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We descended into the Upper Bohinj valley and now only the scenic descent to the big lake is ahead of us.
I've been ploughing through old photos a bit and there is still some good stuff left. This is a photo of a hoodoo at Stud Horse Point that I have not posted before. I remember going down the slope to get under it and get a good point of view, while trying not to slip and slither all the way down.
The light was getting better and better with clouds in the sky (see also the other photos) and this must have been one of my better photo moments so far.
This site is not very well known and only receives photo enthusiasts and possibly locals.
This interesting little area of slanted hoodoos near Lake Powell is popular with photographers. It's less than a mile south of the Utah-Arizona state line.
I'm currently doing a six week survey for Butterfly Conservation in the Ashdown Forest. This involves monitoring the same patch on a 6km loop once a week to see how many, if any silver studded blue butterflies there are. Last year was good but I'm into week three now and have seen just two males. They were very fresh (they live as adults only 4 to 5 days) and are very beautiful. I'm hoping that as the weather warms up there will be more.
They were once common but in the last century over four fifths of their numbers disappeared and they are now confined to a few pockets in the South of England. They have a fascinating life cycle in which the caterpillars are taken into ants nests for protection and the chrysalises are guarded and tended, with the ants in attendance until the adult emerges and is able to fly off. The ant gets sugary secretions from the caterpillars as a reward. Without the ants, there is no silver studded blue. Other blues also have this life cycle.
Here are pictures of the two I saw on Sunday.
As usual, there's a bit more detail viewed large.
3 COLORI - APPARTAMENTO ICONOCLASTA
ristrutturazione
Progetto: Studioata, 2004
Intervento: ristrutturazione
Area: 70 mq
L’obiettivo principale dell’intervento, per espresso desiderio della committenza, è stato quello di rendere l'appartamento, di circa 70 mq. e situato al quarto piano di uno stabile d'epoca, del tutto impermeabile agli stimoli provenienti dall'esterno.
L’ambiente è quindi volutamente disadorno, semplice, quasi “iconoclasta”; la luce ovattata e accogliente favorisce la concentrazione e rende rilassante l'atmosfera. Lo spazio è suddiviso fra una zona giorno, con cucina aperta a bancone, e una zona notte con due camere passanti separate dal volume del bagno. Questo, se pur di minime dimensioni, ospita una cabina - doccia assai spaziosa, con doccione a soffitto, e riceve luce da una finestra, attraverso la quale si scorgono il cielo ed i tetti circostanti . Trova posto nel bagno anche la lavatrice, accessibile dal vano doccia, nascosta da una porta a scomparsa
Il muro di spina è ispessito dall'armadio che si può attraversare passando nei due tunnel rivestiti in legno.
Il progetto utilizza di fatto, come unica forma espressiva, tre materiali e tre colori: il legno chiaro, l'intonaco verniciato di bianco e la resina grigia del pavimento. Nessun'altra distrazione.
Il bagno, se pur di dimensioni assolutamente minime offre una cabina doccia di grosse dimensioni con doccione a soffitto e una finestra, apribile in estate, attraverso la quale è possibile vedere i tetti e il cielo.
Trova posto nel bagno anche la lavatrice, accessibile dal vano doccia, nascosta da una porta a scomparsa.
3 COLORS
An iconoclastic apartment
Project: Studioata, 2004
Type: renovation
Area: 70 square metres
The renovation of this apartment – roughly 70 square metres in an ancient building – aimed to achieve insulation from outside distractions. The design is unadorned, plain and iconoclastic; the light is soft and cosy; the atmosphere is relaxing and favours concentration. Space is divided between the daytime area (an open kitchen with a bar table) and the night-time area composed of two communicating bedrooms, separated by the volume of the bathroom. The wall dividing these areas is thickened by the wardrobe leaning to it, and the bedrooms are accessed through two wood paneled tunnels.
The project resorts to very limited expressive forms - only three materials and three colors: the light brown of the wood, the white plaster of the walls, and the gray resin of the floor. No distractions.
On the subject of Studio Ghibli they have a new film that just came out in Japan called Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (崖の上のポニョ. The theme song to that movie was everywhere and a few weeks later is still stuck in my head. When ever I am idle I start singing in my head Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo sakana no ko! " Because I know you want to suffer with me. Please feel free to click here. =D
Silver-studded Blue / plebejus argus. Lindrick Common, South Yorkshire. 21/06/20.
'A LITTLE TIME OUT.'
Another of the c30 males present at Lindrick Common. Although mostly on the wing, they did land on Bird's Foot Trefoil to nectar and occasionally perched lower down in the grasses to rest.
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
RSPB Arne.
The silver-studded blue emerges in June and is usually on the wing until late August. It is a rare butterfly, generally found in heathland habitats that have shorter, sparsely vegetated areas. It is restricted to close-knit colonies in southern England and Wales. Two subspecies can be found in its range, while two others are now extinct in the UK. The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants, such as bell heather, cross-leaved heath and gorses. (The Wildlife Trusts).
My thanks to anyone who clicks or comments on this photo. It is much appreciated.
A pair of Silver-studded blues Female Left and Male on the Right taken at Prees Heath Common Reserve.
Taken at Prees Heath, Whitchurch during their four or five day mating season. These beautiful insects are about the size of an adults thumb nail.
He looked over his kingdom as far as the eye could see. Owning everything east of the Grey Peaks and west of the Fathomless Forest, he was a god in the universe. Naive yet "mighty" ruler of the 5 Stud Kingdom. (Or so he saw himself)
***Scale photo in comments below***
We got distracted tonight lol... We promise we're finishing up other much larger MOCs :)
Thanks for hanging around during these few micro tangents!
Ellisons Pond, Ashdown Forest - another of the mating pair from just over a week ago. This time after a bit of pole dancing, they changed position on the perch, with the male at the top.
Just regret not having my macro lens with me, wet by the morning dew this web looked as if it were adorned by pearl beads. Enlarge the picture to see better detail.
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Pentax K-5
Helios 44-2 58mm F/2
Fotodiox Macro Extension Tube
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© 2018 stefanorugolo | All rights reserved.
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Thank you for your visit, most appreciated!
I photographed this male Silver-studded Blue at the RSPB South Stack reserve on Anglesey. We visited South Stack to look for Choughs after we had seen the Elegant Tern. This one is slightly unusual in that it lacks the silver studs that give rise to the name. Silver-studded Blues are commonest on southern heathlands around the New Forest and Thames Basin. Beyond that they are decidedly localised, though often common where they do occur. They are noticeably smaller than Common Blues, with a more leaden blue colouration, with a row of black studs around the hindwing margin. Its caterpillars feed on a variety of plants including gorse, heather and rock-rose, but they also have a relationship with black ants of the genus Lasius. Ants carry the young larvae into their nests where they tend and protect them, presumably for the sugary solutions they exude. But it is not known whether they actually feed on ant larvae (like Large Blues do), but at night the caterpillars emerge from the ants' nests to feed on vegetation. Female Silver-studded Blues selectively lay eggs on vegetation close to Black Ant nests.
The Silver-studded Blue has the scientific name Plebejus argus. Plebejus were basically the Plebs or common folk, as this was Linnaeus's "dumping ground" for all the small butterflies like blues and skippers. These were lower than the grand Swallowtails, Emperors and Admirals. And so to the name argus. In Greek mythology Zeus was in love with Io, so to indulge himself without arousing his wife Hera's suspicion, he turned her into a Heifer. Hera found out and placed her under the care of Argus, who had a hundred eyes. Zeus enlisted the help of Hermes who lulled Argus to sleep with his flute and then cut off Argus's head. Hera consoled herself by setting Argus's eyes into the tail of the peacock. So any butterfly that has numerous eyespots often has the name Argus, and elsewhere in the animal kingdom (eg Great Argus Pheasant).
I posted a male Silver-studded Blue recently and today it was in Explore. I'm not expecting as much attention for this duller female, but it is the first time I have managed a photograph of a female with wings open.
I remember my first encounter with Silver-studded Blues was in my early teens while visiting my Uncle in Surrey. He lived right next door to Whitmoor Common and I wandered onto the heathland there and saw thousands. But I had to consult my Observer's Book of Butterflies to work out which species it was. I identified them as Silver-studded Blues, but I wrongly thought the females were Brown Argus as I could not see any trace of blue on them. Female Silver-studded Blues from the northern populations tend to show more blue on the upperwings than ones from the south. The silver studs that give rise to the name, are inside the black spots around the edge of the underwing hindwing, and are present in both sexes. Here they are on a male I took some years ago: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/5824137718/in/photolist
The Silver-studded Blue has the scientific name Plebejus argus. Plebejus were basically the Plebs or common folk, as this was Linnaeus's "dumping ground" for all the small butterflies like blues and skippers. These were lower than the grand Swallowtails, Emperors and Admirals. And so to the name argus. In Greek mythology Zeus was in love with Io, so to indulge himself without arousing his wife Hera's suspicion, he turned her into a Heifer. Hera found out and placed her under the care of Argus, who had a hundred eyes. Zeus enlisted the help of Hermes who lulled Argus to sleep with his flute and then cut off Argus's head. Hera consoled herself by setting Argus's eyes into the tail of the peacock. So any butterfly that has numerous eyespots often has the name Argus, and elsewhere in the animal kingdom (eg Great Argus Pheasant).