ALWAYS CARRY A CAMERA
Owning a small ‘point and shoot’ camera has transformed the way I look at and appreciate my Blue Mountains garden. The play of light, the beauty of a detail suddenly observed. It means that my ‘matron’s rounds’ are slower, but they are also much more rewarding. Who knew that so many tiny creatures shared my world?
I could have purchased a bigger, more expensive camera, but I want one I can carry in my pocket. I would even use my phone, except that I like to photograph birds high in the trees. I’m a writer/gardener, not a photographer.
Even a common and normally reviled creature such as the cabbage moth is beautiful (as long as it’s not depositing eggs on your cabbages).
Oh the time I have ‘wasted’ chasing bees;
My camera also makes me appreciate the intricacy of Australian native flowers. I only know that the next two photos are of ground-cover grevilleas, the name of the varieties escapes me.
When you begin to inspect plants more closely, alarming problems become apparent….such as aphids on roses! I hope this ladybird takes lots of the wretches home to feed her children.
Dragonflies are difficult to capture with a tiny camera, but sometimes they co-operate. It helps if they are tipsy on lavender nectar.
I wonder if the following, more slender ones should be called damselflies?
Oh my, those eyes!
The cicada is the noisy symbol of summer. It’s normally rare for me to find one, as the birds gobble them up. However, in this strange year of 2020 they are everywhere.
See what I mean about the birds? A lightening strike by a maggie.
I have no idea what the bug pictured below is, but I hope it loves aphids the way hover flies and ladybirds do!
This tiny spider was up very early to start work on its web. I hope I don’t blunder through it later.
I think the web below was made by a St Andrew’s Cross spider.
Blackheath is famous for its misty mornings, which can transform simple rose leaves into something quite remarkable.
Take my advice, fellow gardeners, and put a little camera in your pocket whenever you venture outside. It will open up a whole new world.
Fungi might not sound as beautiful as dragonflies and butterflies, but I now go hunting for them with my camera every autumn. TO SEE A FEW, CLICK HERE.
FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT IN THE BOX BELOW. THERE IS AN ANTI SPAM SUM TO COMPLETE.
All so vital to the cycle of life, especially the bees. My own tiny garden is planted with wildlife in mind, and supports a huge number of birds, insects, butterflies, hedgehogs (slugs & snails though we don’t mention them!), and especially bees. The bees are of the utmost importance, because if we don’t encourage and look after a healthy bee population, then we as humans will cease to exist.
You can see why I’m obsessed with bees and honey, Marcia. Think it might be best to buy local honey from the Farmers’ Market though.
Such beautiful photos. You must be very proud of editor Des!
Well, sometimes I am, Carol, when he is not sitting on the wood pile smoking.
Wonderful photos Pauline.
Thanks for sharing
Vicki
I’m glad you enjoyed seeing them Vicki. Thank you.
I enjoyed reading of your garden visitors. Sadly, in my part of USA people are wondering why bees are dying out. I have only a few visiting my garden now. Some say that it’s the herbicides and insecticides used to kill the pests that come into a town garden. There are so many ‘green’ alternatives to use that I think there should be some kind of regulation as to what we can use on our garden plants. Even the butterflies are appearing less and less. I fuss over a plant when I see a bee exploring its blooms. Some people travel miles into the countryside to buy natural honey from an environmentally friendly bee keeper, who doesn’t use pesticides but allows the bees to buzz around his organically growing plants. There’s even talk that much of the shop-bought honey has additives to make it taste like honey from the bush. It’s great to be able to live so close to nature in your region.
I think there is a nasty disease that wipes out whole hives, Heather, especially in the US. I’ve often thought of having a hive here, but it’s not that simple really. I agree, I never use chemicals in the garden. If a plant is not tough enough to survive I grow something else.
Some beautiful photos! It wasn’t until I bought my first digital camera about 10 years ago (and could snap away to my heart’s content without worrying about running out of film), that I truly appreciated what was in my garden. I also found it very handy to snap unknown insects and birds, then go inside and consult my trusty guides to help identify them.
Hi Christine. Oh yes, digital cameras are incredible. Remember having to take your film to the chemist to be developed and finding that half the photos hadn’t come out at all? I’m old enough to remember the box brownie!