Kansas Wildlife

Spring 2014

2014 Calendar

Hey All, these are the potential shots for the 2014 Calendar.

Waterton Lakes National Park

I recently was blessed to go hiking with my wife and a couple friends in Waterton Lakes National Park. It was a wonderful time. Please enjoy these shots that do not do the beautiful views justice. To God be the glory.

Iridescence?

We have all seen it before. The beautiful shifting color of iridescent objects. To those who haven't seen it, do the dishes for once and look at the soap bubbles. I feel sorry for your mother. In any case, what causes it? Is it magical? Like unicorns, which actually aren't magical, they just evolved into narwhals. It is in fact a quite complicated process that even after reading several peer reviewed Wikipedia articles, I am still a bit confused. However, the basics of iridescence is quite simple. 

For those of you who are in a hurry, I will explain the gist of iridescence quickly. Two thin films, very thinly separated on the iridescent surface reflect the light back, but slightly differently than each other, due to their difference in distance and reflection qualities, thereby making different colors depending on which angle you look at them. This is seen better in the fly above than the peacock feathers below.
If you didn't quite follow that, or just want more details, or are simply bored and don't think that you have anything better to do with your life, then read on. Anyone who has taken physics learns that color is made by light interacting with something that changes it. By absorbing some light and reflecting others, pigments like the melanin in your skin create a brownish look, or change the angle/wavelength of the light, such as in a rainbow. These two types of color are known as pigment and structural coloration. Interestingly enough, both these qualities are seen in peacock feathers; as melanin gives the brownish color and structural coloration does the rest. Structural coloration is what causes iridescence. The light comes into the first film, some is reflected back, while other light continues on through to the second layer (by the way there can be more than two layers) and then is reflected back differently than the first. The two ways that this happens is by phase shift and interference. These are the two things that I have trouble understanding and do not feel like I should be tainting minds with poor understanding. If you can comprehend those things, feel free to fill the rest in. Also, if I have something wrong in this article, please also tell me. I am trying to learn by doing this too, while pointing to the glory of God. 

Insects are Cool

Sometime when you are bored, take a second to actually look closely at things. Today for example are insects and the patterns that they have. The monarchs wings are easy to appreciate as they are wonderfully colorful and vivid with striking lines running through. A sweat flies, or hover flies, are not quite as impressive. Even so, check out the pattern on its abdomen. Isn't that sweet? In any case, enjoy. Hannah took the one of the fly!

Autumn Lacewing

Webs

ISO 800, 183mm, f/4.5, 1/80 sec, 

ISO 800, 200mm, f/4.5, 1/80 sec

ISO 800, 183mm, f/4.5, 1/80

ISO 800, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec

ISO 800, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/250th sec

Pest 2?

Hairier fella's than you might think.

Pest?

Feel free to click on any of the shots to expand them. It amazes me how light can come all the way from the sun, bounce off an ant or flowers, though a few lenses and hit a small sensor to create an incredibly detailed image of something we can't even see with out naked eyes. Crazy.

Zebra Swallowtail

Favorite butterfly. Saw this chap in Utah but we also see them up in the midwest as well. If you want to shoot butterflies up close, get yourself a extra-large set of patience and a telephoto lens that can shoot macro. Butterflies tend to be very flitsy and do not hold stiff for long so shooting on a repeating mode can be very helpful, as will the distance you maintain with the telephoto lens be as well. Most importantly though, you need patience. I have been trying for years, that is not an exaggeration, to get a shot of a zebra swallowtail and have not been successful till this one. In the end of it all, get out and shoot, be patient and keep trying to get the shot you want. It will be worth the effort (just not right away).