Big Momma (& others)

[Austin Greene]

Hey all,

Had another photo-walk today now that final exams are over. I needed to de-stress. Anyways, it was bit windy so not too many critters were out. That said, I managed to snap off a few. Hope you enjoy them, comments are always welcome

1. Big Momma

Big Momma by TogaLive, on Flickr

Backstory: Pipevine Swallowtail are all over the UCD Arboretum right now. The buggers are finicky as hell, and you can't get close to them. This one surprised me by sitting on the ground just long enough for me to snap off a shot, roughly 30 seconds. The image is entirely un-cropped. Unfortunately I got some flare from the way I had my flash angled off camera, did my best to eliminate it in post. Turns out it was a big momma laying some eggs!

2. Her eggs, less than a minute old! Not looking to create art here, just documenting it.

Pipevine Swallowtail Eggs by TogaLive, on Flickr

3. Sticky Situation

Sticky Situation by TogaLive, on Flickr

I also found some neat unknown beetles which seemed to exclusively hang out inside California Poppy. They would roll around in the pollen (literally) and were a blast to watch fool around. Nothing fancy about the shot.

4. Messenger

Messenger by TogaLive, on Flickr

More about the transfer of pollen than any real message. I enjoyed the thought of the little guy peeking over the edge, eyeing all the pollen below of an unexplored flower.


Anyways, mostly just shots while I fooled around trying to de-stress. Nothing profound, though watching that Pipevine pump out her eggs while I sat there and watched was a blast!

Toga


All images taken with the 6D + 50 f/1.8 on 49mm cheapy tubes