A pile of dirt unceremoniously dumped across an old road to close it off. The result of a dispute between governmental entities over who should be responsible for its upkeep. Now it lies abandoned. Weed choked, crumbling asphalt. Hardly seems like an inspirational location to uncover the beauty of nature.
So why would a nature photographer drive over an hour to such a location? Why, to experience the absolute gobsmacking beauty of nature.
Finding beauty in nature is not a matter of where you look. Infinitely more important is whatyou chooseto see…
All images taken along an abandoned stretch of Beverly Dr.. Located near the community of Beverly Shores in the Indiana Dunes National Park.
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 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 like it really was trying to decide if I was prey, or not!
