Transient Beauty /  by Todd Henson

Transient Beauty - Wild Geranium

I debated whether or not to share the photo in this post, that of a small cluster of wild geranium growing just off a trail in the forest on a slope above a creek. If you look closely you’ll see many imperfections in the petals of one of the flowers. The most fully open flower is a bit past its prime, though there are a couple unopened buds that I didn’t return in time to see. And it’s these imperfections that led me to question whether the photo was worth showing.

But I really liked the color balance, with those nice soft purple/pinks against the light green background, that’s what drew my attention while hiking. And I mostly like the arrangement of flowers along with the branches and vines twisting along the branches. So I figured why not? So the flowers aren’t perfect. That just shows the transience of the natural world, and that of the beauty of flowers like these. We have a short span of time to admire them before they’re gone. And for that reason I’m glad I chose both to create this photograph, even while knowing the flowers had their flaws, and for sharing it with you. I hope you’ll also be able to appreciate this small example of transient beauty.

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Careful Where You Step - Eastern Copperhead /  by Todd Henson

I almost walked into this beautiful Eastern Copperhead

I’ve often encouraged you to keep your eyes open and learn to become more aware of what’s around you. Usually this is to allow you to better observe and appreciate the wonders of the natural world, but sometimes it’s also for your own safety. This past weekend while hiking with my father I almost walked right into an Eastern Copperhead, one of only three venomous snakes in Virginia and one of only two in this area (along with the Timber Rattlesnake), though thankfully it is the least venomous of them all. The third, if you’re curious, is the Northern Cottonmouth, also known as a water moccasin. I’m not sure I can describe the feeling I had when I looked down and saw the snake just below me, especially since this was, I believe, my first time seeing a copperhead in the wild. 😁

Thankfully, the Eastern Copperhead is not a naturally aggressive snake and will typically only lash out as a last resort at self defense. However, their natural defense is to remain perfectly motionless, which is how we can unknowingly disturb them if we do as I almost did and walk right into one. If touched they can because aggressive, and apparently if they’ve been sitting in the sun for a good long time and are nice and warm they can become aggressive more quickly than usual. I’ve read their bite is painful but generally not fatal. Still, it’s best to avoid the bite.

This particular Eastern Copperhead was just minding its own business, resting on the mud along the edge of the creek, perhaps coiled up watching for any small animals that might wander by and become prey. From what I’ve read this coil pattern is very common, with the tail raised in the air, and the head elevated at a slight angle. It was hard to say for certain, but it appeared to be about the average length of an adult, which is two to three feet. And it had a darker tail tip, unlike juveniles which have a yellow tail tip.

The best side view I managed to capture of this Eastern Copperhead

When threatened or nervous Eastern Copperhead will vibrate their tail, though they aren’t rattlesnakes so you won’t hear that typical rattle sound unless they vibrate their tail in dry leaves which apparently can cause a sound very similar to that of a rattler. Interestingly, they will also sometimes vibrate their tail to attract prey, which leaves me (jokingly) wondering if I happen by a copperhead and it’s vibrating its tail is it trying to warm me off or is it trying to attract me as prey?!? 😁 This particular copperhead remained perfectly motionless the entire time we were there, which wasn’t all that long, just long enough to get a good look at it and create several photographs.

We found the snake along a creek in a wooded area with plenty of exposed rock surfaces, perfect habitat for them. But you can find them all over Virginia in many different habitats. Unfortunately, that can bring them right to your home. I have friends who’ve had problems with copperhead in their garage, around their deck, or in their shed. As I’d mentioned they’re not a naturally aggressive snake, but because they remain motionless when nervous it can be easy to run right into one without knowing it’s there. And that can be a problem for young children or pets, so folks who live in those areas take special care to watch for them.

A cropped in view to show you the entirety of the coiled Eastern Copperhead. Notice the tail raised almost straight up and the head raised at a slight angle.

As is often the case these days the only lens I had with me was my 105 mm macro lens. In this situation I wish I’d had a longer focal length so I could perhaps have gotten some better closeups, but I was also very glad I had my 105 mm instead of a wider angle lens. I moved as close as I felt I could without disturbing the snake. I wish I could have maneuvered more to the side to get a better profile view, and I wish I could have gotten down on the ground to get an eye-level view. But there wasn’t a lot of room to move around, I didn’t want to disturb the snake, and this being the first I’ve seen in the wild I’m not comfortable enough with my knowledge of their behavior to risk moving too close and seriously aggravate it. But I’m very happy I was able to capture the images I did, and I hope to safely create more in the future.

A heavily cropped view to give you a better view of the back of the head, some of the patterns, and the tail. Notice that very angled shape to the head, which can be used to identify the venomous snakes in this area.

A heavily cropped view to show you the very distinctive vertical pupil in the eye, another feature of venomous snakes.

For the two photographs with the wider views I cropped in just a little, they’re almost full frame. But I did create some other versions far more heavily cropped to let you better see some detail in this remarkable snake. In the closeup of the head notice the angled shape of the head and the vertical pupil in the eye, distinctive of vipers. They’re called pit vipers because they have heat sensing pits located between eye and nostril and used to help locate prey. Unfortunately, these photos don’t provide a good view of the pit. But I’m hopeful they do contain enough detail to give you a decent (and safe) view of this Eastern Copperhead with the beautiful patterns along its length and that coppery colored head that gives the viper its name. It really is a remarkable creature.

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On the Prowl (Wolf Spider) /  by Todd Henson

On the prowl

We were hiking back to the car after a morning spent photographing mostly flowers. Often when heading back I’m a bit tired and perhaps less likely to bring up the camera for just anything. But that doesn’t stop me from practicing awareness of what’s around me, which helped me notice that small movement on the trail just in front of me, a movement that led me to a small wolf spider.

As with so many other forms of wildlife, spiders can be very skittish, disappearing if you move too quickly or get too close. But they can also sometimes be very patient, or at least appear to be as we maneuver our cameras ever closer, testing the limits of the spider’s patience.

To bring the viewer down to the perspective of the spider I set the camera on the trail, using the ground as a tripod to get a little more stability. Then I attempted to get the spider in focus, made a few shots, and tried moving just a bit closer. I repeated this a couple times, letting me create the images you see here. But shortly after this a large group of people walked by on the trail and that was enough for the spider which disappeared before I knew it had moved.

When I returned home I attempted to identify the spider. Looking through some webpages about spiders in Virginia I settled on a species of wolf spider called Tigrosa georgicola. I’m not an expert, so I may be mistaken, and if so feel free to correct me in the comments below. I always like learning new things about nature and wildlife.

A wolf spider on the trail

Tech Talk

If you’re curious about the technical details, I was hand-holding the camera, though as I mentioned I rested it on the ground for stability. I had on my 105mm macro lens which does a great job with these subjects. The trees shaded the trail enough I had to raise the ISO to 1600 to keep the shutter speed around 1/200 to 1/250 of a second using an aperture of f/5 to f/6.3. It’s always a compromise with these types of shots. Stopping down the aperture more would give more depth of field but at a slower shutter speed or higher ISO. In this situation I likely could have used a slower shutter speed but was mostly acting instinctively so didn’t think of trying it.

And speaking of depth of field, I didn’t shoot with this in mind, but I’d created enough images of each pose with slightly different focus points that I brought them all into Photoshop and focus stacked them, giving me just a bit more depth of field on the spider. If I hadn’t been acting instinctively and had thought it through a bit more I might have intentionally shifted the focus while the spider was still and been able to create a final image with the spider fully in focus. But that wasn’t to be this time around. I think I need to practice that technique more often in the field, then perhaps I might think of it when I switch into instinctive mode. In this case, though, I knew the group was right behind me and I didn’t have long to photograph the spider, so I was happy my instincts were enough to create the images I did.

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