than usual June, so I am hoping that thriving wildflowers and higher humidity will fill the air with my little friends.

Spending Time with the Small Things

I spent two hours at Mead Garden today, sweating in the already hot sun and pursuing little things with the camera. A woman walking her Great Dane warned me to take care near the water as she had just seen a large water moccasin, but I had my doubts, what with all the elementary kids who visit the park by the busloads.

The male anoles were flashing the females everywhere I turned:


The dragonflies were back in force, especially blue dashers:


Even though I have photographed hundreds of blue dashers, I still enjoy them. The photo below I might use as a Christmas card for 2007, a weird little angel perched atop an equally weird little tree:



I also shot a gray-green clubtail, Arigomphus pallidus, another new species for me. Clubtails are not handsome dragonflies, but I always enjoy spotting something new.


And the male pondhawks were dueling with the blue dashers at the water's edge. I never got a good picture of one last year; this shot isn't stupendous, but it's an improvement over my sorry efforts from 2006:


I had a lot of fun, but a big project is taking up my time, and I don't know when I'll get the chance to go out again.

Photo Lesson

Today I learned that the hostess, anxiously preparing the Easter feast, is never happy to discover that a guest is dissecting the tulip centerpiece and snapping pictures:

Shooting Fish in a Barrel

Lukas Nursery has a "butterfly encounter," a large enclosure stocked with nectar and larval plants and hundreds of free-flying butterflies. The captives are so tame [or depressed] that they tolerate very close human proximity. Species like the zebra longwing, which I have chased without success at Leu Gardens, will perch on the end of a human finger. So I thought that taking great photos would be as easy as shooting those proverbial fish in a barrel. After dumping the day's haul onto my computer and viewing the 150 shots, I learned otherwise.

I blame my macro lens, which I used exclusively, although I realize that my amateur status as a photographer was more likely the real culprit. I always aim for the eyes, and since the macro lens has such a small area of clear focus, I got lots of super-sharp butterfly eyes while the rest of the insect was reduced to blur. Below are some of my nicer efforts.

A Great Southern White:


Julia Heliconians:




And Zebra Heliconians:



I'll bet that shooting real fish in a barrel isn't as easy as one might at first think!

Spring Break Adventure

Elizabeth and I spent the day at Moss Park. I had hoped for lots of dragonfly photo opportunities but was disappointed by the small numbers of insects in inconvenient places. Moss Park has big areas of water, and alligator breeding season is right around the corner, so I was sticking to the shores heavily trafficked by people and boats! I did manage one shot of a cypress clubtail, a new species for me:


And another shot of a sandhill crane pair:


I am definitely feeling out of practice with the camera!

Out with the Camera Again—Finally!

I haven't budgeted much camera time lately. The weather, for Florida, has been cold, which I don't tolerate well, and winter isn't the season for insects, my favorite subjects. Plus, I had a nice stash of hoarded photos to post at the photostream in January and February, since I knew opportunities for new work would be slim to none.

Yesterday, however, I decided to go out. I wasn't expecting any good pictures this early in the year; I just wanted to see if the dragonflies had begun to make their return.

I started at Mead Garden. Perhaps the day was too cloudy and windy, but when I sat quietly at the lake shore, at first no camera in hand, just observing, I didn't see a single dragonfly skim over the water. I did, however, get a reasonably good shot of a snowy egret:


Next, I drove over to Leu Gardens. There were bees and an occasional butterfly, but I found myself drawn more to flowers. I remember shooting soprano daisies last year but always being disappointed with the results. These, though, I do like:




I also managed one good shot of a sweat bee who was busy in a flower I don't recognize. I love when my big human existence dissolves, and I get to see the world that the little bug inhabits from his perspective.

The First Dragonflies of 2007

The temperature was in the low 80s today, so Elizabeth and I decided to spend the MLK holiday at Moss Park. We stopped at Publix, got an "ultimate" sub and organic Cheetos, and picknicked by Lake Mary Jane.

After a hike on the nature trails, Elizabeth sat by the lake to write; I went off to confirm that we have dragonflies in Florida in January. I didn't expect to find any, but once near the edge of the canal that connects Lake Mary Jane to Lake Hart, I caught the familiar sparkle of wings.

Not only did I find dragonflies, I found a new species for me, blue corporals, or Libellula deplanata. At first I thought they were little blue dragonlets, but after reading Dunkle's description of behavior [perching close to the ground] and female coloring [I saw reddish-brown versions], I think that I have photographed blue corporals instead. Dunkle says that blue corporals make their first appearance in Florida in January, so these guys are right on schedule:




It's nice to start the new year with a new species!

A Great Way to End the Year

Mom called after Christmas to say that she and Step-Dad would be "camping" at Moss Park for ten days. I have to use quotation marks around camping because the park is only ten miles from their home, which they return to every day to shower, pick up mail and the newspaper, get food, etc. Plus, Mom is still working her part-time, pocket-money job. So they are not camping but "camping." As I have yet to see their new RV, they invited me to visit. Mom gave me a detailed schedule of when they would/would not be there during the ten days. She assured me they were spending all of New Year's Eve day at the campsite.

So this morning Elizabeth and I agreed that we were up for an adventure, got in the car, and drove to the park. I wasn't going to photograph anything; my plan was to find Mom and Step-Dad, compliment the new RV, drink a Coke, wish them a happy new year, and come home. Elizabeth advised that I pack the camera just in case.

When we arrived at the park, I spotted a pair of sandhill cranes and, happy to have the Canon with me, went in pursuit of pictures. A very tame flock lives there year-round; I saw one pair right next to a picnic table begging a family for cook-out goodies.



We walked down to the shores of Lake Mary Jane so that I could evaluate dragonfly potential in the spring. A couple of turkey vultures wheeled on the thermal currents overhead. Elizabeth had me take their pictures as she is writing a novel with vultures as supporting characters:



Elizabeth noticed a white sulphur nectaring at some weeds and said, "There's one of your peeps, Sparky." I explained that I was not photographing bugs today, but then I spotted a dragonfly perched near the shore. I couldn't believe it! A dragonfly on the last day of 2006, willing to pose for its portrait!


I called Mom on my cellphone so that she could direct us to the campsite only to learn that she and Step-Dad were at their real home and not in the park. "Camping," you see.

So Elizabeth and I continued our tour. I found a barred yellow sulphur. This species is not a spectacular butterfly, but it's also not one that I've ever photographed before:


We also spotted an enormous black and white beetle that sounded as if it collided with a pine tree. I'm not sure what type it is. There are too many beetle pictures at Bugguide.net to search for a match.


Even though I missed seeing Mom and Step-Dad, I really enjoyed the trip. It's a long drive, but this park has many photo opportunities for the future.

Head Shots

Madeline and Joseph, Elizabeth's sister and nephew, were in town for a visit, and I accompanied them to the Central Florida Zoological Park and the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Both of these places prove the adage "you get what you pay for." Disney charges $71 dollars for a one-day ticket and delivers ten times the entertainment [and considerably cleaner bathrooms] than did the zoo at $10 or the Audubon Center at $5. But none of us wanted to spend a full day anywhere, so the zoo and Audubon Center were nice alternatives.

I went to the zoo hoping to photograph lions, tigers, and bears—so carefully composing the shots that a viewer couldn't tell I wasn't on safari in Africa—but the zoo disappointed in species and photo opportunities. The few big-ticket animals were behind such heavy wire grate that good pictures were impossible. Many animals—and I couldn't blame them—kept their backs turned to the noisy crowds. The most willing subjects were the flocks of blackbirds willing to do anything for a piece of pretzel [except not shit all over the picnic tables]. Although I didn't capture any exciting wild animals, I got a few pictures where I am happy with the personality that comes through:




The Audubon Center offered even fewer photo opportunities. The eagles and owls were still tethered in their "garden." I tried shooting the vultures in the aviaries, but again the wire grate was problematic; I couldn't both focus past it and keep the subject clear. I did manage to get one shot of a hawk that I like:


I also took some human portraits that my companions enjoyed. I guess that I should be happy expanding my photographic repertoire to include more than bugs, but I must say that I am impatiently awaiting late February/early March and the return of the dragonflies.

No Wrapping Required

Even though this is the end of December, we have been averaging temperatures in the high 70s for several days. Sometimes I get anxious that global warming will make my inland home beachfront property in a couple of years. But then I consult Weather Underground, where I see that the record for December 21—set in 1954, long before Al Gore and his Inconvenient Truth—is 85 degrees, even higher.

So I have been out with the camera, hoping to get a big enough "cushion" of photographs to last through the usually bleak January and first part of February. Butterflies galore are nectaring at year-round flowers like pentas; the hibiscuses aren't melting in the heat as they do during the summer; and bees are plentiful. So I have found many willing subjects for the photostream. I didn't have any hopes for dragonflies, though, as their season, I thought, had come to an end.

Then a gift landed from the sky and perched on a pruned stick:


Maybe the beautiful weather inspired this roseate skimmer to leave his aquatic life at the lake and take to the air. Maybe dragonflies are year-round in Florida, just harder to find in the cooler months. Whatever the explanation for his presence, I enjoyed the addictive hunt for the perfect portrait.



I hope he gets a week or two of good temperatures so that he can darken to the pinks and purples of a mature male, eat many tasty insects, and find himself a good woman.

Getting Wintery

After a week of record lows, the weather finally warmed yesterday, so I drove to Mead Garden, a protected wetland/park that has a small, dragonfly-friendly lake at its center. Unlike the over-groomed lake near the house, this little body of water has a variety of aquatic plants along the shore where dragonflies can perch. I figured that it might be my best last-chance spot to photograph my favorite quarry.

Despite the sun and temperature near 80, dragonflies were scarce. One lone darner patrolled over the water, and a couple of male roseate skimmers, always difficult to photograph, zipped among the plants, resting occasionally:



I could also find perching blue dashers. I like that the light and colors indicate that winter is near:


I spotted damselflies too but had a hard time getting close enough for good shots:


I guess that dragonfly season really is coming to a close, that I'll have to wait for the new year before I get the color and variety I took for granted just a month or so ago!