Summer arrives
Unsettled skies signal the change of seasons on the First Day of Summer Time lapse over Iona Island
Summer officially arrived today as the sun reached its farthest advance north in the Northern hemisphere. This longest day heralds the beginning of our warmest period of weather and with it unsettled conditions. The temperature has been in the lower 60s to mid 70s this past two weeks, but the forecast for the next week has temperatures reaching the 100 degree mark! Quite a change in a short period of time.
One group of animals relishing the onslaught of warmer temperatures are the dragonflies. With close to 50 species of these odonates found in New York State, it is a challenge to find and photograph the entire NY contingent. But as the bird activity begins to slow down with birds on the nest and staying quiet in the heat of the day, many birders will shift gears and begin to look for butterflies and dragonflies in the next few months. I’m sure you will see many more images of these on this site as we move into summer! The Blue dasher seen above is one of our most common dragonflies. Blue dashers are a species of dragonfly known for their striking metallic blue bodies and bright green eyes. They are commonly found near ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams across much of North America. These dragonflies are agile fliers, often seen darting swiftly over the water's surface as they hunt for small insects. Males are territorial and exhibit distinctive perching behavior, frequently returning to the same spot to defend their area which helps in photographing them.
New species of wildflowers also make for beautiful subjects to photograph. This Oxeye daisy was found along the marsh edge.The oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is a perennial flowering plant commonly found in meadows, grasslands, and along roadsides across North America. It features white petals surrounding a bright yellow central disc, typically blooming from early summer through early fall. Known for its hardiness and ability to thrive in a variety of soil conditions, the oxeye daisy can be invasive in some regions, spreading rapidly and outcompeting native species.
If you’ve been following “Naturally Digital” over the past month, you will recognize our family of Mute swans seen above. It’s enjoyable to watch the cygnets grow and the difference in size and morphology is noticeable from week to week. These young swans were tiny chicks when the first images were posted here several weeks ago, but today, they are becoming heftier and more swan-like in appearance. The older they get, the better the chances that they’ll make it to adulthood, so it’s great to see them thriving here at Iona.
Tech Tip - Time-lapse photography used to be quite a daunting challenge. Today’s cameras, however, make the process much easier and more enjoyable. In many cases, once you tell the camera how many seconds you want between each images and for how long you want to shoot, it’s simply set up the camera on a tripod, pull the trigger and let her rip! This brief time-lapse was made with a series of individual shots taken at 10 second intervals for a little less that 1/2 hour. When merged into a movie format showing at 24 frames per second, we get a compressed video of the clouds streaking across the sky. If you do have a newer camera, check to see if “Time-lapse” is a part of the repertoire offered.
