Build me up Buttercup

What can be more uplifting than a flower meadow in bloom in early June?

This meadow is just next to the spot where we were looking for yellow-bellied toads the other day. Walking through it took me back to my untroubled childhood days, when we were spending all day picking flowers and lying in the grass watching insects buzzing around.

These meadows are pretty rare nowadays, despite some efforts to re-establish plant diversity in urban areas. My heart jumped to find myself standing right in it. Immediately, I could identify dozens of species of flowers and grasses. Friendly buttercups, probably Ranunculus acris, dominated the view.

The beauty of the meadow was even more striking when I dived into it and took closer looks at the single blossoms and blades of grass. I switched to a macro lens, but the wind made it really difficult to keep the swaying buttercups in focus. Somehow I was able to take some nice shots, though.

One might think that a meadow like that with all its diversity and huge supply of nectar and pollen should be buzzing with instect life. Oddly, it was strangly quiet that day. Just the wind created ripples and waves moving through the field and we spotted just single butterflies, bees and beetles every now and then. A silent earth it has become.

On the wetter, muddy parts of the meadow another Ranunculus species caught my eye: Ranunculus flammula or banewort.

Fond of the pond

So, eventually it happened: I got myself a new camera! I am switching now to the mirrorless Lumix DC G91 from Panasonic. The overall performance, price-value ratio and the compact and versatile body design convinced me to make the purchase. I am still getting used to it, though. Let me show you some of my first image series.

Just last weekend I went with my hiking and photography buddy to a military training ground near Aachen that is known to harbour the biggest population of the yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata) in north rhine-westphalia. Hence not suprisingly, we didn’t have to look very long to find numerous toads and tadpoles in the puddles of the tracks left in the mud by tanks and heavy gear. Where the puddles had grown into small ponds, you could easily spot them floating on the surface like tourists chilling on air mattrasses (above).

However, the tinier puddles allowed us to take much closer look at the toads, without getting wet ourselves. With a little patience they popped out from under leaves and hiding places, posing nicely unbothered by our presence.

It really made me happy to see so many of the little fellas again. As a child, I used to look out for them with my cousins behind my grandma’s farm house in Carinthia, Austria. In summer, the little wetland there was full of tiny toadlings. Other than there, I was never able to spot them in the wild.

Where there is water, there are damsel- and dragonflies as well. Especially when the water isn’t home to fish that would feed on the larvae. That day many individuals of the broad-bodied darter (Libellula depressa) were busy securing the continued existence of their population. Only one of them, was taking a rest long enough for to us to take decent shots of it.

Seductive Sedum

During late summer, sedum species lure honey bees and other pollinators with fields of flowers to a rich nectar banquet. Bees and bumble bees are racing over meadows made of tiny pink and reddish flowers. Taking a look from up close those flowers look like huge fantastic landscapes for grazing animals.

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Above: Have a look at my personal favourites from this post.

Sedum flowers come in different shades, from greenish white to deep dark purple. I love the pink-green contrast which adds life to the images. Here I preferred to create a dreamy romantic ambience with slightly warmer colour tones and less contrast.

Viewed from above sedum flowers present themselves as densly packed and highly structured composite flowers offering beautiful patterns in every frame.

Viewed from the side the composite flowers occupy different levels creating landscapes with smooth hills and forests with fleshy broccoli-like tree trunks. Perfect grazing ground for our herds of insect pollinators.

The deep purple sedum varieties are my favourites since I just like strong colours. Especially when they contrast with the complimentary green or colourless backgrounds.
How many bees can you count in these pictures?!

Let’s go hiking, baby!

Another time back home in the Palatinate Forest. The weather was perfect for a little hike. This time we decided to take a trip to the „Geiersteine“ (engl.: vulture rocks) near Annweiler. You will later see why we chose that spot. But on the way up to the rocks I loved to take a look at all the little things along our way: Sweet chestnuts, heather, feeding hover flies, ferns and flowers beyond their time.

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Sun bathing rock lizards were our steady companions on the way up. They are everywhere on the withered red sandstone rocks and dart off hastily as soon as you come too close.

The sun shone through the canopy and drew patterns of light and shadow on the rocks and on the forest floor. And the higher we got, the more stunning the views became. I love to rest my eyes on the soft green forest hills that reach all the way to the horizon, contrasting with the wild formations of the red cliffs against the blue sky. Feels like home.

Even on top of the cliffs light and shadow cast interesting effects on rocks and plants. As usual I couldn’t stop taking pictures all the way.

The Geiersteine are part of several sandstone outcrops in the Southern Palatinate Forest, just East of the little village Lug, near Hauenstein. Not far lies the famous historic castle „Trifels“ which can also be seen from the cliffs.

• Lug

Mama’s Garden

Once again I ventured into Mum’s garden. It’s amazing what you can capture if you’re just looking closely enough. There are stunning motives everywhere. Flowers in bloom, withered flowers in the back light, beetles in rosemary, climbing wasps, cob webs and so on:

My favourites, though, are leaves with raindrops. A little dark mood gives the images an aristocratic elegance. Especially for the one with the hydrangea (Mum’s favourite flowers), which to me is the best photography in this post. Do you agree?

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Vineyard Safari

Late summer around August and September is the best time to go insect hunting in the vineyards. Here in the Palatinate many winemakers switched to mainly organic cultuvation methods during the last two decades, resulting in food and hiding places for various insects and all the species feeding on them. Also the vineyards are traversed by stone walls that store the heat from the sun and enable warm climate species to establish themselves.

A couple of years ago (in 2017), I saw it for the first time: The European mantis (Mantis religiosa). The only Mantodea species found in Central Europe. I had never seen one when I was a kid, and I was out and about the vineyards all the time. So I guess it conquered new territory due to climate change. Now you can reliably spot them anywhere where meadows and bushes provide enough food for these predators.

I am totally in love with these animals. Their weird body structure, their slow rhythm of movement and their strange faces, that seem to observe every move you make. They are so unlike humans, they could be from a different planet somewhere in the galaxy. Have you ever seen one in the wild?

Heather from the forest

In late summer the floor of the Palatinate Forest is covered with a violet blanket made from thousands of little flowers. These flowers belong to Calluna vulgaris, the common heather, that you surely know from the Scottish Highlands and the „Lüneburger Heide“ in Northern Germany. The common heather likes nutrient poor, dry and slightly sour soils.

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The dense cover of individual plants and the simultaneous blooming behaviour lead to the beautiful phenomenon of purple clouds hovering over the ground. And of course, it’s a photographer’s delight to go hiking and collect hundreds of pictures.

However, C. vulgaris flowers are not only pretty, they provide a huge amount of food and important habitat for insects and other animals.

Crickets and wild bees profit from the dense flower cover.

Taking pictures is one thing, the other thing is how do I want the image to look like in the end. Here’s an example of the different settings I tried for this topic. The first version has a light and soft mood: fluffy flowers in bright rosé. The second version shows harder contrast and darker shading, simulating the magic of an early summer evening in the forest. Which one do you like best?

Red Basil

A honey bee (Apis mellifera) is feeding on the purple basil flowers.

My mum keeps a large specimen of red basil on her front porch. When in bloom it drenches the air with its aromatic fragrance and reliably offers loads of purple flowers for nectar feeding insects. Therefore it is a convenient spot for capturing nice images of bees and butterflies. The other day I spotted a male blue (family: Lycaenidae, subfamily: Polyommatinae) among all the honey bees and I loved the contrasts of colour and shapes it provided:

At some point I noticed some turmoil in the shrub and I came to witness a dramatic fight scene within the flowers: A European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) had attacked a feeding honey bee and they wrestled for their lives while hanging on a single leg from the blossoms. Both are capable of employing deadly stings, however a few moments later the wasp darted off with its prey.

A European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) attacking a nectar feeding honey bee (Apis mellifera).

Tip: Not only the leaves of red basil are edible but also the flowers. They give a nice colourful and aromatic touch to salads, sweet desserts and even drinks (e.g. G&T). Try it out!

My mum 😉

Aperol Spritz

My mum used to go to a little lake nearby to escape the lockdown blues. There’s also a little beach bar run by a quite peculiar staff. However, they do serve proper Aperol Spritz, Germany’s most popular aperitif. Also it is a perfect location to watch the sun go down over the dark hills of the Palatinate Forest. She sent me pictures of her each time she went. Finally, I was able to come with her this summer and immediately understood why she loved this place so much. A perfect opportunity for me to go for a good swim and reward myself with the evening sun caught in my summer drink. Cheers!

Into the Garden

The Botanical Garden keeps being a source for inspiration. Have a look for yourself:

This is Volucella zonaria, the hornet mimic hover fly. The biggest and most colourful hover fly of central Europe.

It can be observed in parks and gardens, feeding on nectar.

Here the contrast of complementary colours is striking. I love these contrasts because they put life in an image. Additionally the detailed flower stands out against the blurry background.

A similar contrast is shown here, but it doesn’t appear as lively due to the cooler toning. I also like the two different background colours: green on top and black below. There are different contrasts: first complementary, second colour-noncolour, third light-dark and fourth structured-non-structured. All have different effects.

Snails are wonderful motives. The spiral patterns, the shape and the colours often contrast against their habitat. Here the little garden snail stands out against the parallel lines of the leaves.

Another snail, another contrast. This little yellow snail sits in a forest of purple sedum leaves. Complementary contrast and the position of the focal plane add mystic tension to the image.

Life always finds a way. Two little sprouts conquer a barren rock. Colour vs gray, focus vs blurred areas, delicate structure vs boulder, life vs death. A wonderful motif.