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Posts Tagged ‘nature photography’

In the Butterfly Garden

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, watershed, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 12, 2010| 14 Comments »

At last we have some respite from the dreaded heat of this summer.  Today is gorgeous!  The air feels fresh, and there is a nice quality to the light.  I decide to spend my time in the western section of the park on the Indiana side.  I heard that the butterflies were plentiful on the loosestrife flowers and that this could be a good time to take pictures.  First, I needed to find an officially sanctioned butterfly guide to show me the way.  He’s supposed to be somewhere over here…yes, there he is right on time.

The strange-looking character said “Hello, are you the one who wants to see the butterflies?”  I replied that I was and we met face to face.

And what a memorable face he has with his mismatched eyes and lavender lips!  He told me to call him the Butterfly Man and that I had picked a good time to come to the river because it was now agreed that 2010 was a good year for butterflies in our area.  He also said that the place we wanted to go was a short walk ahead to where the purple flowers were growing.  Many different kinds of butterflies would be there.

Along the way, the Butterfly Man told me tidbits about the environment we were experiencing and what we might expect to see.  He explained that the loosestrife flowers are an invasive species and quickly take over these shallow wetlands.  Around here small springs trickle water down the bank towards the river and keep this area moist. These are perfect conditions for the loosestrife which has spread from last year.  Butterflies and other insects love the nectar from these flowers and if we encountered bees and wasps…not to be afraid because if you left them alone, they would do likewise.  Soon we were among the flowers and it didn’t take the Butterfly Man long to spot a terrific butterfly!

With its slightly elongated forewings and intense orange color the Gulf Fritillary ( Dione vanillae ) stands out among the loosestrife.  As the name suggests, this is a mostly southern species, but does venture north.  The ventral coloring sports mother of pearl and orange spots.  Not to far away on a different flower, Butterfly Man spotted a nice swallowtail.

This is the Eastern Black Swallowtail, ( Papilio polyxenes ) and I have come across a few of these and other swallowtails as well.  I have seen, but unable to get a photo of some of them because they never slowed down!  I saw a Giant Swallowtail, our largest butterfly, fly over my head and towards the river.  The Zebra Swallowtail, same thing, it was flying too fast and never alighted.  The Pipevine Swallowtail I saw was so ragged that I decided not to take a picture of it.  I’m sure over time I will get other chances.  Here’s an image I like of a very common butterfly.

This butterfly was introduced into North America in the 1860’s and has now spread over the continent.  The Cabbage White, ( Pieris rapae ) is the most common white butterfly that most people are likely to encounter.  At the Falls, we also find another immigrant, the European Skipper, ( Thymelicus lineola ) which was accidentally introduced in Ontario about 1910 and has since spread across the country.  These tiny gold skippers can be very hard to identify and probably depends on having one in hand.  I like the idea of capturing a photographic image because no harm is intended.  With their folded wings, many skippers don’t look like butterflies at all. 

After a while, the Butterfly Man said we should take a break.

He said he found something special earlier in the morning and it was somewhere in this vicinity.  There is another creature here taking advantage of the butterflies.  Sure enough a couple of bushes away we found her enjoying a snack.

We found such a beautiful and large spider sitting on her web!  The proof she selected the right location was entombed in silk.  I have seen other Black-and-yellow Argiope ( Argiope aurantia ) spiders at the Falls before.  This is the first for this year.  She’s a big spider and soon she will produce her egg case and die.  The baby spiders will overwinter in the case and emerge in the spring.  These orb weavers have a characteristic zig-zag silk pattern on the interior of their webs.  This spider has had luck catching Orange Sulphur and Viceroy butterflies.  I noticed many loose wings below the web.  There is an element of risk out here among the flowers after all.

 The Butterfly Man spotted a nice pair of Viceroys ( Limenitis archippus ) basking side by side on the same leaf.  There are many of these species currently out among the willow trees.  With their smaller size and black line crossing the veins of the dorsal hind wing they can be told apart from the Monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus ) which are also in the area flying down on their long migration to Mexico.

There was time for one last butterfly before turning for home.  Earlier I had spotted a few large yellow butterflies nectaring on the small Jewelweed vines .  I came across this Cloudless Giant Sulphur in a characteristic position with its wings folded together like a yellow leaf and created this composition.

After one final look at the loosestrife fields, I was reminded of French Impressionistic painting and thought this landscape worthy of a canvas or two for the purple colors and nice cloud formations.  You can also glimpse the fossil beds beyond the trees.

I left the Butterfly Man standing where I first met him by his home next to a downed tree.  I thanked him for taking the time to show me around and hoped to run into him again in another adventure at the Falls of the Ohio.

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The Pink Chapeau

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , , , on June 3, 2010| 2 Comments »

Before the month of May slid into history, I did a little sliding of my own.  The day after Julia and I visited Nerinx, I did a solo expedition to the western section of the Falls of the Ohio State Park.  Now the sliding part has to do with mud!  In places the earth was high and dry, but in key areas  the mud remained slippery and sticky.  Here’s a picture of what I mean.

It’s creamy and in places you could sink in over your ankles.  To get things over with so I don’t have to obsess about this, well I just find some mud and step into it.  After that there are no worries about remaining clean!  The deed is done.  I have a similar philosophy about the rain.  Once I’m as wet as I can get…I can relax and do my thing as long as I don’t get too cold.  The mud is more treacherous closer to the river’s edge and I decide not to flirt with it too much.  There is afterall, much to see around here.

The willows are in maximum fluff production and there are drifts of the stuff on the ground.  When the wind stirs then the willow seeds become air born and are carried away.  With so much fluff, you would think willows would be even more common than they are.  I have to say that so far, I haven’t seen any birds that have made my year.  Last year’s signature bird was the Summer Tanager.  This year hasn’t been the warbler fest that I experienced just two years a go.  Still, I take what I can get and I always love American Goldfinches.  Here’s a male taking a dip in some water.  Small flocks cruise along the trees nearest the river.

I’m walking west along the river and I came across the only persona that I saw all day.  We eye-balled each other, decided that neither was a threat and so we had a short conversation.  Mostly, it was an opportunity to compare nature notes.  I guess the feature that most stood out about my acquaintance is the bright pink hat she? is wearing.  I said I was looking for birds and junk and “she” said that she was a Lepidopterist.  Oddly, we didn’t introduce ourselves, but she let me take her picture for my blog.  I guess she’s about five feet tall or so and walked with a cane.

After I asked if she had seen any interesting birds…she hadn’t.  I was asked about what butterflies I had come across.  Fortunately, I also like butterflies and try to take their pictures when both insect and camera cooperate.  I really don’t like these autofocus cameras.  Anyway, I noticed many species out on this day including Commas, Mourning Cloaks, Cabbage Whites and then I showed her images of the two butterflies that I did get decent pictures of and she seemed happy to identify them for me.  Here is the more unusual of the two that I came across at the forest’s edge.

Quickly my new friend identified this as being Enodia anthedon or more commonly, the Northern Pearly Eye.  It is a forest butterfly that does not come to flowers preferring instead the fermenting juices of fruits and tree saps.  I reply that I had noticed that there were many butterflies around the fallen mulberries and on the sides of the willow trees. 

I wonder if science has determined if a butterfly can get drunk off the fermented juice and if this is possible…do they experience hangovers?  I know this does happen with birds like Cedar Waxwings that literally get tipsy.  The second butterfly is one that many people know and it’s the pretty Red Admiral or Vanessa atalanta . Even its scientific name is charming.  This is a people friendly butterfly and will often alight upon a person.  I came across dozens of these today.

With the rising heat the promised threat of a late afternoon thunderstorm began to materialize.  First there was the distant sound of thunder and since I had a hike to still make to reach my car…I said farewell to my butterfly friend whom I hope to see again.  I asked before parting if she collected butterflies and she answered that once she had, but was now over that part of her interest in them.  She no longer needed to possess them and instead grew flowers and plants to attract them.

I hope I run into the lady with the pink hat again.  She seemed to share a reverence for the life that is out here in the park.  I would welcome learning more about the butterflies that call this place their home.  One last shot showing willows, the riverbank, fossil cliffs, and the dam in the far distance that keeps the river at bay…most of the time.

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Nature Calling

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , , on January 2, 2010| 3 Comments »

At the beginning of the New Year, I was warm and cozy and in no hurry to do anything.  And then, the telephone rang.  Through my hand set I could hear the sound of the river and the wind blowing through the tree limbs.  After dressing, I grabbed one of my collecting bags and my camera and I jumped into my car.  By now, my family knows I’m crazy, I know I’m crazy, and so little is said of the matter of my leaving anymore.  I’m pretty well bundled up since it’s somewhere in the high teens on this first day of 2010.

It may be cold, but at least the sun is out and this has an enormous cheering effect on me.  I decided to check out a place that I don’t investigate as often, the riverbank just east of the dam and bridge.  The prevailing winds and currents do push materials along this shoreline, some of which beach here until the next flooding.  Among the many items I found this morning include an especially large and nicely shaped hunk of Styrofoam.  I set it on end and took a photograph of this polystyrene stelae with the river and bridge.  Even I have  a hard time guessing how big this hunk looks in the photograph and so I dragged it back to my car and created this other image!

Well, here’s the crazy part I alluded to earlier.  I decided to take this big piece home and amazingly, it just fit across the back seat of my Honda Civic.  I have other materials cached at home in our incredibly  shrinking basement.  As of now, I don’t have a particular idea for it, but it will come.  After wrestling with the Styrofoam block, I drove to my usual spot to check out the scene from there and to see how older works were faring.

There was a lot more ice just downriver from the dam and coated the willows closest to the water.  There is also more wind and turbulence which I can feel on the exposed areas on my face.  It’s not quite “Elmer Fudd” hat weather, but very close.  I reserve that unflattering head-gear for temps below zero.  The television weather prophets are saying my area will be chilling in the twenties for highs the rest of the week.  With hope, this will be the coldest it gets this year.  Last year’s winter, with the great exception of the infamous ice storm, was a comparatively easy and warm one.

I looked up two old friends and they were still hanging in there.  Lorraine had slumped over, but it was easy to prop her back up to join her beau, Pot Belly in standing guard over my spot under the willows.  I wandered around and very few birds were to be seen or expected.  I did run into a small grouping of drabbly-plumed American Goldfinches and stray Song Sparrows and Mallard ducks.  Oh, I did photograph a rare hummingbird and came across another interesting nest, however, in the interest of future posts…I will withhold those for now, but check back later this week.  I did come across one other image I recorded that is a bit more ironic than unusual and is not intended to be an endorsement of this product.  I like my beer with a lot more body, and flavor, etc… Happy New Year everybody!

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Fishing on the Rocks

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, birding, birds and birding, collections, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, unusual collection, watershed, tagged , , , , , on December 3, 2009| 2 Comments »

The river is low and clear and fisherman have been testing their luck at the Falls of the Ohio.  It’s one of those situations where even if the fish aren’t biting, it’s still wonderful to be out in nature.  Sightseers have been moving along the riverbank and on this occasion I have come across other sculptures that while they aren’t mine…may have been inspired by what I do out here? 

Visitors have “recycled” one of my old pieces and made this work that I call “Jack Daniels” based on the empty whiskey bottle stuck in the sand by its feet!  It’s a decidedly tipsy work and seems to sport what I think may be an improvised ice pack on its head.  The turned-wood cane steadies the piece and provides much-needed support.  Perhaps the same person or persons did this other sculpture near “Jack”?  It may be either a robot constructed from stacked rocks or maybe an image of a small television with antennae balanced on stacked rocks?  It doesn’t really matter.  I responded to the sight and added it to my collection of images of “Other People’s Art Made at the Falls”.  Over the years, I have also collected pictures of what other folks have made and left with materials indigenous to this area.  Actually, I’m surprised that I don’t come across more of the stacked rock works since that seems like such a universal human thing to do.

Appearing with more regularity are the Ring-billed Gulls that move into our area once the weather begins to cool.  I observed a large flock with their distinctive white dot on black wing tips flying above me in a slowly circling ball.  Maybe they were getting their bearings on their way to other areas? Anyway, a few stray birds peeled away from the drifting flock and remained in the immediate area.  I photographed this juvenile Ring-billed Gull standing in shallow water near a small Styro-fisherman I had constructed.

When I come out here, I try to make something from the debris I come across.  I usually always feel better about life in general when I’m engaged in creating an artwork.  Here’s the fisherman figure I made on this day.  He is standing on beaver-chewed willow legs as is the pole he holds.

Although I have made many fishing figures over the years, this one was inspired by that day’s finds.  Walking the riverbank, I assembled a small collection of soft-bodied jigs lost by real fisherman.  The river works them loose from wherever they are snagged and beaches them lead-head and all.  The curving tails are intended to flutter through the water once they are reeled in.  It’s an effective movement that fish find hard to resist.

I selected the one that looks like a blue minnow and because it also had a nice length of monofilament attached to it… added it to my work.  I carried the piece along the shoreline and photographed it by the water.  I drew a few quizzical looks and even a laugh or two from real fishermen!

Here’s another image that shows the figure in the context of the larger landscape.  The old railroad bridge in the background has become such a presence in so many of my photographs.  Until next time…

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An Autumn Rarity, the Uncommon Bluebill

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged , , , , , on October 31, 2009| 2 Comments »

Late October color, 10/09

When the trees at the Falls of the Ohio reach peak color, birders keep an eye open for avian rarities.  The Uncommon Bluebill may or more likely may not appear in the park.  Usually birders have to settle for glossy pictures of this bird in fancy magazines devoted to all things…birds.  Those images are usually taken in the bluebill’s northern haunts during the breeding season when the birds are a bit more distracted as they go through their courtship gyrations.  This post is about a personal stroke of luck as I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to record the Uncommon Bluebill at the Falls of the Ohio.

the Uncommon Bluebill, 10/09

And here it is!  As advertised, this bird does possess a distinctly blue beak.  It’s a little larger than the average wood warbler and has some of the same foraging behaviors.  Other distinct features for identification purposes include a white body and pink tail.  This bird is equally at home on the ground or in the top most branches of a tree.  I do confess that I wasn’t looking for this bird for that would be an excercise in frustration.  In a way, it has to find you and you have to be prepared to receive it when it appears.  That is why I bring my camera with me whenever I’m here.

Uncommon Bluebill with Milkweed, 10/09

I recall that a few Golden-crowned Kinglets proceeded the bluebill.  I was watching the kinglets and their hovering, mid-air investigations of the undersides of leaves when from the corner of my eye I noticed a bird that was distinctly not a kinglet.  The Uncommon Bluebill moved easily from a branch to the trunk of a tree ready to pounce on the insects it discovered.  Some of my best shots of this single bird were in association with a Milkweed vine that held its attention for a while.  It was so intent in its pursuit that it did not notice me observing it from behind a large willow.

Uncommon Bluebill and Milkweed, 10/09

I held my breath and hoped the digitally- produced mechanical camera noise would not frighten it away.  The bird hung around for a minute and no longer.  After that, it was gone.  I walked silently over the dropped willow leaves and back to my car.  I had just seen a creature so rare that it was essentially a ghost.  What could possibly top that as an experience today?

Autumn willows by the river, 10/09

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Starry-Eyed and Golden

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, nature, nature photography, Ohio River, Originality, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

View with Interpretive Center, 8/09

Now this feels more like summer.  The Ohio Valley heat and humidity just grabs your breath and makes it heavy.  After the flash flooding and torrential rains, I thought the park would look a lot different than it does.  You can see that the river did get high because piles of driftwood form a meandering line where the water stopped and receded.  I checked out the new arrangements, but the object that stands out as the find of the day was a plastic, crinkled, French fry!  Something new for the “Fake Food Collection”. dragonfly, 8/09

 

All manner of insect life is present today.  Various dragonfly species patrol the air space just above my head.  I watched a small thread-waisted wasp carry a caterpillar across the sand.  Ants follow their chemical trails through the driftwood.  Some of the willow trees are exuding a sap that’s attractive to dark-bodied flies and an occasional monarch butterfly floats by.  With all this buggy activity, I can feel the energy of life all around me.

Head of Starry-eyed figure, 8/09

The river stopped just short of my studio site.  As I was walking towards it with today’s finds I could hear the voices of children coming from that direction.  For the first time, I actually came across people standing in my spot.  I know I surprised “Grandma” and her two grand children, a boy and a girl.  She explained very quickly that she lives in Clarksville and wanted to take the kids to the river and get exposure to nature.  The girl was holding a small doll I had found months ago and her brother was carrying the wooden ax I had fashioned for my Prince Madoc figure.  Grandma said that they just came across my site and thought some old drunk had hauled all this trash to this spot!  No I explained, it’s just me…some other kind of eccentric with artistic inclinations.  Grandma, however, wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation and the boy laid down the faux weapon.  I said he could have it and his eyes lit up in the way boy’s eyes shine when they get to hold sticks and guns and there is a suggestion of danger.  I told him that if he struck anything with the ax that it would just fall apart.  Grandma said that if they ran into trouble that she wasn’t too worried.  She dug her hand into one of her short’s pockets and pulled out a wicked looking black folding knife!

Starry-eyed figure w/ Gold Ornament, 8/09

Standing proudly by the river is today’s figure!  It’s all stuff I came across between the parking lot and my studio spot.  The plastic star is either a child’s cookie cutter or a clay tool of some sort.  In the center of the star is an acorn.  The other eye combines an orange foam fishing bobber with the cap from a milk jug.  The nose is a fake, plastic tube of lipstick.  The ears are made from the bottom of an aluminum can.  Can you guess what the mouth is?  It’s a hair barrette.  On the end of some old fishing line, the figure holds a plastic, gold ornament of some kind.  I like the way it shines in the light.  I attached the sole of a child’s sandal to the body to create another area of interest.  The rest is Styrofoam and driftwood sticks.

Starry-eyed figure by river, 8/09

I had forgotten how uncomfortable the heat can make things.  My t-shirt and jeans were sticking to my skin.  On such a warm day, why don’t I wear shorts…surely that would be cooler?  Yes, but over the years I have torn my legs up on sharp-bladed grasses, endured insect bites and poison ivy, scratched myself climbing over driftwood and bruised my knees slipping on wet fossil rocks.  You get tired continually healing from something.  I can live with a little perspiration every now and then.

By the wier dam, 8/09

This image was taken under the railroad bridge and next to the eastern tainter gates.  The parking lot is just beyond and up on the hill.  It’s hard to imagine that the level of the river is just about to the top of the wall on the right.  You can’t get any lower in the valley than being at the bottom of the Ohio River, but here at the Falls you can get a feeling for that.  I noticed that the leaves are starting to turn yellow and so summer’s days are numbered.  I did pass a stand of broad-leaved arrowhead plants with their white flowers and thought this a good way to end this post.

Broad-leaved Arrowhead in bloom, 8/09

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Rare Birds

Posted in Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, ecosytem, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Green, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio River, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged , , , , on May 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

white styro-birdFrom a previous post…you know I’m into birds and since this is migration season, I’m at the Falls of the Ohio as often as I can get a few hours to get away.  I do keep a list of what I see in this park based on their official checklist that includes 268 recorded species.  I’m almost half way there!  I suppose I would have to live at the park year round to not miss any opportunities as long as the birds were willing to cooperate.  The birds, however, have their own time-honored agendas and I try to be present in their moments.  This season is shaping up to be a late one and I haven’t seen nearly the number of species I saw last year, but there is still time.  The last two days have brought some surprises which I was able to get a few snapshots to share with you.  Here are two new species for me at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

White-eyed Vireo, 5/09

The White-eyed Vireo is listed as being uncommon for this park.  You are more likely to hear this bird ( and it can put up quite a volume of sound for a little bird) than to see it.  It is a master of hiding in dense underbrush.  I was less than ten feet away from this bird while it was singing and I couldn’t visually locate it.  I saw one once in central Texas.   

Summer Tanager, male, 5/09

Here’s today’s prize!  While looking for Scarlet Tanagers, I came across this male Summer Tanager.  This is the first one I’ve ever seen and had to do a double-take.  No black wings…pale colored bill and a slightly different call note.  I was able to watch this bird for about five minutes and got close enough to record this image.  Although I have seen several Scarlet Tanagers, I haven’t been able to make a photo decent enough to share.  The Scarlet Tanagers so far, are staying in the tops of the trees where all the little cut-worms are feasting on young leaves.  This is what is drawing migratory birds to this park.  This Summer Tanager is about at the northern limit of its normal range.  Seeing birds like this makes me want to go out everyday!  It’s a nice break from working with Styrofoam!!

Wood-winged Styro-bird, 5/08

The first and last images are bird sculptures I’ve made and photographed at the park.  Found objects I have used include various polystyrene foam pieces, plastic, wood, and bits of coal for the eyes.  The “Blue-tailed Styrobird” I later mounted on a nice branch and sold in a gallery.  The “Wood-winged Styrobird” I left for other people to discover and it later flew off.

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