lloydslensphotographyllc

Blue Skies And Iron Ribbons Ahead

Color Photography, Prints Available From Lloyd's Lens Photography

The warm summer air flows through the cab of my big blue truck as I wind my way through the Appalachian Mountains. I have been taking an alternate route to my day job due to construction and while it adds a few minutes to my commute the change of scenery has been pleasant. A few mornings ago I happened to leave with enough time to diverge from the main road and enjoy a few minutes of peace near the tracks. The birds are still having their morning chorus and the traffic was light enough to give me that sense of solitude my spirit craves so often. Most of the spring flowers are gone and the fall flowers are just getting started here. Even though there are houses just on the other side of the trees the feeling that I get is that the world has been abandoned.

I gaze along the tracks which beckon me forward into an unending journey as they seem disappear into the forest. The morning mist still givers above the trees in contrast to the flawless blue sky. I’m torn between the desire to sprout wings and rise into the deep blue eternity above the trees and the desire to follow the iron ribbons that stretch out before me. Being an earthbound soul the later choice wins by default. However, the tracks will have to wait for another day. Not only am I bound to the stone and clay beneath my feet but I am also tied to the ticking of a clock. One last gaze into the serene and I must climb back up into the big blue truck and begin to head back into the city.

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The Spicebush Swallowtail Finally Makes It’s Appearance

Color Photography

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Spicebush Swallowtail On Cardinal Flower 1”. All of the photos are my original work and are available as prints by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I pulled into the parking lot of the little park at Kanawha Falls in my way home. I have been looking for the Spicebush Swallowtail all summer and I was beginning to think that I would strike out this season. I worried that I had jinxed myself by making a commitment back in the Spring. I knew that I would find something interesting to shoot in this spot and was actually trying to get some more ducks for my Things Are Just Ducky series so that I could expand the tales of George the mallard and his friends. But the ducks were all on the other side of the river.

Then I noticed the bright red spires of the Cardinal flower. These are also called Indian Paintbrush locally and they’re members of the Bellflower family and are sold as ornamental plants. I have a few pictures of them but they’re interesting to look at so I thought that a few more would be a good idea. As I stepped into the shade of the oaks I could see a dark spot fluttering around the bushes. Okay I thought. Another butterfly of any kind will add interest to the image. Raising the lens and zooming in as tightly as I could yielded a picture but the flash wasn’t really strong enough to reach out and freeze the wings.

Image Title: “Life In Motion”. Butterflies “groom” the flowers that they feed on. The fluttering of the forewings causes the flowers to sweeten their nectar.

The combination of the low light and extreme zoom didn’t quite hit the mark but it produced an interesting picture. The butterfly would only be there for a moment so tried to close the gap as quickly as possible. Unfortunately I started it and it disappeared into the forest. I tucked the camera back into its bag. Once I got the card into my laptop and pulled up the image I saw that pattern that I’ve been obsessed with all summer. The hind wings have a blue moon shape and a single row of cream colored dots along the margin. But this was a dorsal view and the main identifying mark was on the other side of the wing. I would be going back to that spot.

Over the next few days I stopped by looking for the Spicebush Swallowtail. I was certain that it was a female by the blue marks on it’s hind wings. The male has more of a greenish color leading the name of “Green Clouded Butterfly”.

Image Title: “Female Spicebush Swallowtail Feeding On Cardinal Flower”. The image gives us a clear view of the light blue marks on it’s hind wings.

The feature image came from the second encounter. This time she didn’t really seem to be bothered by presence. She even let me get a good shot of the blue chevron on the underside of the hind wings that is the identifying mark of the Spicebush Swallowtail.

Image Title: “Butterfly Peek-A-boo”. The third orange dot from the right is replaced by a blue chevron. Only the Spicebush Swallowtail has this mark.

The butterfly gets it’s name from hosting mainly on the Spicebush tree. I’ll be talking about the tree itself in an upcoming Forage Friday post but in short it’s another source for lemon flavored tea. Like the other Swallowtail Butterflies the Spicebush Swallowtail catipiller mimics the head of a snake. It even has a special organ that is forked and it can flick out to look like a snake’s tongue. I have not encountered a Spicebush Catipiller yet but as soon as I do I’ll be posting pictures and writing about the lifecycle of the butterfly larvae.

The main lesson I gained from my summer searching for a supposedly common butterfly that managed to elude me for months was that persistence pays off. The person who said that nothing is easy sure got it right but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

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Summer Rain On Three Rivers.

Color Photography

Tall clouds tower above the steep hills in the three rivers area. Mists raise up from the moss covered forest to meet the oncoming rain. The frogs start to sing as the first drops hit the leaves. The rain is steady but the wind is calm.

Looking out over the Kanawha River and listening to the approach of the rain brings back the memories of a simpler time in a mobile home. Whenever the summer rain came in from the West I would listen to droplets hitting the metal roof. It always started slowly. You could tell what part of the roof the drops would hit by the pitch of the tinkling. Deeper notes came from the central peak of the arch. The higher pitch sound came from the edge and the bell like ringing came from the cap of the stove pipe. Eventually they blended together in a crescendo that would drown out everything. The white noise made the perfect environment for deep sleep. I would lay down and it seemed like I slept so deep that I wouldn’t notice how much time had passed. The next morning the air smelled clean and we would go out and play on the temporary creeks that formed as the water made it’s way to the sea. There was always time to splash in puddles and try to catch salamanders that came out to enjoy the wet conditions.

A large drop of water hits the roof of the big blue truck and splashes onto the back of my neck which brings me back to the present. The leading edge of the downpour is now on my side of the falls and it’s time to get back to the shelter of my own piece of the mountains.

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Tank The Turtle And The Call Of Wild

Color Photography, wildlife

Tank The Turtle lumbered through his tiny jungle of grass. He looked around and stretched his neck out as far as he could. The sunbeam had landed in just the right spot for him to warm up and knock off the chill from the night air. As the sun’s rays began to wash over him Tank felt a connection to his ancient ancestors. In his mind he was a living dinosaur! He just knew that his bloodlines included the mighty Ankylosaurs! Tank swished his stubby tail back and forth as he imagined that it had the hammer-like bulb that could smash any predators.

Tank envisioned himself plowing through the underbrush like a bulldozer. He felt the call of the Jurassic welling up inside him and opened his mouth to let go with a roar worthy of the dinosaurs! But all that came out was the hiss of a box turtle. Tank sank back into his shell for a moment. He was embarrassed by getting carried away and making a public spectical of himself. He only hoped that George the mallard hadn’t witnessed this. He knew that George would probably tease him a bit. Tank slowly poked his head out of his shell with one eye open. He was in luck. The ducks were all on the other end of lake.

By now the sunbeam had moved deeper into the bushes and was no longer warming Tank’s shell. Tank scooted across the road as fast as his stubby turtle legs would take him. He slid over the bank and down into the water where he floated a short way to the large flat rock. There he could sun himself most of day. Just as he settled into place he felt the presence of another box turtle. He wrenched his neck around to see who was there and was awestruck by the most beautiful girl turtle that he’d ever seen. Her shell glistened in the morning sun. She smiled as she nestled down next to him. “I’ve never seen a more impressive display than the one that you just had.” She said. Tank began to feel red all over. He was trying very hard not blush. Had she seen the embarrassing attempt to roar? The girl turtle continued to speak. ” You crossed the road like a champ. I didn’t know that our kind could move that fast!” In truth, Tank didn’t move very fast at all. Crossing the single lane road took at least ten minutes but in the turtle realm that was downright Olympian! Tank relaxed a little and thanked her for the compliment. As they talked they found out that they actually had a lot in common.

As the days went on the two turtles met on the rock every morning. Eventually they fell in love and lived the rest of their lives together. At the birth of their first brood she peeked out of the nest and caught Tank “roaring with his ancestors.” It was endearing to her as she recalled the first time she’d spotted him in the sunbeam.

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I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

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Forage Friday #19 Sumac

Color Photography, Forage Friday

Stag Horn Sumac 61319 — Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Staghorn Sumac 61319” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Safety Note ⚠️ This article is about Rhus Typhina or Staghorn Sumac which has a toxic look-alike Toxicodendron Vernix. Staghorn Sumac is a member of the Cashew family and to the best of my knowledge it should be avoided by anyone who is allergic to Cashew nuts and probably people who are allergic to nuts in general.

I suppose that my first experience with Staghorn Sumac was due to a sore throat. I’d been told by several people about how awesome a medicinal tea made from the Sumac berries was. I had a fever and didn’t really feel like doing anything at all. However, I mustered up enough strength to ease my truck up to a sumac tree and snap off a few of the berry clusters by reaching out of the window and collecting what was at hand. Once I had a plastic bag full of cluster I put a pot of water on to boil and simmered a single cluster until I felt like it was ready. I had prepared a cup ahead of time by guessing at the right amount of honey to sweeten the concoction. I was smart enough to remember that the little bristles that coat each berry would make me gag and so I filtered the pink liquid multiple times. I was told that the tea had a very pleasant lemon flavor and that it would be like drinking hot lemonade. My first impression was somewhat disappointing to say the least. In fact it was downright awful. The lemon was overpowered by the astringency of the tannic acids in the mix. In those days there was no internet so I began to pour over the books as I poured out my failed attempt. My mouth was so puckered that I was locked into what seemed to be a permanent whistle. After double checking the resources I figured out that I had made two rookie mistakes. I had failed to remove the berries from the stem and I had been way to aggressive with my heat. After correcting those issues the second batch turned out spectacular! While I can’t comment on the effectiveness of the tea as a medicinal tea I can say that hot, pink lemonade was a great description of the flavor. In fact it was good enough to just to enjoy on a cool fall day.

Aside from an awesome tea made from the berries the leaves have an interesting history. We all know that tobacco was an important part of pre-columbian culture in North America but the tobacco plant itself was seldom used alone. It was part of a mix called “Kinnikinnick” which included a variety of leaves including Staghorn Sumac. In the Fall Staghorn Sumac leaves turn a blood red. And that was the only time that they were collected. They were mixed with the tobacco to mellow the flavor of the smoke. But there was something else. The deep red Sumac leaves are said to cause vivid dreams. I have not tried this myself so I can’t really confirm the dreams.

The flowers are actually what is pictured above. Honeybees absolutely love the Sumac flowers! The one pictured is close to my day job and there’s times when I hear the bees from across the parking lot.

I think that the last little tid-bit that I have tonight is that the branches have a very soft pith and is traditionally used to make taps for maple syrup production.

Have you ever tried Sumac? Let me know in the comments. 😊

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