Some Hikes With My Macro Lens: An Insects View Of Summer

It was a beautiful Fourth of July weekend here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, cooler and less humid, with a refreshing breeze and plenty of sunshine.  Perfect for the picnics and fireworks.  Also great weather for hiking and checking the wild mushrooms and blueberries or, as we call them ‘huckleberries”. 

I decided to take my  macro lens on my hikes, hoping to find some insects and dragonflies, during my search for the berries and mushrooms. .  I think the cool Spring hurt the low bush blueberry crop. There were not too many to be found.  The high bush blueberries or ‘swampers’ were plentiful and  were just beginning to ripen. They should be abundant  in a few weeks.

The ‘swamper’ blueberries get there  name since they grow in or near water and where there is water, there are insects, especially dragonflies. They are now darting just about everywhere there is even the smallest pond or  swamp. 

I love watching these  most ancient  insects. They  predated the dinosaurs.  They are very territorial and are constantly chasing other dragonflies, and even humans, from their territory. 

There were many other insects visiting the flowering thistle, milkweed and other wildflowers. Some were as common as the wasps, yellow jackets and bees. 

Others were far more exotic ones I have never seen before, like this beatle. . 

it is amazing the variety of life that exit in our area which we never notice unless we take the time to look. 

And when you find insects there are spider like this one that I lured out on it’s web by dropping some bits of leaf. 

On one of my hikes I heard the shrill cry of a kill deer. It’s amazing how the blend into the background. Try and find it in this photograph . It isn’t easy. 

These birds often lay their eggs in the open ground and when you near their nest the pretend to have a broken wing and try to lead you away from the nest. This one, thinking I was a predator, pulled this deception on me. Here is a link to a you tube video. https://youtu.be/ZuxSyc5z1Vs  Her nest must have been in the area I was walking so, after taking the video, I left her alone. Here is a link to some more photographs of the killdeer. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/kill-deer-july-2-2016-1

We had some rain last week and I was hoping to find some of the early miler mushrooms. No luck but I did find a number of different species starting to pop up. Hopefully, with the rain we are expecting tonight there will be a lot more growing, including some of the edible species I pick. Here is a link to some more of the mushrooms I found on my hike. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/macro-hikes-mushroom-july-2-2016

Besides the blueberries I also saw some other plants setting fruit which we will enjoy over the next few months, such as these blackberries .

And these grapes.  Here is a link to some more of the plants and young fruits i saw on my hike. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/macro-hike-plants-and-fruits-june-30-july-4-2016

On one of my walks, I came upon some tiny newly hatched fish darting about. I never seen  them this small before

And, unfortunately, I also encountered way too many of these pest. I must have pulled five ticks off me on my hikes. But they must have a purpose too. 

And as beautiful as the world looked up close on my hikes, the scenery of the July woods on these clear and cool days was just as spectacular.  There is just so much to see and do  this time of year. I love  the Summer.  Here is a link to some more photographs from my hike. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/macro-walks-insects-june-30-july-4-2016

~ The camera doesn’t make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE. – Ernst Haas