Yes, I actually have a favorite pool of stagnant water out at the Indiana Dunes. Several as it turns out. But my absolute favorite is this one spot on the Bailly Calumet trail. A 3ft wide depression next to the trail that is always full of water in the spring. Consequently it is also full of larvae! Mostly mosquito larvae, but probably plenty of others including various flys. I have been visiting this particular puddle for 3 years now. I like to check it out several times through out the spring to watch how it evolves.
(Click on any image to view it full size.)
Here is a close up of what I found in my favorite pool of stagnant water on this day in mid March. See all those tiny black lines, with the little ball at one end? They kinda look like an old fashioned thermometer. Those are mosquito larvae. Now I hate mosquitos, they make summer more unpleasant than -5 degree weather in January. But I still love watching how their larvae grow change over time. That’s one of the things I like most about nature. Even its most miserable parts are utterly fascinating when you look at them the right way.Here is a closeup of the exact same stagnant pool of water taken a year ago in mid May. As you can see, on this day it was chock full of maturing mosquito larvae and maggots. I cannot wait to revisit this years version later in the spring!
Do you have a favorite pool of stagnant water? If not, why not.
I spend a lot of time watching and photographing insects engaged in a variety of activities, usually pollenating flowers. Spend enough time out on the trails, observing and taking photographs, and you start to notice the ambush predators. The ones that sit motionless, hidden in the blossoms, their camouflage blending almost perfectly with their surroundings. The Praying Mantis is one such predator, seamlessly blending in with the numerous branches and stems, they wait for something to come close enough to grasp with their powerful forelimbs.
I came across this scene out on the Miller Woods trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park. I must have just missed the moment when the Mantis caught the Moth which was still struggling.
By the time I got my camera setup and started taking photographs it had already taken its first bite. As I watched and photographed, the Mantis took a couple more bites out of the Moth which was barely struggling at this point.In it goes in for another bite.This is the moment when it spotted me!From this moment on the Mantis locked eyes with me and for the next 5 minutes or so it followed my every move.Even as I moved around, repositioning my camera and taking photos from different angles and distances, its eyes almost never left mine.For one brief moment it looked back down at its prey…… then it looked back at me. I could easily imagine that the Mantis was contemplating which would make for the more satisfying meal, the Moth in its grip or Me.In the end the Mantis decided to stick with the Moth and moved off deeper into the foliage in order to eat in peace.
Now of course the Mantis was likely not considering killing and eating me. But they are predators, and through their eyes pretty much everything is either prey or a threat. What really made an impression on me was the degree of visual acuity which the Mantis showed. Its eyes were absolutely locked in on me, tracking my every movement no matter how slight. It was intensely focused on me, and only me.
I’ve been down on the ground at eye level with snakes, just a couple feet away taking similar photographs as they watch me. Sometimes they appear to be looking into your eyes too, but they are so motionless that it feels more like they think you won’t see them as long as they don’t move. The moment you make any movement at all, off they go. The stare of the Mantis however, that was a bit creepy. Almost as if it really was trying to decide, was I prey…
