Wednesday 7 December 2011: Introducing the plantation

Orthetrum sabina sabina

I went to the grove first thing this morning to discover more destruction. I realize that this is becoming boring to read. The compost mound had grown in height about two feet with rakings. Only a strip of un-raked land remained, about twenty feet wide, along the edge opposite the stream. The spider still occupied the corner of this strip, so I at least had something to blip.

I set to and collected my daily spider images. She had captured a sizeable insect during the night and was feeding on the wrapped morsel when I arrived. One leg of the cross web had been destroyed and mostly re-built. I will have to shoot a video of the spider feeding one day, soon, before the corner is lost.

I captured an image of a brown hopper sitting on a brown twig with a brown background, also a slightly blurry brown dragon on a brown twig with a brown background, I just couldn't be bothered focusing properly. Back at the lab, I was seriously going to blip the dragon, when I suddenly decided to stop whining, get off my ass and go and find a new blip location. So I packed my camera, wrapped my knees, donned my bandana and off I went.

I headed up the hill as I never go this way and had no idea what I would find. I only went about 200 meters when the houses stopped and a field of crops opened up on my right. The stream was on the right side, so the location was good for the insects. I parked my bike and went over to take a closer inspection. The 100 meter square field was neatly cropped into rows parallel to the road and several irrigation ditches running perpendicular to the rows.

As I hopped across the deep wet ditch running alongside the road to enter the field, a head popped up. Great news, the farmer was present, the field was way too large to call him a gardener. I approached him, camera in hand and requested permission to photograph the insects in his plantation, with my very rudimentary Indonesian speak. I pointed to the kupu kupu (butterflies) and he understood and smiled, waving me onwards. I also indicated that I would return tomorrow and every day which was no problem. I guess as long as I respect his crops, why should there be.

It was already well into the afternoon, far later than I normally go blipping, but immediately I realized that I had found a very good replacement to the grove. Within seconds I had spotted three types of dragon, including the bright red that I blipped back on the 16th October, also several types of butterfly, predominantly the common tiger, blipped 11th November.

Within minutes I had collected about thirty images of Sabina Sabina which I have blipped today. I was able to get up close and as it is a repeat of 13th October, I have chosen to go in close for some detail.

So insect blips assured for the near future, I am a happy chappie again and looking forward to tomorrows session with great anticipation. For obvious reasons I have decided to call this location 'the plantation'.

Dave

• E-10:
• f/5.6:
• 1/100":
• 36.0mm:
• ISO 80

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