Despite how hot it's been in drought-ridden So CA, there is still a little bit of water left in San Dimas Canyon Creek:
Nikon D810 | Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AI-S | ISO 64 | f/22 | 1/6
The TerrainMany insects and reptiles are "getting what they can" out of the last water that remains here, and today tells a fun little pictorial as to what I encountered there in the hour or so I was able to stand the heat (110°).
The filtered light was also a continual challenge, with extremely-bright (and extremely-dark) smatterings throughout.
That said, the first critter I came across was a Great Basin Fence Lizard male, who was letting me know who's boss, by his position on top of the rock in the first image above
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/6
Great Basin Fence Lizard (
Sceloporus occidentalis longipes)
Less than 10' away, on the ground, was another male challenging him:
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/30
Great Basin Fence Lizard (
Sceloporus occidentalis longipes)
I was able to get closer to this male, and then I noticed one more (in the shadows) of which I was only able to capture a single image before he took off:
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/5
Great Basin Fence Lizard (
Sceloporus occidentalis longipes) *
severe crop*
But the real story was in the many treefrog-letts that had recently hatched from tadpoles, trying desperately to "stay close to the moist rocks"
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/8
Baja California Treefrog (
Pseudacris hypochondriaca)
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/6
Baja California Treefrog (
Pseudacris hypochondriaca)
This species varies greatly in its coloration and can change color at will ...
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/30
Baja California Treefrog (
Pseudacris hypochondriaca)
One of the things I did was push my camera to the limits as this 1/0.4 image shows ... as these two were hidden deep in the shadows
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/0.4
Baja California Treefrog (
Pseudacris hypochondriaca)
Of anecdotal interest, great droves of honeybees were also feasting in the muck, gulping down as much water as they could in this otherwise desolate (again, 110°) climate, while they still have a chance:
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/20
Honeybees (
Apis mellifera)
Nikon D810 | Voigtländer 125mm f2.5 APO-Lanthar Macro | ISO 64 | f/11 | 1/80
Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak (
Satyrium tetra) - ID NOT CONFIRMED
I am still waiting confirmation on this Hairstreak from BAMONA, but it's a lifer to me, no matter what it is
Nothing fancy about any of these images; just sharing a lil' hike over the weekend.
One image did amaze me though, which was Image #4, the severe crop I was able to get from what looked like a junker image.
If you want to read
the story of recovery, click on the hyperlink
Cheers,
Jack
