Four-Years Ago (07-August-2012) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Kermit the Bullfrog in a pond at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 400 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 560, 400 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec).

Bullfrog in a Pond. Summer Nature at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 400 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 560, 400 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Bullfrog in a Pond. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 400 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 560, 400 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)

Four-Years Ago (25-July-2012) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Morning walkabout at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Butterflies, Bull Frog, and Dragon Fly.

Monarch Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 2.0 TC-E III teleconverter (ISO 200, 210 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec). (David J Mathre)
Monarch Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 2.0 TC-E III teleconverter (ISO 200, 210 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec). (David J Mathre)
Kermit the Frog in the pond. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Kermit the Frog in the pond. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Dragonfly. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Dragonfly. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Thursday (26-May-2016) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Last fall my contractor cleared a section of my backyard and started digging a depression for a small pond. We didn’t finish the pond before winter and my round the world Spring Semester at Sea Voyage. With all of the rain this spring the hole filled up with water. I now have a pond in progress. I was pleased to see that frogs (and turtles) have already discovered the pond. I managed to get a picture of this frog before it jumped into the water this morning. When you look closely you can see two mosquitoes on the back of the frog. I had hoped that the frogs (or tadpoles) would take care of the mosquito larva in the pond. I may need to get some goldfish to add to the pond.

Kermit the Bullfrog Near a Pond in My Backyard. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 300 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor].

Kermit the Bullfrog Near a Pond in My Backyard. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 300 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). [FOV Equivalent to ~ 810 mm on a 35 mm image sensor]. (David J Mathre)
Kermit the Bullfrog Near a Pond in My Backyard. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 160, 300 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)

Eight-Years Ago (09-September-2007) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature at the Sourland Mountain Preserve.

While out looking for butterflies, I came upon a Monarch butterfly feeding on a yellow Tick Weed. A bit later saw another Monarch butterfly that had been captured by a Praying Mantis and was being eaten for breakfast. A Darwin Award for this Monarch butterfly that won’t make it to Mexico this year. Kermit, a very large Bullfrog was waiting in the mud next to the pond. You wonder what he has been eating?


Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.



Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.


Friday (29-August-2014) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey: Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Kermit the Frog at the Pond. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 80-400 mm VR II lens (ISO 5600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC.

Frog at a Pond in the Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 80-400 mm VR II lens (ISO 5600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC. (David J Mathre)
Frog at a Pond in the Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 80-400 mm VR II lens (ISO 5600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC. (David J Mathre)