Wildflower - David Mathre Photography

Friday (17-February-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Winter Nature in New Jersey: Spring is Coming!!!

When I got home today, I noticed that these Purple Crocuses were in bloom across the street. I think that this is the earliest that I have seen these blooming. In addition, some of the Daffodils are also starting to bloom.

For those wondering why I have not posted recently, things have been busy at work.

Early Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10 mm lens (ISO 100, 10mm, f/3.2, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre) — Early Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10 mm lens (ISO 100, 10mm, f/3.2, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)

Early Purple Crocus -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm lens (ISO 100, 100 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre) — Early Purple Crocus — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm lens (ISO 100, 100 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)

Early Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm lens (ISO 100, 53 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre) — Early Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm lens (ISO 100, 53 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)

Early Purple Crocuses -- Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm lens (ISO 100, 58 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre) — Early Purple Crocuses — Spring is Coming. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm lens (ISO 100, 58 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)

Friday (16-September-2011) — California

Gone to See California — SIRNA Goodby.

While in the San Francisco area I had the opportunity to visit and have dinner with a couple of former colleagues that now live in the Bay Area. In the back yard one of their Yucca plant was blooming. There was a humming bird working the flowers. I never got a picture of the humming bird in the flowers, but did capture a sillouete of it in the some other trees. These images were all taken with a Leica X1 or D-Lux 5 camera.

Yucca in Bloom. San Mateo CA. Image taken with a Leica V-Lux 5 camera (ISO 80, 19.2 mm, f/8, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)

Hummingbird. San Mateo CA. Image taken with a Leica V-Lux 5 camera (ISO 160, 19.2 mm, f/8, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)

Francis and Alex. Image taken with a Leica X1 camera (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/2.8, 1/30 sec). (David J Mathre)

Sunday (21-August-2011) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey: Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Life and Death in Nature. It was a great day to photograph nature at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Many Butterflies, Clearwing Hummingbird Moths, Dragonflies,Summertime Nature in New Jersey: Sourland Mountain Preserve. Robberflies, and a few Praying Mantis carnivores. I went in with two cameras, a D3s camera with a 300 mm f/2.8 VR with an TC-E III 20 teleconverter and a D3x camera with a 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro. Humidity was high, and I had to spend the first 15 minutes equilibrating the lenses so they were not fogged. The first place I went to was the location I observed a Praying Mantis eating a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth yesterday. The first image is a Black Swollowtail Butterfly on a Thistle bloom. Soon thereafter a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth started checking out the Thistle blooms. DANGER! DANGER! It didn’t see the Praying Mantis. Minutes later the moth was breakfast for the Praying Mantis. Later, another Black Swollowtail Butterfly was breakfast to a brown Praying Mantis.

Black Swallowtail Butterfly on Thistle Bloom. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 640, 600 mm, f/16, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Black Swallowtail Butterfly on Thistle Bloom. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 640, 600 mm, f/16, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Danger! Danger! Clearwing Hummingbird Moth being Stalked by a Praying Mantis. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Danger! Danger! Clearwing Hummingbird Moth being Stalked by a Praying Mantis. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth as a Meal for a Praying Mantis. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 320, 600 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Clearwing Hummingbird Moth as a Meal for a Praying Mantis. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 320, 600 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth as a Meal for a Praying Mantis. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 320, 105 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Clearwing Hummingbird Moth as a Meal for a Praying Mantis. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 320, 105 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Praying Mantis full after a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth Meal. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 800, 105 mm, f/16, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Praying Mantis full after a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth Meal. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 800, 105 mm, f/16, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Brown Praying Mantis. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 220, 105 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Brown Praying Mantis. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 220, 105 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Black Swallowtail Butterfly as a Meal for a Brown Praying Mantis. Sourland Mountain Preserve, Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 160, 105 mm, f/8, 1/100 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Black Swallowtail Butterfly as a Meal for a Brown Praying Mantis. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 160, 105 mm, f/8, 1/100 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Friday (01-July-2011) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Morning Walkabout at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Wildflowers: Queen Anne’s Lace, Black Eyed Susan, Daisy, others.

Black Eyed Susan. Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 205 mm, f/6.3, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Black Eyed Susan. Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 205 mm, f/6.3, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Flying Ant in a Queen Anne's Lace Flower at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 205 mm, f/6, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Flying Ant in a Queen Annes Lace Flower at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 205 mm, f/6, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5

Black Eyed Susan. Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Black Eyed Susan. Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Daisy - Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Daisy – Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 205 mm, f/6, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Summer Wildflowers at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 200, 205 mm, f/6, 1/250 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.

Friday (24-June-2011) — New Jersey

Backyard Early Summer Nature in New Jersey.

Image of a Yellow Prickly Pear Cactus flower taken just after an early summer thunderstorm. Unlike the White Yucca flowers, the deer don’t appear to be interested in the Prickly Pear Cactus flower.

Yellow Prickly Pear Flower after Rain. Summer in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 80, 19.2 mm, f/3.3, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre) — Yellow Prickly Pear Flower after Rain. Summer in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5 (ISO 80, 19.2 mm, f/3.3, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CS5.