I am always amazed at the acceleration, so it seems anyway, of time. June passed so quickly. We just ended our second heat wave of 2021 (not nearly as awful and deadly as that which the Northwest recently experienced) and the way things are going there will likely be another few before summer winds down. And then winter will be upon us before we know it. But now, amidst summer’s heat and sunny days, the insects are starting to become more numerous in the yard and I’ll share two from the last couple of days.
This female Common Whitetail – Plathemis lydia appeared to like the slate in our front yard walkway. I couldn’t get as close as I would have liked with the 100 macro but was still able to get a nice full frame. The flash brightened the normally medium gray slate to a brighter hue but I like the way it came out. Every time I tried to move around for a head on shot she took off but kept returning although never facing me.
Here’s your pronunciation challenge for the day…Hollow-spotted Blepharomastix-Blepharomastix ranalis. Actually not as daunting as it looks if you take it a syllable at a time. As you can see, the wall of my garage where this moth rested needs some cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. Someday.
Hello July!
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Beautiful captures, Steve! And the pronunciation test worked… Happy to say we have many insects here too now as the summer is warm and dry.
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There are one or two insects I am not happy with but for the most part am always excited when they return. Thank you, Ann-Christine!
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Me too
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A glance at the first picture had me wondering if the shadows were from flash rather than sunlight; your words soon answered the question. Yesterday I mused to myself, as you did here, about being half-way through the calendar year already. Now I’m wondering what’s renal, i.e. kidneyish, about the second moth.
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Probably nothing…I typed the species name incorrectly and have since corrected it. Thanks for making me aware. Most of my insect images are taken in the yard hand held so flashed. Elsewhere I generally am on the tripod with natural light.
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So frustrating when nature’s creatures won’t pose properly for you.
As for heat, our weather patterns are upside down these days with a warming planet. As you know, we live in a desert environment out here in west Texas, and yesterday our high temp was only 77 degrees, and the day before our high was only 68…and June is always our hottest month here…and to top it off, the highway north of town just washed out from flooding.
Good Grief, Charlie Brown.
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We are in the midst of some serious changes to our environment. Many think our survival as a species, along with many others, is in peril. I don’t want to be too pessimistic but some of the changes we are seeing is a little gloomy for the future.
Yup. They just don’t seem to understand we photographers love them and mean no harm.
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Great macros, Steve. Summer is getting on, isn’t it? The days are a-flyin!
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It seemed like Spring was just getting started and boom! it’s July “and the livin’ is easy”…or something like that. 🙂 Thanks, Eliza!
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Great photos taken in the heatwave, Steve! Perhaps these lovely insects love the heat and let you come closer than usual. The town of Lytton in BC had to be evacuated. The temperature had risen yesterday to an all-time high of 120 degrees F.
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Thanks, Peter! I do believe they like the heat more than we do.
That kind of heat is unprecedented in your area I believe. The climate is changing whether some agree or not and we likely will have to adapt to new extremes.
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Very Nice Steve! Wow, I have trouble even reading it !!
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It’s bad enough when the scientific name is a challenge but then they use it in the common and we don’t get a break. 🙂
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We love our insects, and these two photos highlight both beautiful creatures nicely, Steve.
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I am glad that you appreciate their beauty too, Jet. Too many fear them or think they are ugly but just let us try to survive without them, right? 🙂 Thanks!
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You didn’t have to say that about the wall – it seems an intentionally mottled look – and the slate, yes, it’s beautiful! OK, the Whitetail and moth are very nice, too. 😉
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Thanks, Lynn. Well, you should have seen the wall before Spot Healing took place. 🙂 I was surprised by the slate’s color and those creamy spots.
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Perfect portraits.
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Thanks, Mike!
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You’re welcome. Sorry to be so late to reply.
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Wishing you more insects but less heat for July, Steve!
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Thanks, Tanja! July is usually our hottest month so we’ll see. I expect more hot weather.
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😦
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That’s an excellent wish so I’ll echo it! And the summer is passing too quickly for me too, it always does!
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Thanks, Ann! We’ve had a couple of heat waves (three or more days over 90°F, already but I think there is still plenty of summer left. I am seeing more and more insects daily now. Time goes by quickly at any season now it seems. Must have something to do with age. 🙂
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Oh, yes…but I do wish we could slow time down a bit!
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Lovely photos, Steve. Summer is sure going fast, fleeting before us. Summer is a life time to some of these critters … and I wonder what their sense of time is …
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For some just a day is a lifetime like a Mayfly.. I guess the sense is all relative to the experience…assuming they are able to give it some thought. I personally think we are not the only ones capable of thinking about what is happening around us. Thanks, Pete!
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I’ve come to appreciate sidewalks and boardwalks as backgrounds for dragonflies. Sometimes the patterns in their wings show up better against something like your slate. The moth is a pretty one; I especially like the fringe around the edge of the wings. Why are they called ‘hollow-spotted’? I looked around, but couldn’t find an explanation. I wondered if the two ‘rings’ on their wings might be the ‘hollow spots’ that gave the name.
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Many moths have a fringe at the edge of the wings, some more pronounced. I couldn’t find an explanation either so guessed the same as you. Hollow-spotted sounds better than doughnut-winged. 🙂 While I do agree a solidish background allows the pattern of the wings to be better appreciated I am always hoping for natural backgrounds and other inclusions in a composition.
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