Water Life

On this hot, humid morning I took a slow stroll through Inniswood Metro Garden--much too hot for a brisk walk! Summer has turned the corner toward fall...the cicadas are singing (actually they started early this year, well before the 4th of July, but now they're in full voice), the bees and horseflies are buzzing, and many of the woodland critters are looking for some relief from the heat. Last time I was here the water in the frog pond was very high, with dozens of tadpoles zipping around and the bullfrogs singing. Today the pond has shrunk and the water plants have taken over...although, as you can see, the frogs are still around. Proof that they can be very hard to see: I didn't even notice this frog while I was snapping this photo! Imagine my surprise when I opened it on my desktop and there he was, staring at me with his beady amphibian eye.

The frog pond here has beautiful lotuses. This one was a good three feet above the water, even taller than the lotus leaves that all turn with the sun, like sunflowers.

The water is very attractive to insects, also. I saw an amazing assortment of dragon- and damselflies. The most striking was an iridescent blue damselfly with velvety black wings, but that one was quicker than my camera. This guy spent several minutes landing on this leaf, taking off, then circling right back to the same leaf. Another of the same type was doing the same thing a few leaves away.

The pond in the Children's Garden was by far the best for critter hunting. We aren't the only ones looking for a way to keep cool! Standing on the footbridge, I noticed something wrapped around the branches of a small black willow on the edge on the pond...a piece of cloth? On closer inspection, it turned out to be a rather large snake, a black rat snake judging by its color and size. He looked very comfortable there in the shade.

Across the bridge there were a few lily pads in the middle of the pond, where another snake was chillin' in the water. Had he had an umbrella drink (and a hand to hold it!), he'd have looked very much like a human floating around the pool on an air mattress.

And more frogs, of course, including one moose-sized bullfrog waiting for something yummy to zip by. One of his friends was enjoying the small waterfall nearby. By the time I walked all around the pond with my camera I was wishing I could climb into the water myself. Hopefully this afternoon's thunderstorms will bring some relief from the sultry weather.

A Mystery Beetle Identified

An obnoxiously hot and humid week in central Ohio, with temps in the 90s, so not much outdoor walking this week. However, I finally had a chance to do some Web research and identify a beetle I photographed at Highbanks in May!

I spotted this guy on the railing around an observation deck where I sometimes see deer. An intense iridescent green, he really popped out against the weathered wood of the railing. I probably spent ten minutes trying to get some photos of him that were actually in focus...my camera is pretty leisurely about autofocusing (Note to self: Manual focus on next camera.), and this guy was fast. Each time I'd start to push the shutter button, off he'd go down the railing with me trailing behind.

At any rate, I did finally manage to get some shots that were at least focused enough to be identifiable. This handsome gentleman (I'm assuming gentleman here; could be a female) is a six-spotted tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). These guys are common in woodland areas in this part of the country, and often hunt along woodland paths. None of my photos show his mouth parts, but he sported a pretty impressive set of mandibles, used for capturing and eating other insects and arthropods, particularly ants. They're speedy because they often hunt on foot, though they also capture prey while on the wing. It's probably a good thing I didn't try catching him (which I often do when I want to look at an insect closely), because tiger beetles are capable of inflicting a pretty healthy bite when they feel threatened.

A cold front moved through the area today, which should drop temperatures a bit this weekend. Hopefully more posts later!

A Butterfly Morning

Writer Robert Heinlein once said that "Butterflies are self propelled flowers." If the curmudgeonly Heinlein could appreciate the beauty of Lepidoptera, how could the rest of us resist?

I went walking at Highbanks Metro Park, on US Rte. 23 just north of Worthington, Ohio this morning. I spend a lot of time at Highbanks. My favorite season there is winter, when the structure of the woods is stark and the birds and other inhabitants are more easily seen (you can see my photos of Highbanks in all seasons at http://www.flickr.com/photos/44801031@N03/sets/). As a photographer, I find the summer woods overwhelming and difficult to photograph when everything is disguised under leaf cover!

That said, this morning's walk was enlivened by summer butterflies. The open areas at Highbanks support a variety of attractive wildflowers, and even in the shade of the woods the butterflies come to look for water. They are quick and elusive, but I managed to take recognizable photos of three varieties.

Great Spangled Fritillary

(Speyeria cybele)

As a group, butterflies have some of the most wonderful names going...fritillary, sulphur, comma, swallowtail. Two of these fritillaries were flitting around some clumps of butterfly weed along the path. They would settle, wait for me to be ready to click the shutter, then flutter off to another flowerhead, leaving me to refocus and try again.

Red Admiral

(Vanessa atalanta)

Unlike the fritillaries, who wanted only to flirt with my camera, this guy fluttered past me, landed beside the path, and appeared to pose. He seemed unimpressed by me and by several other walkers who passed by and stopped to look at him.

Red-Spotted Purple

(Lemenitis arthemis astyanax)

This beauty was also not shy, but landed in the middle of the walking path for all to admire. There should be red spots at the top curve of the wing

for this species, but either my angle on the wings doesn't let them be seen or this particular butterfly has only white spots for some reason. Are there any butterfly experts out there who can tell me about this?

Those of you in central Ohio who would like to explore Highbanks would do well to go during the week or early in the morning on weekends, when there are fewer walkers. It's a wonderful place, interesting geologically as well as having beautiful walking trails and a variety of birds and wildlife.