"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
This golden tortoise beetle (not golden during this photo shoot) was found during an insect survey that some WGNSS members participated in at the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center.
I had a great time introducing some photographer friends of mine to one of my favorite places in the state, Vilander Bluff. With the largest bluffs on the Meramec River, to get the type of view seen here requires a little bit of effort. Dave and I put in some work in finding this new-to-me perspective that was well worth the bit of effort and risk. Next time we’ll need to bring climbing ropes…
A trip to Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary last weekend paid off. I crossed paths with this juvenile Merlin, my first of this season, three different times. In this instance I had my camera prepared. He kindly perched long enough that I could swap for the 2X teleconverter. I think the 2X performed pretty well in this perfect light, but heat distortion was a major problem on this cool but sunny day.
Many thanks to Casey Galvin tracking this one down and to the property owners allowing us access.
I only managed to photograph one of the Spiranthes this year. I had opportunities for others, but I just couldn’t get to the right place at the right time. Good news is that it shouldn’t be too difficult to add them next year.
A bit closer really shows off the delicate details in flower and twisting stem.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 