Small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
This year I got to know a beautiful dry meadow near my home. There are still a nice amount of butterflies here, making their rounds above the colorful meadow flowers and orchids. Intensively they are observed by the red-backed shrike family, which also lives here.
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
After I could hardly find marbled whites last year probably because of the continuous rather bad weather, I had more luck again this year. Although these butterflies are not quite colorful, they still give me great pleasure with their wing markings every time I discover them in the meadow.
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
Early in the morning on the orchid meadow I discover a marbled white every few meters. Outside this meadow I have never seen these butterflies consciously before, but here they reliably appear every year. Thanks to the cloudy and rather cool morning it takes several hours until they finally thaw out and leave their sleeping places. I use this unusually long time to photograph them in many situations.
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
These colours are almost kitschy, when a marbled white presents itself in the early morning on a blade of grass in front of my camera, its sleeping place of the previous night. Its body and also the wings are still covered with dewdrops. It is waiting for the sun to release it from its rigidity.
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
This year I have been working intensively with these beautiful butterflies. I am still amazed how specific they are to be found. Meanwhile I know just two meadows where they can be found in the surroundings of my home. On this photo this individual wakes up still covered with dew on the quaking grass where it spent the night.
Gossamer-winged Butterfly (Lycaenidae)
Long before sunrise the first light of the twilight falls on that little Lycaenidae. Some hours will pass before the sun has finally evaporated the dew from its wings.
Gossamer-winged Butterfly (Lycaenidae)
Already a week ago I went to a meadow where I always met many butterflies. But at that time I did not find a single one. Afterwards I could imagine that it was because of the rather cool nights, which temporarily prevailed during the ice saints' days. So I went there again today and was not disappointed this time. Shortly after sunrise I discovered a lot of gossamer-winged butterflies that were recovering from the nightly numbness in the warm sunlight and left the night place shortly after.
Gossamer-winged Butterfly (Lycaenidae)
If the sunlight performs the way you dreamed it would before you got up early, the day is automatically a success. This gossamer-winged butterfly presented itself in the tall grass shortly after sunrise while warming up for its start into the day.
Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina)
At the beginning of June the meadows are suddenly full of the Meadow Brown. Typically, however, they do not sit at the top of the grasses, which is why they are not as easy to spot as the Lycaenidae. I usually find them when I let my eyes wander over the meadows early in the morning, because in the backlight the slightly darker spots stick visually out of the grass.
Gossamer-winged Butterflies (Lycaenidae)
Usually it is quite difficult to approach butterflies. There was that morning when there were some Lycaenidae flying around the place I had chosen for some photography. So I did the easiest thing you can do: Wait until one of them stopped on a nearby flower.
About time to get up
Early in the morning, still full of water drops that were deposited by the ground fog, this butterfly is about to fly away just after being warmed by the rising sun.
Fly in cold rigor
What many people never see in their lifes: Early in the morning after a cold night insects dottet are all over with small water drops. They are in a cold rigor until the sun has evaporated the water. That's a perfect time for photographers as the animals keep their positions for a long time.
Insect
I cannot describe this creature more accurate because I have no clue what animal species it belongs to. But I loked its posing on that leave so I took this picture.
White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes)
For a longer time I had not been engaged in dragonfly photography. But after I had discovered a new nature reserve in the surroundings of my home this spring, where these nimble fliers occur in large numbers, I felt the urge to stalk the dragonflies again. Covered with dewdrops in the light of the rising sun, they are the most beautiful, and when many coloured flowers serve as a background, it is almost perfect.
Arc of triumph
In the center of a fairy environment this damselfly sits on the to of a bended reed.
Dragonfly in the spotlight
I met this Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) just before sunset in a small nature reserve, where I could photograph frogs, butterflies and dragonflies several times before. It was sitting on a small stick in one of the three small ponds, which unfortunately dried up completely shortly after because of the drought in the summer of 2022.
Blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
My working zone was never smaller than on that morning: Two stretches along a stream, each about one meter long and just about five meters apart from each other. On this tiny area I enjoyed the time starting at sunrise and could take more than 400 pictures in just a few hours. They show damselflies with dewdrops on their bodies.
Frozen Dragonfly
It was many early mornings that I was searching for a dragonfly in rigor due to low temperature. Finally I had a happy morning with lots of fog and temperatures not really rising for a long time. It never appeared to notice me. So I was able to take a big number of pictures I was dreaming of and could expose the animal against a nice background.
Dragonfly
Every year in June I get the feeling that there are much less dragonflies than the year before. But it is always the same mistake: Most dragonflies only appear in masses during the month of July. Again I was walking along the reed at the Aarschächli near Aarau and could see where ever I wanted, there were individuals of the many species living in this area all around. So you 'only' have to approach very thoroughly, look after the background and focus carefully.
Dripping wet
During night time small drops of water accumulate on the bodies of insects because of the low temperatures. Until a short time after sunrise they can easily be seen. The animals are quite calm during that time so they can be approached much easier than later. That allows for the realization of great macro pictures.
Dragonfly
Closeup taken in the Rohrer Schachen near Aarau. In summertime I like spending time taking pictures of dragonflies because at that time of the year the larger animals as well as birds are difficult to find in the dense growth.
Narrow-winged damselfly
Narrow-winged damselflies (Coenagrionidae) are the largest family of small dragonflies. No surprise that I can find these small animals quite often in the meadows along the Aare near Aarau.
Dragonfly laying eggs
Early summer female dragonflies lay the eggs in flat water. Nymphs grow out of the eggs and become predators on other aquatic organism. The can even catch and eat polliwogs. Some dragonfly nymphs live in that stadium for up to five years before the go to land and become dragonflies.
Little climber
This little bug seems to have a goal. Hopefully the flower will withstand its weight.
Ant
This picture of an ant walking on the lower side of a leaf is one of my favourites and hanging on the wall of my bed room as large format print.
Wood ant
Taking pictures of ants is not easy at all. Usually they move quite fast and unpredictably. While I was trying to take a sharp and also nice picture I suddenly realized that this ant was watching me and seemingly wanted to attack me. It looked like an aggressive posture. I tried to imagine what I would hear if I were understanding their language.
Ant in sunset light
It was an early summer evening in the Rohrer Schachen. I was doing macro and close-up photography for some hours. Besides of dragonflies and grasshoppers I found some ants in the growth. They were milking lice on a thistle. It happened that I could place the setting sun in the background.
Detailaufnahme einer Biene
Wenn man so richtig nahe an eine Biene ran geht, so entdeckt man oben auf dem Kopf einen Sensor, den ich so vorher noch nie gesehen hatte.
Toadstool (Amanita muscaria)
The fly amanita is certainly the most famous mushroom in our latitudes and for me the most beautiful of all. Finally I found some specimens again and could take a picture.
Toadstool (Amanita muscaria)
Sometimes one walks for hours through the woods in search of toadstools and does not see a single one. This time I was lucky and found a whole circle of small and large specimens.
Father and son looking down into the valley
With small mushrooms I often imagine small villages or figures, which are shown by macro photography from an unusual perspective. Here I see a father standing on a mountain with his son and looking down into the valley in the evening light.
Mushroom in autumn forest
In autumn, the ground in the forests is covered with leaves fallen from trees. In between, however, there is still life and even fruiting organisms like the ones of the mushrooms. This individual has fought its way through the foliage and has thus come to light where it is warmed by the evening sun.
Mushroom in autumn forest
Autumn is the time of mushrooms. I spent a whole afternoon looking for a beautiful picture in the woods. There were more than enough fungi, but most of them grow in foliage or branches, so they can't be ideally shown on a photo. Fortunately, this small specimen grew a little exposed on an old tree trunk.
Tunnel view
These fungi found a well protected place in the moss.
Little hat village
In autumn 2017 there were incredibly many fungi growing in our forests, thanks to the very good climatic conditions in that year. Never before had I seen so many different kinds of fungi. You only had to turn around to see another little hat village.
Snake's head (Fritillaria meleagris)
This extremely rare flower only grows on special grounds. In Switzerland there are just two places where they can be found. The more important of them is in the Newbourgian Jura at the border of the Doubs river. Approximately 300 pieces were growing on the slumping grass. Because this flower is on the red list it is strictly protected and the nature reserve was established just for its protection.
Hyacinthoides
Once again I was stalking in my usual territory when I discovered some very beautiful flowers that were eye-catching because of their blue color. Anna-Barbara Utelli helped me to identify this plant as Hyacinthoides which is the very same plant that transforms the floor of a famous forest in Belgium to a blue carpet. There are many international photographers travelling there just to take the ever same pictures.
Pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)
A plant that can be found from the gardens in the cities to the Alps is the pasque flower. With this photo I tried to capture an urban scene at night. Accordingly, the lights are not from the moon, but from advertising billboards and car headlights.
Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
Just one day before the heavy spring rainfalls with floodings started I could take a picture of these oxeye daisies in the last morning sunrays. These flowers are among my favourites. Every year I'm looking forward seeing them.
Edelweiss
Probably the most famous plant in Switzerland. Anyone who does hiking in a regular manner will know a spot where they grow. If you like to go to 'my' spot with me on a macro photography workshop you find more information here.
Edelweiss
The Edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale) is a symbolic plant for Switzerland. The rare species is used by many companies in their logo design and also the Swiss tourism organization uses it. That is one reason why this plant appeals to many people, another is the fact that it is difficult to find as a plant living in high mountain areas of the Alps. It was some years ago when I discovered a place where they can be found in big numbers. So I had been planning to return there for some shots. Arriving there I was happy that people had not taken these protected plants away so I could still find them and take pictures.
Hard-working Bumblebee
Nonstop this humblebee is looking for nectar on the thistle. Flying from flower to flower it only sits down for short moments.
Crocus with visitor
One of the earliest indicators for the approaching spring time are crocus. Just shortly after the snowdrops they show their heads in parks and gardens. That's also the time when the first bees start flying around, given that the weather is nice and warm enought.
Snowdrops
When the last snow of the winter is melted Nature wakes up for the next season. The first plants that show themselves are the Snowdrops (Galanthus) that can let the skirts of certain forests appear like white meadows for a short time. They can also be found around housing complexes or - like in this case - next to a playground. Like that a family walk can be used for taking some pictures.
Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
Actually, I still wish to find snowdrops in the forest. In our area, I have never encountered it but they can be found in every other garden and also in a city park near me around the corner. Armed with a face mask I went to this park today. The thousands of crocuses, which provide the beautiful background, were mostly bent the day before by a foehn wind. For this, the last snowdrops could tower over them beautifully.
Spring Snowflake
Spring Snowflakes (leucojum vernum) are often mistaken for Snowdrops. These two kinds are really very similar which is why their names are very close as well. However, they are the first messengers of the approaching spring and very photogenic.
Snowdrop (Galanthus)
On one hand it's kind of diapointing that the snowdrops can only be found in the gardens in the city center where I live. Out in the nature reserve I haven't found any so far. On the other hand it is a good sign that the gardens around the city mansions are like a colorful carpet at the end of winter time, shining white of snowdrops and in the bright colors of the Crocus.
Spring Snowflake
Spring Snowflakes (leucojum vernum) are often mistaken for Snowdrops. These two kinds are really very similar which is why their names are very close as well. However, they are the first messengers of the approaching spring and very photogenic.
Lady's-slipper Orchid
I took this picture on a excursion to the Gasterntal during a general meeting of the Swiss Nature Photographers in Kandersteg. The very rare Lady's-slipper Orchid (cypripedium calceolus) was quite easy to find. But it was big luck that a fly posed on the petal and stayed there long enough.
Common Sainfoin
An exceptionally beautiful flowery meadow in the Rohrer Schachen where I use to spend my spare time usually blooms around the beginning of June in all colors. Reddish is dominated by the Common Sainfoin - Onobrychis viciifolia.
Back-lit flowers
Dawn breaking over some flowers in springtime. The warm backlight not only illuminates the background but also the flowers.
