Monday in Nature POTW Sept. 30, 2013

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<p ><strong >Basic Guidelines</strong>: Nature based subject matter. Please, declare captive subjects. Keep your image at/under 700 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing and try to keep file size under 300kb. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc. <em >In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include hand of man elements. Let common sense be your guide and we'll work out the details as we go forward.</em> Do you have a series of great shots to compliment your post? Please, tell us where they are so we can see them.</p>

<p ><strong ><em >Let's make this a true POTW and only post 1 image per week.</em></strong></p>

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<p>Greetings,<br>

Don't be afraid to try something new. How many times have you heard that, or something along that line? Probably, a lot. We hear it from childhood on, and by now you probably know if you like Brussels sprouts or not. Goodness knows where this thought process might start or lead for a nature photographer. That looks cool......Will post processing really make it better?.....Look up instead of down.....I'd like to improve....A lens/body/tripod/rail/filter/software/pack mule would make this soooo much easier (yes, more newness). Sometimes, we point our gear and skill in a novel direction. Sometimes a divergent approach allows emotional satisfaction to take priority over technical savvy. These notions are brought to life here in amazing photos and stories each week. Nature's not boring and we'll never run out of new things to try.</p>

<p>I found myself in novel circumstances while photographing fungi on the end of a large decayed log. A swarm of Citronella Ants (<em>Acanthomyops interjectus</em>) poured out the other end. I'm not a bug person, but this was cool, and I grabbed the camera as it was already set up. I was quickly covered and relieved that they didn't bite. It all became quite comical. Something different to watch, new to photograph, lots of levity. With no pressure or expectation, I still hoped for a shot to look as cool at home as it did in live view. Most hit the recycle bin, but this emerged as my favorite.</p>

<p>It's Monday and I hope you've all had a great week with some fun along the way. Brussels sprouts, anyone?</p><div></div>

<p>Unidentified <em>very</em> tiny fungus, a marasmoid type perhaps?</p><div></div>

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<p>I still hoped for a shot to look as cool at home as it did in live view.</p>

 

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<p>I wasn't there to see it in live view, but you nailed it, I'm sure! Very nice, Laura. Now you can be a bug person.</p>

<p>I like bugs. It seems there is an endless variety.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks Mark. This one made it into the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary folder in my portfolio. I had a good time with it.</p>

<p>Good Monday morning! This week an Arctic Skua (<em>Stercorarius parasiticus) - </em>taken on slopes of Alkhornet, Spitsbergen. 5D2 / EF 500 f/4L.</p><div></div>

<p>Terrific ant shot, Laura.<br>

This is an encounter between a garden orb weaver (<em>Aranea diademata</em>) and a hoverfly (<em>Eristalis sp</em>, either <em>E. nemorum</em> or <em>E. arbustorum</em>) a couple of days ago. The spider prodded the hoverfly once or twice, rather timidly, but kept retreating to the edge of its web. Eventually the hoverfly broke free. Lucky escape this time.</p><div></div>

<p>American White Pelican at White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas. </p><div></div>

<p>Great shots from everyone and some great stories to go with them. I had hoped to have some spider shots (Jonathan, great action shot - glad to hear the hoverfly made it!) but no time this week so here is a shot of Mum or Dad Cormorant feeding chicks a couple of hundred feet up a cliff in the Orkneys. The nest looks a bit dodgy.</p><div></div>

<p>Water Lily</p><div></div>

<p>a morning storm moving over the plains above Chaco Canyon in New Mexico</p><div></div>

<p>Just back from a week in the interior of British Columbia, and it will take some time to sort through the photos. Here's one of Margaret Falls, near Salmon Arm, BC on Shushap Lake. These falls are in a tight canyon, and they make enough spray to create a wet cedar, mossy micro-climate in this canyon in the middle of what is essentially a desert.</p><div></div>

<p>Wonderful morning with great shots !<br>

I planted some new things to hopefully attract some butterflies. I was rewarded with my first Sleepy Orange Butterfly. I followed this lady around my yard for quite some time. She flitted very quickly laying eggs under the Cassia leaves. Finally see needed some sustenance and sought out the Duranta .</p>

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<p>Fall webworm caterpillar (Hyphantria cunea). Shot this yesterday on my morning walk. Very common here in New England.</p>

<p><a href="/nature-photography-forum/photo?photo_id=17543714&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17543714-md.jpg" alt="caterpillarhairs" width="680" height="528" border="0" /></a></p>

<p>Not necessarily trying anything new on purpose this week, but despite (or perhaps because of) the blurriness of this shot, I for some reason like it. I was out watching the Eastern Pondhawks and Common Green Darners enjoying the spring-like weather, pairing, mating and laying. This pair of Darners had been harassed by another while she was placing her eggs in some rotted floating log. As they flew away (maybe for a little more privacy), the other Darner knocked them completely underwater. I swung the camera around at the noise, and caught them emerging. One shot and they were gone.</p><div></div>

<p>The Elk are starting the rut in Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina. This bull Elk has 14 cows in his harem. Love is in the air...</p><div></div>

<p>A beautiful beginning of the week! I love Thom's veiled double rainbow and Rodger's dragonfly burst.<br /> For me the most exciting novelty was my first ever encounter with a Great Purple Hairstreak, yesterday right at the end of a macro afternoon up in the mountains. It flitted away almost immediately so no chance to get really close, but I'm pretty happy with this glimpse of the two-second interview I was granted - and that just before driving off from the parking lot:</p><div></div>

<p>Here's a unique little moth, this is uncropped at 1:1 magnification on a crop sensor, that I found the other day. Photographically it's not the best shot as it was dark and I'm lacking my flash, so I used a bright flash light for lighting. But I thought I'd share it none the less as I've never seen a moth like it before. It's wings are "gold-rimmed". The image really doesn't do the metallic gold dots on it's wings justice. They really stood out in the ambient lighting.<br>

<a href="/photo/17543742"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17543742-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="452" /></a><br>

Click on the image to go to the portfolio page where it's located.</p>

<p>I see the gang is already queuing up some beautiful shots...mine is one where I thought the uniqueness of the shape and colors of this pretty flower were further enhanced by the bold bumblebee crawling around...here it's wiping pollen off it's right eye with a foreleg.<br /> Canon FD 70-150mm/4.5 @ 150mm/4.5 on an NEX-7, ISO 200, 1/1000<br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/INSECTS/FD70-150mm4545BumbleBeePurpleFuzzyFlowers1302Crop_zps8b7b5856.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Great shots! Laura, glad you grabbed the opportunity. It is a wonderful shot. While I was weeding this weekend I noticed these tiny blue flowers. The photo is uncropped 1:1 on a Canon 60D crop sensor, so the flower is about 8mm in diameter and the plant was only about two inches tall. I have a wildflower guide but haven't found it yet. I'm in the Tallahassee area of Florida if that helps anyone identify it.</p><div></div>

<p>Here's a Yellow Warbler. The warblers are moving through in the fall migration right now.</p><div></div>

<p>Here is one that was taken (handheld) in Kenai, AK recently.</p><div></div>

<p>Greetings from the depths of northern Ontario.<br>

Mother(white) and baby(grey) beluga, Saguenay fiord, Quebec.</p><div></div>

<p>Beautiful work folks. Found this delicate fungus Saturday AM.</p>

<p>Found this delicate fungus Saturday AM.</p><div></div>

<p>Hibiscus.</p><div></div>