Quarterly Look Back - 3rd Quarter 2023 /  by Todd Henson

Looking back at the third quarter of 2023

This has been, perhaps, the most difficult quarter of my life. Work has been busy and stressful, and I’ve lived through the death of my mother. This was a shock that completely upset everything and I continue to struggle to find a new balance. But being one of the lucky ones, life moves on, and we have the opportunity to continue learning to live.

Despite all the negative elements of the quarter, I was still fortunate to find enjoyment in many of the typical things I write about: photography, reading, watching movies and getting outside hiking, especially with my father. Below we take a look back at some of the things that brought, and continue to bring, joy to my life. I hope you find something that you, also, will enjoy.

Photography

Given all that happened this quarter, some of my posts were short and some used older photos as I didn’t get out photographing as often. But I’m happy to say some of the posts do have new photos from recent outings. So this quarter there’s a mix of old and new.

Field Notes Updates

Dogbane Leaf Beetle

The Invasive Spotted Lanternfly

Making Friends with an Emperor: Hackberry Emperor Butterfly

Mostly Photos

Through the Greenway

A Quiet Morning

A Few More Views from Mount Sugarloaf, Massachusetts

Wipe Your Mouth When You’re Finished Eating

A Trio of Koi

Summer Reflections

Remembrance

Memories of My Mother

Reviews

Book Finds - August 2023

Techniques

Painterly Kingfisher in Flight

Trip Report

Roadtrip from the Blue Ridge to Mount Jackson in the Rain

Reading

I struggled to find time to read this quarter, and when I did have time I was often not in a good frame of mind to put the effort and concentration into books. But I did listen to many audiobooks as I drove and sometimes at home. In fact, all but two of the books below were consumed as audiobooks.

The books I consumed this quarter (paper, ebook, and audio).

Here’s the full list of books: The Strain (The Strain #1) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, Dark One: Forgotten by Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells, The Fall (The Strain #2) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, The Night Eternal (The Strain #3) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson, Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning by Elizabeth Partridge, Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie, The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria - The Bright Queen, Time of Contempt (Witcher) by Andrzej Sapkowski, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland.

And of those, my favorites were:

Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning by Elizabeth Partridge

It feels as if it’s been a long while since I read a photography book, and perhaps that helped me get more enjoyment from this one about Dorothea Lange. Many of you may have seen some of her photographs as they have become iconic in their connection to moments in US history, with Migrant Mother being perhaps her most well known photo. This book was a companion to a PBS American Masters episode from 2014.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

I thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted and whimsical story, though it did feel weighed down by the extra baggage of Sanderson’s book-spanning Cosmere. I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more if it had been a standalone and a little more focused on the story, itself, with less of the universe-spanning world building, though I know that’s what many folks come to Sanderson for. All that aside, though, it was a great story.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

It’s always great when a book about books really works, and for me this one did. It’s the story of a group of seemingly unconnected people and how their lives change when some of them find an anonymous reading list left in books at a local library. A beautiful story full of wonderful characters with lots of heart and referencing some interesting books, some of which I’ve already read and some of which I haven’t, though I do plan to.

Movies & Anime

The movies & anime I watched this quarter.

Though I may have read less than usual, and less than I’d have liked, I ended up watching far more movies than I typically would. It takes less effort. I can just sit and watch, and sometimes I may drift and not get anything out of it, but other times it might keep me engaged and provide a short bit of relief and enjoyment, and in a couple rare and unexpected cases provided, perhaps, a bit of needed healing.

The full list of movies I watched: The Darkest Hour (2011), The Golden Compass (2007), Clash of the Titans (2010), I Kill Giants (2017), Crawl (2019), Prospect (2018), The Tunnel (2019), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Foolproof (2003), Inferno (2016), Occupation (2018), Rogue One (2016), and 4 episodes of the anime Planetes (2003).

Of those I watched, the movies that most stood out to me were the following:

I Kill Giants

A story about a troubled young girl in a troubled family who uses her imagination to help her cope with the harsh realities of life. She thinks there are giants that threaten her town and she’s the only one who can kill them and save the town. Thankfully, a new school councilor goes the extra mile to help this girl and we eventually learn what it was that sent her on this imaginative journey. A very touching story with an ending that hit me hard.

The Tunnel

This was a Norwegian movie about a disaster that happens in one of the many tunnels through the mountains around Christmas time when people are trying to get back home to celebrate with family. The movie was both about the disaster and what rescue workers did to try to save people, and also about a small family already grieving and attempting to move on with life. This one may have hit me harder because of my own recent experiences.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Can’t go wrong with the early Indiana Jones movies. I enjoyed returning to this classic from 1984, one I loved then and I loved again now.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I loved the original Star Wars trilogy. Granted, I first watched it when very young when it first came to theaters, so much of my enjoyment is the great memories of something completely different from anything else I’d seen. But I’ve since rewatched it and still thoroughly enjoyed it. I found myself largely disappointed with the 2nd trilogy and to a great extent stopped watching new Star Wars content. But I kept hearing good things about Rogue One, so I finally gave it a try and I’m glad I did. It had much of the feel of the original trilogy, and though not a perfect movie, I found myself largely getting lost within it, as I did with the original movies.

Music

Music can be magical in its ability to evoke emotion, to move us in many different ways, and to help heal. And though I didn’t listen to or discover much new music this quarter, there is one song I want to share, one I’ve shared a different video of before. But of all I’ve shared this one is the most worthy of sharing again. And please, if you’ve heard of this group before but only know them for their harder heavy metal songs, consider giving this one a try. I know it stands out more for me now because of what I went through this quarter, but I think it’s an important message for all of us as we all go through these experiences. It’s important that we do hold on to memories, and that we try to make the most of the rest of our lives.

Disturbed - Hold on to Memories

 

Life

My mother was in the hospital (several hospitals, actually) almost the entire month of July and died in early August. Much of this quarter now feels like a blur. It was spent going back and forth between work and whichever hospital or facility my mother was in on that day. For much of that time I put my life on hold to visit and support my mother and my family. Thankfully, I still managed to regularly create posts for this blog though, of course, that wasn’t anywhere near my priority. Unfortunately I did have to put aside some of the other things I enjoy, like visiting and commenting on the blogs of friends, and responding to comments on this very blog. I regret not keeping up and I’ve been working to get back into the swing of things, to find that balance that lets me do those things. I’m so very thankful for everyone’s patience and for not completely abandoning me during my absence.

Life goes on. We slowly heal. We cherish memories of those who’ve gone before us. We strive to create new ones with those still around. Life can be difficult at times. It can seem hopeless and without purpose. But life can also be so very beautiful and so full of meaning, purpose and hope. I have always tried to keep a positive tone to my words on this blog, to seek out and share the beauty of the world, to provide a small refuge when it seems everything around us has become negative and hopeless. And I hope that despite the sometimes somber words I’ve shared this quarter that I’ve still managed to convey my positive and hopeful outlook, something I’ve not lost.

Life is beautiful. Cherish it!

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Making Friends with an Emperor: Hackberry Emperor Butterfly /  by Todd Henson

A hackberry emperor butterfly landed on my pants

While walking the grounds of Blandy Experimental Farm, the State Arboretum of Virginia, I had the opportunity to befriend a hackberry emperor butterfly. It landed on my pants and didn’t want to leave, busily licking my pants with its proboscis, which looks like a very long tongue. Apparently it’s common for this species to land on and lick people for the sodium in their sweat. I have to assume I’d been sweating right through my pants as this little butterfly just didn’t want to leave.

Though it remained on my pants, every so often the hackberry emperor butterfly would flap its wings

A front view of the hackberry emperor butterfly showing off its proboscis

The underside of hackberry emperor butterfly wings are lighter in color than the top

The hackberry in their name comes from the fact they only lay their eggs on the hackberry tree, which provides food for their larvae. When adults they feed on the hackberry sap, but also from sources away from the tree, like dead and decaying animals and fruit, among other things (human sweat).

A closeup view of the head and proboscis of the hackberry emperor butterfly

Interestingly, the hackberry emperor frequents flowers less often than many other butterfly species. And when it does visit a flower it seems to do so very carefully, only reaching in with its proboscis and avoiding touching pollen with its legs or antenna. This means it’s not a very good pollinator and thought of more as a parasitic insect, leeching off plants without providing any benefit to them.

A parting view of the hackberry emperor butterfly perched on my pants

Thankfully, though, it does provide one benefit I’m aware of, and that’s the joy of seeing it. It’s a beautiful little butterfly, and one I hope to encounter again.

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The Invasive Spotted Lanternfly /  by Todd Henson

The final nymphal stage of a spotted lanternfly

My father and I visited Blandy Experimental Farm, the State Arboretum of Virginia, in mid-August of 2023. While there I saw a flash of red moving on the bark of a tree just beside their bamboo grove. When I looked closer I saw an insect I’d never seen before, a very curious looking insect in red, black and white. And it very obviously noticed me. Every time I got close it stopped moving, and when I moved away it began moving very quickly up the trunk. It was on the shaded side of the tree so I pushed up my camera’s ISO and captured what views I could of this little creature.

Red, black and white, a spotted lanternfly nymph

It was only later, when I was back home and began researching, that I learned this creature was the final nymphal stage of a spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that is spreading quickly across areas of the United States and causing problems for agriculture. It’s native to parts of China and Vietnam, and as is usually the case, isn’t quite the problem in those regions because there are species that keep it in check. But in other regions it can cause great harm to crops and other plants even though its preferred host is the tree of heaven, another invasive species in this area.

To try to deal with it Blandy began an effort to cut back and destroy all the tree of heaven on their grounds. They had previously planted some of these trees for research, but they also are very widespread and considered the most common weed tree in the area. Tree of heaven is a very tough species and they describe trying to kill it as “like trying to kill a vampire: Weaken him with sunlight, holy artifacts, and garlic, then stab him a few hundred times and see what happens.”

If the insects only fed on tree of heaven things might be ok, as one species might get rid of the other, then die out. But the insects only prefer tree of heaven, they don’t require it. If there aren’t enough of these they’ll happily feed on roses, grapes, fruit trees, walnuts, maples, etc, and Blandy was most concerned about their maples, walnuts and ornamental fruit trees.

You might think that if it’s so difficult to kill off the host tree, why not go directly at the spotted lanternflies? Well, they tried that, too, but the insects are also very tough to get rid of. They had a great description of this for those who enjoy reading fantasy and classics: “Its host tree may be Dracula, but the lanternflies themselves are Tolkienian orcs; for each one slain, a hundred more rise from the foul earth to take its place.”

Looking down on a spotted lanternfly nymph

And so they fight what seems a losing battle hoping, in time, they may arrive at some equilibrium. Perhaps the tide will turn if a local parasite realizes it can feed on spotted lanternflies.

My father and I learned first hand how bad it had become in that area, as we visited Sky Meadows State Park in early September, a park not too far from Blandy. While hiking through the woods my father saw something move and land just in front of us. It turned out to be an adult spotted lanternfly. Later that day we stopped for lunch in the outskirts of Front Royal and while in the restaurant I kept seeing insects flying outside and I kept thinking spotted lanterfly. When we left and got a closer view there were dozens and dozens of adults flying all around the parking lot and on the buildings. I just hope none hitched a ride on my car when we returned home.

An adult spotted lanternfly on the ground

It’s unfortunate it does such damage when it finds itself outside its native range, as it’s a very interesting and attractive creature. The adult is especially attractive when it opens its wings and reveals the red underneath.

Read through the following links to learn more about the spotted lanterfly, the damage it can cause outside its native range, and what different areas are doing about it:

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