The Wee World Of Nature

From my youth, I have always been intrigued by those things which lie beyond our normal range of vision, though in some instances a small number of them do lie within that range and are just barely perceptible to our eyes.

It is a comfortable spring morning, early it is, as I walk down the trail through the woodlands behind my home. With the exception of a song bird or two, all is quiet enough for me to hear the crickets still chirping among the wet leaves and grasses in the early morning, as I approach the small meadow below.

A faint smell catches my senses as I stop here and there to observe closely all that is around me, I know in an instant what that smell is, it is the fragrance of the Wild Rose which grows among the Alders, along the banks of a small creek that runs through the meadow.

Some roses have already opened while others are just beginning to, like the one in the photograph above, the mornings dew just beginning to fade away from the thirsty bud.

There are so many things for to see this time of the morning. Most insects are lazily moving about, awaiting for the temperatures to rise a bit, before going on about their ways. Early morning is a good time to observe these things, insects that is, as they are less sensitive to that which may be around them in the dim light of the dawn. Once the sun is up and all that is around them becomes more illuminated, they are more aware of the changes in the contrasting light around them and insects for the most part will gingerly fly away.

This Fruit fly for example is taking its time, soaking up the mornings dew from the leaves of a Yellow Poplar that it is resting on.

Another shot of the Fruit fly, that you may see it better.  This little fly was only a few millimeters in size.  One really would not have noticed it unless they were especially looking for things that are, well…really small.  A good dedicated macro lens is necessary for photography such as this and it opens up a whole new arena for some photographers, both amateur and professional as well, I would assume.  Not to advocate photomacrography, to say that everyone should be doing it, we are best at what we love or enjoy photographing the most.  However if one should find themselves at a loss for subject matter, the small world beneath our noses, does have a great and vast array of subjects to chose from and if one should chose to research them, they might find themselves learning something about the world around them as well and pick up, marginally, on a second language, Latin!

Though this is not well seen, I thought that I would include it anyway.  This little unsightly creature, maybe 5 mm at the most in length, will soon become a colorful Lady Bug or Lady Bird for some of you.  This is the larva of the tiny insect and it, like the adult, is most benefical to have in ones rose beds, or vegetable garden, as they consume the annoying aphid that spreads plant viruses with its piercing rostrum or beak, sucking the sap from the plant on which it happens to be residing on.  These insects are exceptionally good biological control agents for or against certain insect pests.

Though not my most favorite of subjects, as some of you know, I for some reason cannot help but to photograph spiders.  Now this may seem odd for someone who is an arachniphobe but these creepy eight legged creatures are remarkable.  I found this little spider crawling about on the leaves of a weed, maybe “Cats-paw,” I am not sure at this time but none the less it was, I am assuming, looking for breakfast this spring morning.  Aphids are in abundance I noted as I walked along and for the size of this little spider, it and the Lady Bugs should have no problem finding something to dine upon.

There are a few more things that I photographed as I took my early morning spring walk and those I may post in the Pictures forum later on.  For those who may be on a tight budget and cannot afford to purchase a dedicated lens for photomacrography, might I suggest a inexpensive screw-on type close up lens.  Good ones that are color corrected can be purchased for five times less than the cost of a dedicated macro lens and are good for entry level work.  Another good and inexpensive idea is to purchase a 25mm extension tube or a set of extension tubes.  I have seen an abundance of remarkable images taken by using these “tubes,” which can turn most any lens into a macro lens.  Good shooting…!

So... what do you think? Please leave me a comment.