Moreover, I believed that nature has demonstrated to me each one of these concepts.
However, a photo of a frog I took over the past few weeks had me wondering which concept nature was trying to show me. There were several flies sitting on the frog’s head.
“Was it a case of a very patient frog waiting for the right moment to act?,” I pondered.
Perhaps it was just some very persistent flies providing proof that bugs do indeed bug everyone.
Nonetheless, nothing exemplifies perseverance like a trail camera. Rain, shine, heat and cold, the trusty cameras take photos. Besides being resolute in all kinds of weather, the cameras exemplify patience, at least as far as the motion sensors are concerned. They show peaceful moments like a buck walking by the neighbor’s pond in the morning and not so peaceful shots like a skirmish at the salt lick. One camera was able to catch a small fawn following its mother in late May of this year. No fawns appeared on the camera until July 4. Those photos showed three little ones with a doe. There have been lots of bucks from little to larger sporting still growing antlers. However, even the most persevering cameras can be fraught with failure. Whether it was failing batteries or a bunch of ants building a nest, the cameras were not ever enduring. That was where the patience part of the equation came in. |
Persistence, patience and perseverance were always needed when photographing butterflies, dragonflies and birds. The efforts to try to capture the “perfect” photo could drive one to insanity. I managed to capture a few photos of orioles and hummingbirds so far this year. While resting dragonflies were easy photo targets, those on the move required a lesson in persistence and patience. |
Patience was waiting for the butterfly to open its wings and persistence was trying to chase it down once it took flight.
There were quite a few spotted wintergreen plants that appeared to be thriving this year. In early July, parts of the forest floor were dotted with these small, perennial, evergreen herbs that are native to eastern North America.
Most of the wintergreen plants that I have observed have persevered on land that was a former strip mine.
In the garden, I was delighted by the blooms of flowers that overwintered in the basement.
Begonias that had been reduced to roots produced lots of leaves and blooms.
I was away from home during the period of intense heat and humidity in mid to late June. I couldn’t keep tabs on the vernal pool with a lot of what I believed to be wood frog tadpoles.
A check on them at the end of June revealed a dry pool. There were a few times in this late spring where I had added water to the puddle until there was enough rain to fill it back up.
“They all die,” was the answer presented in very large letters.
My heart sank, but I still had a little hope that the tadpoles may have matured.
Wood frog tadpoles take from 6 to 12 weeks to develop from tadpoles to frogs even though it takes years for them to mature as frogs.
My first photo of eggs was taken March 29th and I hoped that some of the tadpoles reached froghood before the pool dried up. Next year if the rain doesn’t persist, I vowed to make the choice to relocate them to the neighbor’s pond.
There were already some wood frogs breeding there this past spring. While the water levels fluctuate, the tadpoles should be able to persevere.
The average temperature for the month was 82 degrees which was slightly above the normal average of 78.7 degrees. The month was short on rain with 2.66 inches compared to the normal of 4.86 inches.
Even though it was warmer, those high temps didn’t break any records.
Meanwhile the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s 8-to-14-day outlook issued on July 5 called for above average temperatures. The graphic for precipitation called for a slightly above average chance of precipitation.
I have observed that our nightly lows recently haven’t dipped down into the lower 60s let alone the upper 50s. Forecasted lows for July were predicted to be in the upper 60s for the next week.