Sweeping the sky

This photo was taken on the “Strabrechtse Heide”, a large heath area in the south of The Netherlands. With a bit of imagination it looks like the little tree is sweeping the sky.

Darter time again

As a true “Kempenaar” I really wanted the Marsh Darter (Sympetrum depressiusculum/Kempense Heidelibel) in my portfolio. It is a highly localized species that only occurs in the “Kempen” (region crossing the border between The Netherlands and Belgium) and appears quite late in the summer season. In previous years I only managed to take some record shots. Luckily, today this male was highly cooperative. The dewdrops are a welcome decoration, getting up early always pays off.

Unexpected encounter

At first sight there was not much to see on my regular evening tour at the marshy fields near the place where I live ... until I saw a soaring Swallowtail (Papilio machaon/Koninginnepage). He (or she) was clearly searching for a suitable place to stay overnight. Swallowtails are rather scarce in The Netherlands, although in the last few years, due to global warming, they turn-up more often in the southern provinces. I dedicate this photo to my dear grandmother who died last spring and would have been celebrated her 98-th birthday today.

Swiss Alps

In the summer holiday my wife and I stayed in the Swiss Alps (Belalp, Oberwallis) for one week. Yes I know, far too short! We hired a small chalet at 1700m altitude. The open forest and the alpine grasslands are a paradise for butterflies. The first photo shows the view from the Belalp on a clear sunny morning with the Mischabel Gruppe (with the Dom 4545m as the highest peak) in the far background. Species that I liked to photograph were Alpine Heath (Coenonympha gardetta/Alpenhooibeestje) and Purple-edged Copper (Lycaena hippothoe/Rode Vuurvlinder). This is by far the most intense red I ever saw; it really looks like the upperwings shine (instead of reflect). Note that the high-altitude form is devoid of the purple reflections.

Beautiful Demoiselle

On our way to the Swiss Alps we stayed a few days in the Vosges, eastern France. In the deep forest of Darney, close to a small stream, I saw hunderds of Beautiful Demoiselles (Calopteryx virgo/Bosbeekjuffer). This is the largest and darkest Calopteryx, with almost entirely metallic cobalt wings in ♂♂.

Quatorze Juillet

The first day of my vacation. I got up very early and drove to the “Oostvaardersplassen”. It was an amazing day with 3 photos that I want to share. On the first picture taken in the morning you see a juvenile Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia/Lepelaar) sweeping through the water, searching for aquatic invertabrates with its sensitive bill. The afternoon supplied me with a nice shot of the colourful Kingfisher. And I ended this long day with a curious Little Owl juvenile (Athena noctua/Steenuil) in a backlit setting.

Darter time

Darters are rather small dragonflies (libellulids). They spend most of their time on a prominent perch, from which short sorties are undertaken to chase prey or rivals. this young male Black Darter (Sympetrum danae/Zwarte Heidelibel) is illuminated by the last sun-rays of this day.