we never leave home without our boots, hat and catching jar
Well, here we are in the middle of a sweltering hot summer trying to convince people to enjoy the great outdoors. That’s a bit of a challenge considering that we’re ready to retreat back into our air-conditioned house by noon! Our beautiful wildlife garden has suffered from this year’s drought. We try to take advantage of the morning and evening hours as much as possible when we are selecting one of our local parks as our next outdoor destination. Some of our best photo opportunities have been early in the morning at Big Bone Lick State Park (famous for its woolly mammoth fossils) here in northern Kentucky. It has plenty of woods, a large fishing lake, naturalized meadows and walking trails. For years it’s been one of our favorite places for nature photography.
Juniper Hairstreak butterfly
Butterflies and dragonflies are in no big hurry to fly until their wings dry off and warm up. So, we sneak up on them as they’re resting in the morning. If there are dewdrops on the ground we are almost guaranteed to get some great shots. The first and only time that we’ve ever seen a Juniper Hairstreak butterfly was at Big Bone. Look at that amazing green color! It was well worth the scraped knees and bruised elbows we got from crawling around to get our bug’s eye view of this lovely butterfly.
a dragonfly is slow and tame when it is freshly emerged from its nymph shell
You should always keep your eyes open for the hidden treasures that nature has to offer. Some people would not consider a slimy little snail much of a treasure, but we love to see all that the great outdoors has to offer. Watch where you put your feet, or you might step on a baby rabbit or a tiny toad trying to hide in plain sight.
check out this tiny toad next to a dime
bunny hiding under plants
snails dine on mushrooms that would be poisonous for us to eat
So put on a hat, grab a camera and get out there so this winter you won’t be thinking, “I sure wish that I’d spent some more time in the woods this summer”.
- Judy Burris & Wayne Richards -
siblings, authors and nature photographers
© 2012, Judy Burris. All rights reserved. This article is the property of BeautifulWildlifeGarden.com If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Judy Burris
I really enjoy watching dragonflies. One of these days I’ll spend some concentrated time photographing the many different dragonflies in my garden. Thank you for the inspiration.
Mary Pellerito recently posted..Rainy Day Musings
We love to see them up close when they are sitting still in the morning.
It’s so amazing the things that we discover in nature when we slow down and really take the time to look and be present in our surroundings. That photo of the little snail is amazing! Welcome to the team Judy, I’m so thrilled you’ve joined us.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..The 5 Pillars of Ecosystem Gardening
Thank you so much for inviting me! I know that snails are just slugs with shells, but I think they are so cute
You have so beautifully captured, in both words and pictures, all the best reasons for being outside and for supporting the native plants that are the basis for the bounty. The snail and the Juniper Hairstreak are really amazing; thanks for sharing!
sue dingwell recently posted..Success with Urban Wildlife!
Thank you Sue! We were so excited to photograph that little Juniper Hairstreak.
Judy, thanks for your amazing photography and inspiration. Seeing a Juniper Hairstreak is on my bucket list. Seeing your photograph is the next best thing.
Betty Hall recently posted..Life and death in the backyard – cicada killer wasp
Thank you Betty! I’m looking forward to seeing you at Natural Bridge Park.
That’s a good photo tip: butterflies don’t like to fly until their wings are totally dry. Dewdrops being a good indicator of chance of great butterfly photos ahead! Thanks for sharing with us. I enjoyed your book “Life Cycles of Butterflies” very much, by the way and recommend it.
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
Thank you Kathy
We are absolutely amazed by all the stages of the butterfly, moth and insect life cycles.
I love this post – I feel like I’ve been out with you on this little excursion. Thanks for reminding us to enjoy the little parts that are so essential to the whole.
Ellen Honeycutt recently posted..The Hummingbird Games
Thanks Ellen, we like to make all of our trips to the woods into mini adventures.
I love slowing and watching my wildlife garden at different times of the day…especially a bit of weeding gets me closer to nature or just sitting near the pond….lots going on there! Great tip about butterflies.
Donna Donabella recently posted..Bloom Day a Bust-Almost
I know what you mean….sometimes just stopping for awhile to sit and observe things going on around you reveals little gems that otherwise go unnoticed
That butterfly is simply georgous!
Loret recently posted..Rockin and Rolling Caterpillar Style
We were so excited to see such a lovely green butterfly!