Vernal Pool Series

Vernal Pool South of Covered Bridge

This is a man made vernal pool.  As I understand it, the presence of salamanders sets it apart as a true vernal pool.  The level of water changes throughout the year.  It was totally dry, no water showing, a year ago.  I think that is why it has so much grass growing in it.  

I am thinking of making a series of prints of this pool and the wildlife found in and near it.  With that in mind, I made images of it.

Vernal Pool South of Covered Bridge

 I thought that I would need to be elevated with the camera to capture its essence.  I would estimate that at the stage shown the water would be maybe waist deep in the center.

Photographer on the Ladder.

I borrowed an eight foot stepladder and mounted a clamp and ball head on it.  My camera went on the ball head.  My wireless remote device was not working, probably dead batteries.  I had to set the 10 second delay, run around the pool and climb the ladder.  I eventually learned to get around the pool and up the ladder in time.

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Sweetflag Spreadwing Male

Sweetflag Spreadwing

This kind of damselfly seems to be quite active at the vernal pool South of the covered bridge.  When they land, it is my job to photograph them.  When they land too close for my lens setup, Sigma 70-300 macro mounted on a 1.4x converter, I must add the Canon 500D close up filter carefully without frightening the insect.  That is how these images were shot.  I have found that when I am close or at the focusing limit of the lens setup and I add the 500D, I must change my focusing to the infinity range and move just a little bit closer.  Did I mention that it is difficult to find the subject when doing macro photography?   This setup is capable of 1.7x on the sensor at the closest.  This shot is probably just over .739x.

When they are so close I photograph them in parts.  

Sweetflag Spreadwing Male, Segments 7 - 10

He uses the appendage at the end of the abdomen to grasp the female at the neck when they fly in tandem.

I worry sometimes that they will be captured by the web of the Long-jawed Orb Weaver Spider.  They seem to avoid it, at least while I am watching.

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Progressive Bee Fly

Progressive Bee Fly

 This insect is smaller than a honey bee.  It has the eyes of a fly and the abdomen of a bee.  

 

Progressive Bee Fly

I don't know if you can see it or not, but it is covered with pollen.  (Click to enlarge)  It is feeding on the bloom of the tall sunflower.

Photographically, I have noticed that yellow is difficult to expose because the RGB histogram on the camera does not show it as over exposed.  I don't find it until home on the computer.  I am trying to under expose it by two stops to compensate.  That seems pretty close.

I like the tall sunflower, though I find blooms at my eye level hard to fine.  Some interesting insects visit it. 

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Black-horned Tree cricket

Black-horned Tree Cricket

This is a curious insect that I see every year on the blooms of the prairie dock.  They must be there for the nectar or the pollen.  

It is not listed in Wikipedia.

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Dimorphic Jumping Spider (click to enlarge)

This is the closest I could come in the ODNR Spider ID guide.  As you can see, it was crawling around on the cattail leaves.  I went to the "Bug Guide" on the internet and still did not find it.  Spider enthusiasts, what your you think?

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Gladiator Katydid

Gladiator Katydid

This insect has extremely long "horns" as you will see.  I found it in one of my insect ID guides but not at Wikipedia.

Gladiator Katydid

I named the image something else but after a day decided that it must be the Gladiator Katydid.  I went back and changed the files names throughout my computer. 

I photographed it at the vernal pool.

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Locust Borer

Locust Borer

The adult Locust Borer feeds on goldenrod.  Their appearance makes them stand out as you can see.

They lay their eggs under the bark of the black locust tree where they hatch at the end of winter.  The larvae live there after winter ends burrowing into the trunk.  They pupate in mid-summer and emerge in time to catch the goldenrod in bloom.

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