CalArti

In late May the insect photography season gets back into gear, and warm weather brings out the first opportunities for serious insect photography. I set aside most of the day Friday for what I hoped would be one of the first serious insect photography sessions of the summer. Unfortunately, the warm and dry weather of the prior week gave way as a cold front came through, an Thursday night brought a steady rain that continued into the next morning, along with markedly cooler temperatures.

The rain let up as I neared the Allegan forest, and as I headed out into the fields the skies were clearing.

My goal was to find and photograph some of the 17 year cicada that are set to emerge this summer. I had seen the cicada brook in Washington DC a few years ago, and hoped to see a similar show here in Michigan this summer.

I did not have any luck with the cicadas – perhaps they have not yet emerged, though in some fields there was a continuous drone of cricket like chirping that may have been the cicadas. Hopefully the next few weeks will bring a chance to actually see these insects.
The fairly cool temperatures and gusty breezes made the day less productive than I hoped. There were lots of damselflies along swan creek, and I spotted one completely unknown insect flitting along the edge of the creek (which is actually a pretty wide lake at that point.) It was flying though a large patch of poison ivy, but I till managed to get a few shots of it (and thankfully avoided exposure to the poison ivy!)

The best shots of the day cam from along Swan Creek. Afterwards I visited several areas near the Kalamazoo River, and then back to the favorite field off 48th street. A Plains Clubtail was a new find for me, but aside from it there were few other active insects – though the spicebush and tiger swallowtails are just starting to emerge, and I spotted my first mature male white tail and mature 12 spotteed skimmers of the year.

The lupine was flourishing and seemed to be everywhere in the woods – which should make for a good brood of Karner Blues. The wild strawberries were also in bloom, and feral irises poke up at some locations. In a few weeks the coreopsis should be out in force, and the insects should be more abundant.

As always, the full collection of the day's shots can be found in the Image Stream.