Boreal Dragonflies

The summer certainly can fly by if you're not paying attention, and mine has been no exception of late!  Once again, I have been absent from the blog for a considerable period of time.  I have been spending some weekends at some of Ontario's lovely parks though, and have had the chance to take a few photos as well.  The sort pile is getting high, but here are a few quick edits from recent weekends:

Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) - Silent Lake Provincial Park

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) - Silent Lake Provincial Park

And a dragonfly that I have always wanted to see because of its impressive size, cannibalistic behaviour and awesome name:

Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus) - Killarney Provincial Park

In other news, I am filling in for a friend at the Guelph Arboretum this Wednesday night and doing a mini-workshop on nature photography!  The tone will be very casual and family-oriented, so come on out for a fun night of shooting.  For more details, go here: http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/educationandevents/tours.shtml

I will really try to get some more shots up soon!

Kyle

Bugs and Butterflies

Here are two miscellaneous shots from the sort pile.  Both involve some cool creature interaction!

First, two milkweed bugs in love (so to speak)

Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii)

Second, some puddling swallowtails.  This spectacular behaviour in butterflies allows them to acquire salts and minerals that they cannot get in their nectar diet.  (incidentally, this photo also includes bug sex - look towards the back!)

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)

That's all for now!
Kyle

Ignatius Butterflies

Had the day off today, and headed out to the Ignatius property north of Guelph in the hopes of adding a few butterflies to my library.  I was in luck, and managed to snag 4 species that I hadn't shot before!  The farmed area of the property offers some opportunities at species not always seen in the rest of the city.  Here are a few of the shots:

To start, one of my very favourite butterfly species - a Buckeye.  This is primarily a southern species, and Guelph is getting towards the northern extent of their range.  Look at those eyespots!

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

The next species is one that I almost never see in the area.  Maybe I'm not looking hard enough!

Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)

I have seen a bit of an influx of Painted Ladies recently so I was really hoping to nail one down.  No American Ladies at the moment, but I'm checking!

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

The last two species are both small butterflies that I see often, but that I often pass by and never think to settle down and photograph.

Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)

Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)

That's all for now - go out and see some butterflies!

Kyle

Arboretum fun

Took a stroll at the Guelph Arboretum the other day (one of my favourite local spots) and had some luck with a few unexpected species.  The first was a nesting snapper - definitely a new series of photographs for me.  Very cool!

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Although my primary goal for the day was dragonflies, the butterflies ended up being more cooperative.  Lots of species around - here are three.

Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)

Northern Crescent (Phycoides cocyta)

White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)

After the Arb I moved over for a stroll along the Eramosa River, and my eagle-eyed friend Jenn spotted this awesome crab spider with prey.  Thanks for the stellar spot and plant wrangling!

Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)

That's all for now!
Kyle

Scenery?

So if you follow the blog at all, you know that I rarely shoot scenics.  I guess my attention is always grabbed by things that move, and the scenery tends to escape me.  I frequently regret this as I attempt to assemble a presentation or slideshow, and have only photos of the animals and not the surroundings.

Occasionally though, I remember to shoot the big stuff.  Recently I decided to have a go at editing a few scenics that were hidden away in sneaky folders.  Here's a few favourites:

Cypress Forest in Illinois

Cypress Forest - a different take!

Twisty Road in Phoenix, Arizona

Betty's Bay (where the penguins are), South Africa

Ruins in the Tankwa Karoo, South Africa

Maybe not my calling in life, but fun to play around with nonetheless!
Kyle

Reptiles! (mostly)

Finally back to the blog!  Starting a new job and moving in to a new apartment have proven hectic, and I have been away from the editing table for some time.  Somehow the computer stuff always gets put off.  Adding to the delay, I have spent the last few weekends looking for reptiles and birds in some of my favourite parts of the province.  The results have been great!  Here are a few photos from these recent excursions...

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) - southwestern Ontario

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - southwestern Ontario

Eastern Fox Snake - (Pantherophis gloydi) - southwestern Ontario

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) - southwestern Ontario

Eastern Fox Snake (Pantherophis gloydi) - Georgian Bay area

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) - Georgian Bay area

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) - Georgian Bay area

More to come (hopefully)!
Kyle

Mad Hoppers!

I haven't touched the Africa photos in weeks - it seems the task is so daunting that I can't even find a place to start!  Managed to scrounge up a bit of motivation today and got to work on one of my favourite groups of Madagascar bugs - the hoppers.  This is actually a few closely-related groups of 'true bugs' that exist all over the world.  Their diversity, colours and patterns are often spectacular, but they are almost always tiny - all but the first one are about the size of a grain of rice - which makes them very difficult to see.  I started picking these out on the vegetation during a night hike near Andasibe National Park, and the guide had never even noticed them before.  If there weren't so many other things to see in Madagascar, I could have spent days searching for different species!

Their tiny size also makes them somewhat challenging to photograph, especially with the limited equipment one might carry overseas!  All of these guys were shot handheld with a Canon 7D and Tamron 180mm Macro in the dark, except the fifth one which was taken with a point-and-shoot.

Unknown Madagascar Hopper

Unknown Madagascar Hopper

Unknown Madagascar Hopper

Unknown Madagascar Hopper

Unknown Madagascar Hopper

This last hopper has met an unfortunate end, due to a parasitic fungus which is now growing out of the insect!

Unknown Madagascar Hopper

That's all for now!
Kyle