A Pleasant Surprise on the River

For the first time ever my quiet paddling and photography outing on the Wapsipinicon River was not a solo adventure. Yes, I was alone in my canoe. No, nobody was with me as I prowled the backwaters with my Nikon. But, much to my surprise, as I paddled out of a backwater cove I found a….

Ditch Lily Rebuttal

Back on July 2 I shared an image and description of the ever-popular, colorful, widespread ditch lilies that were in full bloom. There I shared how the plant is not native to the Midwest, and how we could consider the ditch lilies exotic/Invasive species if or when the plant spreads without control.

Today I want to provide information on one of Iowa’s orange-colored lilies that is native to North America - the Turk’s cap lily.

You can quickly identify the Turk’s cap lily by the way the…

Seen On My Walk

During my morning walk I found many wildflowers and some critters. I will share them here.

River Crossing

Recently I shared with a fellow photographer the names of some outdoor photographers I follow on a regular basis. Often I benefit from their learned lessons.

Although much of my photography features wildlife, the photographers that I follow are landscape photographers. As I study their work, it becomes clear why much of my work concentrates on wildlife images - our scenic landscape photography options are not like the videos - wide, grandiose, and easy to access woodlands or water scenes.

It would be easy give up and wait for random landscape photography opportunities. Instead, I am…

River Relaxing

A few years ago a like-minded friend of mine published a book titled “Forest Bathing.” In the book Suzanne describes techniques for gaining the most from outdoor experiences. Suzanne’s book put into words what I have been practicing for years - allowing nature to calm my spirit, soothe my soul, and make me a better person. I refer to my outings as my “Nature Fixes,” as if being outside is something that requires a doctor’s prescription.

I thought about “Forest Bathing” tonight as I…

Cute Trouble (at times)

I spent some time this morning watching a bird feeding area. The “wild” visitors had a choice of food: millet, sunflower seeds, seed cakes, jelly, and hummingbird water, along with a bird bath.

When so many options exist for food, the variety of visitors - feathered and furred - is amazing. Even though I saw plenty of birds, my attention was drawn to a red squirrel that capitalized on what was probably the most expensive of the food offerings - the seed cake.

Being a good neighbor, I…

Live More Wild

Recently we have had problems with fur-covered wrecking machines at our cabin. Actually, the neighbors are experiencing more issues than us, but what happens nearby tends to spread.

As of this morning, one of the culprits was….

Since My Last Post

Since my last post I have seen and done many things, often with my Nikon close by. Perhaps the most organized activity was when Kristy and I paddled the Cedar River from…

Cooling Off?

While studying the minute details of a swamp milkweed plant I spotted a house fly blowing a bubble. Of course that made me curious. I grabbed everything I had with me to capture the activity as close to or larger than real life as possible. Without a tripod I was forced to handhold my camera. As a result, I recorded only a few images acceptable for sharing.

According to what I have found (which wasn’t much), many insects blow bubbles to cool off. I am not sure this was accurate in my fly’s case. This image was recorded early this morning, during the coolest part of the day. Is it possible the fly just likes blowing bubbles - much like humans?

Not For Hire

Over the years one of my camera lenses has managed to accumulate an impressive layer of dust on an internal piece of glass. I cannot say for sure that the dust has impacted images, but I am certain it did not help a single picture.

Removal of the dust was possible by sending the lens to the manufacturer along with a couple hundred dollars. Or, being the miserly fellow I am, and since the lens has had intermittent problems, I…

Chickory… Minolta… A Connection

With this post I will quickly date myself among photographers, but that is OK. I am fortunate to enjoy a good life and to be continually blessed with many simple pleasures.

Decades ago, when I switched from shooting lethal to shooting with lenses (I still hunt, just very seldom), I was a dedicated shooter of Minolta camera equipment. My emphasis was on wildflowers anywhere I could find them. One species in particular - chickory - always seemed to grab my attention. I photographed the plant when I found it, and quizzed my wife when we saw it together, and always had a visual interest in it.

Today I found chickory within easy reach and took the time to study the plant. This set of blooms was along a highway in the space between the edge of the blacktop and the gravel. How the plant was surviving is a question I cannot answer. Since it was close and attractive, I photographed a couple of blossoms as seen here.

Throughout this post I have been describing fond memories of pretty blossoms and pictures. What may surprise you is that chickory is an invasive plant from the Asia/Europe area. It can become established, but I have yet to see it displace any native plants.

I suppose if I was a wildflower purist I would have pulled this plant. Instead I…

I Hope They Died

After work this afternoon I spent hours cutting up and burning the remains of two ash trees. These were ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer. We were cleaning up the remains of two of millions of trees killed by the little invader. Hopefully there were still some ash borers in these trees that burned in the fire to disappear as our ash trees have.

So that this post does not end on a violent or sad note, I will include a couple of images of…

Seen Today and Scenes From Last Week

Slowly I am catching up on the past week of family fun with a few breaks for photography thrown in. First though, I will share images seen in our area where we are attempting to reestablish prairie plants. So far the project looks like a huge weed patch, but we are hopeful.

We Have Returned!

Regular readers may have noticed I did not post any images or thoughts this past week. That was due to a much anticipated family trip to the Branson, Missouri area.

I did not shoot that many photos, but I did record images every day. Following is a sampling.

More Than an Owl Release

Back on June 2, Maury noticed this barred owl hanging from fishing line over the Cedar River. Maury called his sister who called me.

With the help of the Janesville and Waverly Fire Departments we were able to rescue this owl that was suspended over the river. Terese with the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project then worked with the owl for six weeks. Tonight Maury had the honor of releasing this barred owl to live wild again!

This was more than just an owl release. Maury…

An Interesting Weekend

Kristy and I camped with friends this weekend at Backbone State Park. We did not fish for trout, even though I would have had I had gear with me. We did not hike the backbone - had other things to do. Scott and I did hike along the trout streams and toward Backbone Cave. That first trip to the entrance of the cave led to a second trip to the cave where Kristy, Marie, and I explored deep into the cave.

If you want to see a video recorded of our cave wanderings, click on this link: Exploring Backbone Cave Video.

Following are images from the past couple of days.

Taking Cover Then Under Attack

During this afternoon’s light rain showers I studied our lilies, looking for raindrops for an added touch to pretty blossoms. What I found were a couple of corn rootworm beetles hidden in the blossoms, possibly to take cover from predators and/or rain. What those beetles were rewarded with were multiple attacks from ants also exploring the blossoms. One by one the beetles were prompted to move along - out of the deep crevices of the blossoms and out into the open. I saw no predators attack the beetles other than…

Attractants

When it is as dry as we have had lately, a little moisture goes a long way to attracting butterflies. These two were meadow fritillary butterflies. Nearby were…

Same Story, Different Species

Thanks to a phone call from a caring father/son angling duo, a young Canada goose may survive a life-threatening struggle caused by humans.

The fishermen were enjoying family time when the son noticed a Canada goose on its back, in the water, near the shore. Although it was not easy to see without studying the bird, the goose was still alive. The pair were not able to discern for sure why the goose was on its back in the water, but knew something was not right and made a good call.

After a few minutes I was notified and, since I was nearby, I offered to help. To be honest, I was concerned the goose was exhibiting the effects of Avian influenza - a disease that has already impacted Bremer County and we don’t need it again. I was prepared with gloves and a garbage bag to capture and hold the bird for testing. However, when I attempted to lift the young goose from the water, I couldn’t. It quickly became obvious that the goose was not only caught in fishing line, but also had a…

Feel My Pain

Anyone who, at some point in their life, was poked by a bullhead barb will remember that feeling. The sensation is quick to be received and noticeable as soon as the skin is broken.

According to research, bullheads - members of the catfish family - have a poison in their barbs that we humans notice when it enters our system through breaks in the skin. For that reason it is important to handle bullheads and other members of the catfish family correctly. Obviously I did not and I was rewarded with a tender spot in the palm of my hand.

The fish that stuck me was not the fish…