Prairie warbler
This prairie warbler (Dendroica discolor) spent part of a summer at Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area in eastern Iowa calling unsuccessfully for a mate. He was very active but patience and a 500mm lens paid off with a number of good images including this view of his subtly decorated back. He also perched for a portrait on a “pretty” poison ivy vine.
Dewdrop refraction
We make these images on cool still mornings when there is heavy dew on native grasses and native flowers about 8 to 12 inches behind the grass stem or leaf. The drops become fish-eye lenses refracting the flowers which are far enough back to provide the out-of-focus color. The plants must be very still and the light diffuse.
Male ornate box turtle
Ornate box turtles (Terrapine ornata) are a threatened species here in Iowa. A biologist friend and his students studied the turtles for several years on a sandy area near the Iowa River. This handsome male was one they captured and marked to identify if and when he was recaptured.
Photographs from Deep Nature: Photographs from Iowa
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