In Search of Natural Filters
Bright sunshine isn’t always handy when it comes to photography…so when that sun is beating down I find myself more on the edge of the forest where light filters down through the leafy canopy like here on a north entrance to the “Old Forest” in Bakkeveen.
This large patch of flowers was full of hoverflies, mainly drone flies and marmalade flies…when I passed this area in the early morning I kept it in mind as a sort of back up for when the heat on the heath became too much and on the return journey I was most grateful for this pleasant spot. 🙂
Macro Season
As the pastures and road verges fill up with this years blooms, the many invertebrates begin to take to the air and soak up the spring sunshine.
After much trial and error from the previous year I have decided that my simple camera was better suited to macro-photography rather than bird photography. Which doesn’t mean in any way that I will give up chasing marsh harriers and ospreys etc…they will hopefully turn up to distract me during one of these intensive macro sessions! 🙂
The Aster Project
My most contrived project of the year begins to grow in April and eventually reaches fruition by the end of October….basically I let Asters overtake the whole of my doorstep wilderness and then patiently wait for a few sunny days when hoverflies, bees, butterflies and the occasional damselfly descend on the flowers for the abundance of nectar before the chill of autumn kicks in… 😉
Diamonds in the Rough
In late summer the heathland is buzzing with life, the heather is in bloom and attracts all sorts of butterflies, bees and hoverflies as well as damselflies and dragonflies…so it seemed a good idea to pay this small area of heathland a timely visit.
It was a perfect situation as I surveyed the territory, stepping carefully through the heather to capture what was possible…dragonfly reconnaissance kept a watchful eye on my movements while managing to avoid getting caught in the frame. 😉
Fat of the Land
This summer I’ve noticed quite a lot of small tortoiseshells flapping about, which is a relief, having heard reports of diminishing numbers due to several poor summers…
Fortunately this summer has exceeded everyones’ expectations of what a Northern European summer should be, usually it rains a lot with temperatures below normal….but this year it has been warm, dry and sunny…really, the last summer like this was exactly 10 years ago.
These photographs were taken on one of the hottest days…these thistles, dripping with nectar and full of pollen, were most popular with the bees, butterflies and hoverflies….as you can see. 😉
a heartical view 