July 25, 2015 by Mike Powell
Recently Green Herons (Butorides virescens) have been more numerous than in the past at my local marshland park. Most of the time these little herons are obscured by the vegetation at the water’s edge or by the branches of the trees in which they like to roost.
Early one morning last week, however, I watched one of them stalking potential prey from a log in an open area. The little heron seemed focused, but relaxed. From time to time the Green Heron would become more alert and rigid and he would stare more intently at the water.
On this occasion, they were all false alarms and I didn’t see him catch anything for breakfast. Eventually he seemed to give up and flew off, presumably to a better location for catching something to eat.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Butorides virescens, Canon 50D, green heron, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 4 Comments »
July 24, 2015 by Mike Powell
I never tire of watching Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) and catching them in fun and unusual poses.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, blue heron, Canon 50D, Great Blue Heron, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 7 Comments »
July 23, 2015 by Mike Powell
On Monday I came across this really cool-looking moth while walking through the woods at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia. The moth’s distinctive pattern reminds me of the shields used in the Middle Ages by the knights during the Crusades, which is why I want to call it the Crusader moth.
Officially, this is a Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene), a moth of the Tiger Moth family that is found in the eastern part of North America.
As I was doing research, I learned that 18-26 July is National Moth Week.
Go wild!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Clymene moth, Crusader moth, Crusades, Haploa clymene, Huntley Meadows Park, National Moth Week, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 11 Comments »
July 22, 2015 by Mike Powell
It’s fun to watch the Great Egrets (Ardea alba) at Huntley Meadows Park, the local marsh where I take most of my wildlife photos. Unlike the Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias), who will remain motionless for a long time, the egrets like to move.
This egret’s moves in the initial two images somehow brought to mind the song “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles. In case you don’t recall that catchy tune or are too young to have heard it, here’s a link to a YouTube video of the song.
I was quite amazed at the variety of moves in the egret’s repertoire and the expressive way that it was able to use its neck, sometimes tucking it in and sometimes fully extending it. Here are a few more shots from the egret’s performance.
I think with a little more practice the egret will be ready for “Dancing With the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Dance.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea alba, Bangles, Canon 50D, egret, Great Egret, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, Walk Like an Egyptian | 7 Comments »
July 22, 2015 by Mike Powell
In vain I have searched this month for Common Sanddragon dragonflies at the places where I spotted them earlier this season. My good friend and fellow photographer and blogger, Walter Sanford, captured some beautiful shots of the last ones that we spotted. Be sure to check out the other wonderful photos and fascinating information in his blog.
walter sanford's photoblog
Common Sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus) is a member of the Clubtail Family of dragonflies that is spotted during June and July in mid-Atlantic United States like Virginia. Common Sanddragons are habitat specialists that prefer sandy woodland streams, so don’t look for them in wetland areas like the hemi-marsh at Huntley Meadows Park.
This post features two male Common Sanddragon dragonflies, as indicated by their terminal appendages. As fate would have it, they are the last Sanddragons spotted during Summer 2015.
The water level was near the top of the stream banks after near record-setting rainfall for the month of June. (Notice the discoloration of the vegetation from siltation during a recent flood.)
29 JUN 2015 | Huntley Meadows Park | Common Sanddragon (male)
The conditions for hunting Sanddragons were less than ideal. Male Common Sanddragons prefer perching on a sandy beach, facing the water; there weren’t any beaches, so Sanddragons were…
View original post 178 more words
Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Common Sanddragon, Common Sanddragon dragonfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Progomphus obscurus, Walter Sanford | Leave a Comment »
July 21, 2015 by Mike Powell
Sunrise yesterday was at 5:59 and I managed to get this shot of a beautiful little fawn in the cattails at 6:05, when there was just barely enough light for my camera to focus.
Summer weather in the Washington D.C. area is often miserable—hot and humid—and I decided to visit my local marshland park really early to avoid some of the oppressive heat. When I left my house in the pre-dawn darkness, however, it was already 80 degrees (27 degrees C) on a day that was forecast to reach 96 degrees (35 degrees C).
I could hear a lot of movement in the marsh as I made my way along the board walk and occasionally would catch a glimpse of some activity as it grew progressively lighter. I encountered another photographer and he was the one who spotted the fawn and pointed it out to me—I am pretty sure that I would not have seen it without his help.
We didn’t see any adult White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with the fawn, but their presence could easily have been hidden by the thick stand of cattails. I had time to snap off only a few photos before the fawn slowly turned his back on us and slowly faded into the background.
What a wonderful way to start my day.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in animals, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, dawn, deer, fawn, Huntley Meadows Park, Odocoileus virginianus, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, white-tailed deer | 8 Comments »
July 20, 2015 by Mike Powell
I can’t help but wonder if Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) suffer from an inferiority complex, surrounded as they are by “Great” Blue Herons and “Great” Egrets.
Early Saturday morning, I spotted a small flock of these tiny birds at my local marsh in an area where the water levels were really low, revealing a muddy area with shallow pools of water that seemed perfect for these little wading birds. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, the Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird in the world, weighing in at about one ounce (28 grams) and measuring five to six inches long (13-15 cm).
I suspect that these Least Sandpipers are in the process of migration, probably eventually heading further south. At this time of the year we start to see all kinds of unusual birds that make brief stops at my local marshland on their way to more distant destinations.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Calidris minutilla, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Least Sandpiper, migrating shorebirds, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 8 Comments »
July 19, 2015 by Mike Powell
When a friend pointed toward a small pond and said he saw a bronze frog, I thought he was talking about a metal figurine. I had never even heard of bronze frogs and certainly had not seen one before.
Bronze Frogs (Rana clamitans clamitans) are a subspecies of the Green Frog (Rana clamitans) and I must confess that I really can’t tell them apart from the other subspecies, the Northern Green Frog (Rana clamitans melanota), because there is a significant amount of color variation.
Identification aside, I really like the way that this frog is surrounded by and partially covered with duckweed as he tries to stay cool on a hot day in July.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Amphibians, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, bronze frog, Canon 50D, frog, Huntley Meadows Park, Rana clamitans clamitans, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 7 Comments »
July 18, 2015 by Mike Powell
The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) was either really brave or really foolish chasing a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) across the sky early yesterday morning at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia.
I did manage to get a few other shots (below) in which the eagle’s wings are in more photogenic positions, but the blackbird is farther away from the eagle in each of them.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, Alexandria VA, Bald Eagle, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Huntley Meadows Park, red-winged blackbird, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 13 Comments »
July 17, 2015 by Mike Powell
What do adventurous young grasshoppers do for fun? Hopping may be ok for the average grasshopper, but this little guy prefers the adrenaline rush he feels when he scales the sheer face of a rocky cliff with no ropes or other climbing gear.
The truth is a little less exciting than my fiction. The angle was not as steep as it looks in the shot and the “rock” is actually a rotten log.
I still choose to believe that grasshoppers like a little adventure in their lives. Who knows what they do when we are not watching?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Humor, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, grasshopper, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 2 Comments »
July 16, 2015 by Mike Powell
Safe inside the confines of an enormous lily pad, this little frog calmly watched the crowds of people last weekend in Washington D.C. at the Lotus and Water Lily Festival at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.
You can’t help but noticed that this is not your average lily pad. I believe that it is a tropical variety that comes from the Amazon River basin of the genus Victoria, possibly Amazonica victoria. According to Wikipedia, the leaves of this species can grow as large as 10 feet in diameter (3 meters), although this one was probably less than three feet (one meter) in size. Clearly it had no problem supporting the weight of the little frog.
Readers who follow my photography know that I love to try to get in close to my subjects, irrespective of whether I am shooting with a telephoto lens or a macro lens, and this was no exception. There was a waist-high wire fence around the cement pond in which the water lilies were growing, so I had some limitations in framing my shots, but did manage to get this shot of the frog looking over the edge of lily pad.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Amphibians, Flowers, Gardening, Nature, Photography, Water Lilies | Tagged Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, frog, frog on a lily pad, genus Victoria, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, lily pad, Victoria amazonica, Washington D.C., water lily | 13 Comments »
July 15, 2015 by Mike Powell
Do you find yourself shooting the same subjects over and over? I often take repeated pictures of familiar subjects, knowing that the weather, the lighting conditions, the environment, and the subject’s pose will be different each time. Although I try to control the exposure, the framing, and the angle of view, I am sometimes pleasantly surprised at the results.
I don’t see Spangled Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula cyanea) very often, so I was happy to spot this beautiful male last week. The markings on the wings are so distinctive that it is pretty easy to identify a member of this species when I do come upon one. (The second shot gives a really good view of those markings.)
I like the way that the background turned out in these shots and I have captured pretty detailed images of a Spangled Skimmer. I am confident, though, that I will be snapping away again if I stumble across another one. Who knows what kind of a photo I might be able to capture the next time?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Libellula cyanea, Spangled Skimmer, Spangled Skimmer dragonfly, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 18 Comments »
July 14, 2015 by Mike Powell
When damselflies are connected in the tandem mating position, they are large enough to be noticed, especially when they fly right by me, as was the case this past Friday. They were pretty skittish, but I managed to get a couple of relatively clear shots.
My identification task was greatly eased by the fact that these were not one of the multiple blue species that inhabit my local marshland park—there was only a little blue on the tip of the male’s abdomen. Imagine my shock when I learned that these damselflies are Blue-tipped Dancers (Argia tibialis). In my experience, names generally are not that helpful when it comes to identification, but this is an obvious exception.
Sharp-eyed readers may notice that these damselflies look a bit like the one currently featured in the banner of my blog. That damselfly is a Violet Dancer, a subspecies of the Variable Dancer species (Argia fumipennis). Apparently damselflies do a lot of dancing!
If you are interested in seeing some photos and descriptions of the bluet family of damselflies at our local park, check out this recent posting by fellow blogger and photographer Walter Sanford entitled Blue for Bluets.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Alexandria VA, Argia tibialis, Blue-tipped Dancer, Blue-tipped Dancer damselfly, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 4 Comments »
July 13, 2015 by Mike Powell
My neighbor, fellow photographer Cindy Dyer, always has such cool-looking flowers in her garden, like these frilly day lilies. Somehow they remind me of the ruffled tux shirts that were in style in the 70’s when I was growing up.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, day lily, daylily, lily, Runnymeade, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 3 Comments »
July 13, 2015 by Mike Powell
This young male Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) let me get close enough to use my macro lens to good effect, but an intermittent light breeze caused him to sway back and forth, greatly increasing the challenge of getting sharp shots.
Halloween Pennants are spectacular dragonflies with their two-toned eyes and patterned wings. They almost always choose to perch at the very tip of flimsy branches and blades of grass and often do look like pennant blowing in the wind.
I included a shot of the entire body of this dragonfly to give you a full appreciation of its wildly wonderful wings.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Celithemis eponina, halloween pennant, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 17 Comments »
July 12, 2015 by Mike Powell
Yesterday I visited Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. for the annual Lotus and Water Lily Festival and I was thrilled to be able to get some of my favorite kind of dragonfly images—dragonflies perched on the buds of colorful flowers. Generally I manage to get shots only of the Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), but this time I was also able to get a shot of a Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) on a lotus flower bud.
Blue Dasher on purple water lily bud
Slaty Skimmer on lotus bud
Blue Dasher on water lily bud
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Dragonflies, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Libellula incesta, Pachydiplax longipennis, Slaty Skimmer, Slaty Skimmer dragonfly, Washington DC | 13 Comments »
July 11, 2015 by Mike Powell
Some movement in the muddy water right below my feet caught my attention yesterday as I was standing at the edge of a small stream at Huntley Meadows Park observing a dragonfly. A Six-spotted Fishing spider (Dolomedes triton) was walking on the water with its legs fully extended.
The other times that I seen one of these fishing spiders, they always had a few legs hanging onto the shore, but this one was moving across the surface of the water pretty quickly, perhaps chasing a potential prey. Unfortunately, overhanging vegetation prevented me from tracking the spider’s movement, so I don’t know if the hunt was successful.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Arachnids, Macro Photography, Nature, spiders, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Dolomedes triton, fishing spider, Huntley Meadows Park, Six-spotted Fishing Spider, Tamron 180mm macro lens, walking on water | 11 Comments »
July 10, 2015 by Mike Powell
Lotuses are gorgeous flowers when they are in bloom, but the lotus that really drew my attention was this bud that is just starting to open, full of hope and promise, clothed in a sense of mystery and expectation.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Canon 50D, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, lotus, lotus bud, Tamron 180mm macro lens, Washington D.C. | 4 Comments »
July 9, 2015 by Mike Powell
While I was at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. on Monday, it was easy to understand Monet’s endless fascination with water lilies. My opening image of a small wooden bridge brings to mind several of Monet’s paintings of the Japanese Bridge in his water garden at Giverny.
Water lilies seem to draw me in and surround me with an overwhelming sense of beauty and tranquility. How can I possibly capture that feeling in a photo? Here are a few images to show you some of the different approaches that I used in attempting to show the irresistible attraction of water lilies.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Art, Flowers, Inspiration, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Canon 50D, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Monet, Tamron 180mm macro lens, Washington D.C., water lilies | 5 Comments »
July 8, 2015 by Mike Powell
I was thrilled to capture a shot of a frog on a lily pad, but in her newest posting, fellow blogger Ginny Alfano features a whole variety of frogs, including an amazing shot of five little frogs perched on a single lily pad. Check it out!
Maple Flats
Fourth of July came and went quite uneventfully which is how we like it. As I was weeding my squash garden, I noticed some little tiny “frogs” that were the size of my pinky finger nail. I had seen them before, but wasn’t really sure what kind they were. Upon further study on Sunday, I realized that they are not frogs at all, but baby American Toads!! Just when I think I know so much about nature, I find that I don’t know anything at all. It’s a continual learning process. I think that’s why I love nature so much – it always keeps me thinking. So, following are a small collection of the frogs and toad I have come across in my area.
PICKEREL FROG – THE MASTER OF DISGUISE!
HIDING FROM PREY & SECRETLY LOOKING FOR FOOD
SPRING PEEPER – THE HARBINGER OF SPRING
BABY AMERICAN TOAD
MINK…
View original post 10 more words
Posted in Amphibians, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged frog, Ginny Alfano, lily pads, photography, toad | 3 Comments »
July 8, 2015 by Mike Powell
Dragonflies are colorful and flowers are colorful too, but it’s rare that I get to see the two of them together. I was thus thrilled when fellow photographer Cindy Dyer spotted a colorful Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) perching on a beautiful purple water lily during our recent trip to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in the District of Columbia.
I took some initial shots with the 180mm macro lens that I had on my camera at that moment, but wasn’t really able to fill the frame with my subject and the background was a little distracting. (The second photo below was one of those first shots and it does a pretty good job of highlighting the water lily, but the dragonfly is merely an added bonus.) I couldn’t physically move any closer, because the water lilies were in a cement pond, surrounded by a three foot high wire fence.
I decided to change to a longer lens, though I sincerely doubted that the dragonfly would stay in place. Almost all of the times that I have done a rapid lens change in the field, the subject has departed before I was ready to shot. In this case, however, I got lucky and the Blue Dasher held his perch long enough for me to get a few shots with my 70-300mm lens.
I simply love the color combination of the different shades of blue of the dragonfly and the purple and yellow of the water lily.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Dragonflies, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography | Tagged Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Pachydiplax longipennis, purple water lily, Tamron 180mm macro lens, Washington D.C., water lily | 7 Comments »
July 7, 2015 by Mike Powell
Like most guys, I have trouble remembering anniversaries, so it is a good thing that WordPress sent me a reminder that three years ago today I started my blog. I still recall my feelings of doubt and uncertainty when my mentor and muse Cindy Dyer sat me down in front of a computer and told me that I was starting a blog. We had just finished reviewing and editing some shots that I had taken earlier in the day at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. Cindy helped me through the mechanics of setting up the blog and shortly thereafter I made my first posting, Blue Dasher dragonfly.
Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I grew to look forward to writing the postings and taking photos to feature. As of right now, I’ve made 1638 postings and had 78743 views—that’s a lot of words and a lot of photos.
I was struck from the outset by the sense of community and mutual support that exists in the blogging world and there is a small group of fellow photographers with whom I feel a particular affinity, including Sue, Gary, Leanne, Ed, Lyle, Emily, Allen, and Chris. The amount of encouragement that I receive from them and countless others is overwhelming. Closer to home, Cindy continues to be a constant source of inspiration and instruction and Walter and I help to push each other as we explore remote areas of our favorite marshland park.
When I started this blog, I didn’t really think of myself as a photographer. I was taking a lot of photos and knew that I was improving, but there was a kind of psychological barrier that kept me from thinking in those terms. Now, I can confidently say that I am a photographer.
My journey into photography has been full of highlights, but two moments from 2014 really stand out. In November, I witnessed the rescue of a bald eagle at my local marsh and my photos and links to my blog posting were featured on the websites of several Washington D.C. media outlets, resulting in a total of 3344 views of my posting Rescue of an injured Bald Eagle. A short time before that incident, I was really honored when I was featured in an Introductions post by noted Australian photographer Leanne Cole.
If you have read this far, you may be wondering about my reference to “cannibals” in the title of this posting. What do cannibals have to do with my blog? Well, if I set aside the abnormally high number of views of my eagle rescue post, for the longest time my most popular post was one with the innocuous title of Fuzzy white caterpillar. There is not a whole lot special about the prose or the photos, but it has had 489 views to date.
Earlier this week the caterpillar was passed in the stats by my post Red-footed Cannibalfly, with 492 views to date—the cannibals have taken over the lead. As a guy, I feel happier that a more macho sounding insect is now leading the field of “normal” posts. As far as I can tell, the post’s popularity is a function of the search engines. The post was not particularly popular when it first appeared and has only 36 likes. Now, though, it even shows up on the first page of Google results if you type in “Red-footed Cannibalfly.”
So what’s ahead? I hope to be able to keep improving my writing and my photography. I have certain aspirational shots in my mind of different subjects or different locations.
Yesterday, when I was taking photos of water lilies with Cindy Dyer, I mentioned that I had always imagined taking a shot a frog on a lily pad, but had never even seen a frog perching on one. A short time later, Cindy excitedly pointed out a partially submerged frog on a lily pad and I managed to snap a couple of shots before he dove into the water. (Check out Cindy’s blog posting to see her beautiful shot of this frog.) Dreams do come true.
Thanks again to all my readers and supporters, whose encouragement has helped motivate and sustain me this past three years. I look forward to sharing my journey with my fellow travelers.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Birds, Blogging, Dragonflies, Insects, Inspiration, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, frog on a lily pad, Huntley Meadows Park, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens | 19 Comments »
July 7, 2015 by Mike Powell
Yesterday morning I made a quick trip to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. with fellow photographer Cindy Dyer to check out the water lilies and lotuses. Many of the pathways in the park are flooded or muddy, thanks to a significant amount of recent rain. Wet feet, however, were a small price to pay to see so many beautiful flowers, including the two spectacular pink water lilies that I am featuring today.
Stay tuned for more water lily and lotus images later this week.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, pink water lily, Tamron 180mm macro lens, Washington D.C., water lily | 2 Comments »
July 6, 2015 by Mike Powell
Everyone knows that Monarch butterflies love milkweed, but if you move in closer to the plants, you’ll discover a world of fascinating little creatures, like this Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) that I spotted this past weekend at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia.
Almost three years ago I did a posting in which I acknowledged that I had become obsessed with shooting Red Milkweed Beetles. This weekend I realized that that my initial fascination with my colorful little friends has not diminished much over time when I saw this beetle in a small stand of swamp milkweed. I’m not sure if it is the long antennae or the bold pattern or the bright color that attracts me most—I just know that I love seeing them in all of their developmental forms (they go through several interesting instars as they grow).
The next time you see some milkweed, stop for a moment, examine it closely, and prepare to enter a fascinating little world as the scent of the flowers envelops you.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Flowers, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, milkweed, red milkweed beetle, swamp milkweed, Tamron 180mm macro lens, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus | 1 Comment »
July 5, 2015 by Mike Powell
Photography seems so complicated when I worry too much about lighting, camera settings, and a myriad of other technical concerns. It’s nice sometimes to put those cares in the back of my mind and just shoot as I did yesterday—me, my camera, a bee, and a flower.
It can be that simple and that enjoyable.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Alexandria VA, bee, Canon 100mm macro lens, Canon 50D, purple coneflower, Runnymeade | 10 Comments »
July 4, 2015 by Mike Powell
As an American, I feel a special affinity for the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird and one of our most visible national symbols. Eight months ago, I was privileged to witness the rescue of an injured bald eagle at my local marshland park and captured some of the best photos that I have ever taken.
This photo, which appeared originally on 4 November last year, seems particularly appropriate today, reminding that our liberty requires constant vigilance and that brave men and women across the globe are on duty today safeguarding that freedom.
If you would like to see additional photos or learn more of the eagle rescue, check out my earlier posting. That posting has been my most popular one ever, thanks in part to the fact that several media outlets used my photos in their on-line coverage and provided links to my blog. Unfortunately, this story ended tragically and the eagle’s injuries turned out to be so severe that this majestic bird was euthanized.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Patriotism, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Bald Eagle, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Huntley Meadows Park | 4 Comments »
July 4, 2015 by Mike Powell
With patches of red, white, and blue, this Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) that I spotted earlier this week seems to be perfectly attired to celebrate Independence Day today here in the United States.
Happy Fourth of July!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Red Admiral, Red Admiral butterfly, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, Vanessa atalanta | 3 Comments »
July 3, 2015 by Mike Powell
Where do you find beauty in your daily life? I often feel a sense of awe and wonder when I simply contemplate the gorgeous flowers in the garden of my neighbors.
I think the white flowers are a variety of coneflowers and the purple sphere in the upper right corner is a globe thistle.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Macro Photography, Photography | Tagged Alexandria VA, beauty canon 50D, coneflower, globe thistle, Runnymeade, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 6 Comments »
July 2, 2015 by Mike Powell
A few years ago I probably would have misidentified this butterfly as a Monarch because of its coloration. Now, however, I can tell immediately that it is a Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus), because there is a black stripe across the hindwings that the Monarch lacks.
I spotted this beautiful little butterfly this past Monday as I was searching for dragonflies and other creatures in a remote area of Huntley Meadows Park, the marshland area where I take many of my photos. A significant number of the areas that I like to visit are at least partially flooded. The month of June that we just ended turned was the second most rainy June on record for the region (and the rain has continued into July).
As I take more and more photos, I keep learning more and more about my subjects as I try to figure out what I have shot. What amazes me is that I manage to retain some of that information and can use it to identify a subject, as I did in this case. It’s not that easy most of the time (at least for me).
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Limenitis archippus, monarch butterfly, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto, Viceroy, Viceroy butterfly | 8 Comments »
July 1, 2015 by Mike Powell
I was concentrating so intently on tracking this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in flight on Monday that I didn’t realize he was so close to me that I actually should have zoomed out a bit—the heron barely fit within the viewfinder.
Fill the frame with your subject? I can’t remember the last time that I was able to do so with a bird as the subject.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Great Blue Heron, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 10 Comments »
June 30, 2015 by Mike Powell
I’ve spent most of my life living in the suburbs, so domestic livestock is kind of a novelty for me. My eyes are particularly drawn to animals as striking as this horse with a “rock star” hair style that reminds me of the beautiful horses of Iceland that I have seen featured in numerous photo shoots.
This past weekend I traveled to a winery in rural Delaplane, Virginia for an engagement party. After a wonderful celebration, I stopped at an adjacent farm that had a petting zoo. I was immediately attracted to three horses in the field that had long flowing manes blowing in the breeze. The horses walked right towards me and initially I thought they anticipated that I might have food. When they got closer, I realized that I was standing right behind a pile of hay that had been placed in the field and they more or less ignored me and munched on the hay.
I had a 24-105mm lens on my camera and ended up taking most of my shots at close range using the wide end of the lens. This was the first time that I have ever taken photos of an animal with anything other than a telephoto lens and I was happy with the results. I remember seeing some close-up photos a year or two ago that a blogger had taken of a buffalo using a wide-angle lens and thinking it would be interesting to try something like that. Unlike the buffalo shooter, though, I did not have to shoot from inside of a vehicle.
I don’t know anything about horse breeds, but these small, stocky horses with the incredible flowing hair reminded me of images that I have seen of the horses of Iceland. My dear friend and photographic mentor Cindy Dyer made a trip to Iceland last year and came back with some amazing photos, including this posting with a similar horse, although it is quite literally a horse of a different color.
Cindy has talked with me and a few fellow photographers about possibly traveling to Iceland next year. I would love to have the chance to experience firsthand the wondrous natural beauty of Iceland and to see more beautiful horses with “rock star” hair.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in animals, Photography, Portraits, Summer | Tagged Canon 24-105mm lens, Canon 50D, Delaplane Virginia, horse, Iceland, pony, rock star hair | 6 Comments »
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Mike Powell 