Fitness

I work out every day using an exercise regimen I have named photoga. It involves various awkward poses that must be held for varying lengths of time in order to take pictures of bugs. Mostly the poses are bends, but there are a lot of squats, and some stretches, and occasionally standing on one leg. Balance is important, as is core strength–the monopod can't really support weight, so you have to support yourself. If you don't, you could end up in a thorn bush. Breath control is also very important, to help keep the camera steady, and to avoid fogging up the lens (which is really only an issue in certain kinds of weather). Keeping the camera steady and not scaring away the photographic subject are the two most important skills in photoga. I cross train with some light weight lifting, carrying the camera attached to the monopod, and doing many reps of lifting the combined apparatus. It is a pretty intense workout sometimes, and even on cool days it works up a sweat.

I only had about half an hour to do a bug walk today, and I think the result reflect that. Well, they don't really reflect what I saw–there were a lot of bugs around, but they were enjoying the hot weather and going about feeding on the goldenrod with great vigor. I am the opposite of an insect: they are more energetic when it's warm, and are sluggish when it's cold. I am slow and droopy when it's warm, and much more invigorated when it's cool. All of us prefer the sunshine, though, and it was great to finally be able to take pictures the last two days with my camera set for bright light, after spending the rest of the week in gloom.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

 Wasp

Other Bugs:

 These fall webworms are everywhere.

 I know this doesn't look like an insect, but there is an insect inside there, a tiny caterpillar that made this pupal case out of a bit of a leaf. It is now the time of year when I will find these dangling from trees. Occasionally I will get a glimpse of one of the caterpillars inside.

 Brown hooded owlet moth caterpillar. It has eaten almost all of the flowers off of this stalk of goldenrod.

A chrysalis between two leaves. One of the really weird things about chrysalides is that they are reactive–they can move when agitated. This one flipped over in its little leaf enclosure when I was trying to get a good look at it.

Here's kind of a weird thing I found, a dead moth upside down in the goldenrod. I thought it was probably in the grips of a predatory insect or spider, but no, it was just a dead moth.

Arachnid Appreciation:
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An spider that is annoyed because I just accidentally broke its web. Sorry.