A walk along the North Bank Trail

The Start

Earlier this spring, I had a spare few hours to walk along the North Bank Trail in the middle of a day on a weekday. It was rare that I could enjoy the trail when most people were working. The weather had just started warming, and I was enjoying the peace and solitude. On the weekends, I’m usually dodging dirt bikes and runners and other hikers. If I’m just going for a walk, I don’t mind the busyness. If I’m trying to chase a tiny frog and get in position to take a photo, the crowds can be a hurdle. Not to mention they scare the frogs. That day, none of this was an issue. There were a few people on the trail, but not enough to pose a safety hazard or disrupt a photo. I had a new macro filter attachment that I was very excited to try out.

The Bee

I was on the look out for bugs and flowers. It was kind of dry out, and I was getting worried I wouldn’t see as many flowers as I was hoping. As I was about to get moody about the lack of bugs, I saw these adorable little purple flowers and a very happy bee buzzing from flower to flower. I had my macro filter already attached and started snapping away. The macro filter proved to be too macro for what I need. The focal point was too narrow to fully capture the bee. The glass also seemed to have a softening effect on the photo. The effect of it isn’t terrible. I enjoy the dreamy look it gave my photos, but I wasn’t trying to capture dreamy. I wanted to see the entire bee.

The bee wasn’t in a rush to leave, buzzing from flower to flower and crawling over the petals. I kept trying to focus with my macro filter, but I just couldn’t capture enough of the bee in focus for a satisfying picture. A bit bummed, I ditched the macro filter. The little bee paused right in the middle of one of the flowers, just long enough for me to snap this photo before it flew away. It was all in focus! The picture doesn’t fully capture how tiny it was. These violet clover blooms, also called violet wood-sorrel or Oxalis violacea, are 1/2 to 3/4 an inch in diameter. The bee, my best guess with the help of iNaturalist, is a Ceratina strenua or nimble ceratina. These little carpenter bees only get about 1/5 of an inch long! It’s wings and metallic body reflected the light so well, like natures stinging glitter.

I remember briefly reading about focus stacking for macro photography. I haven’t been able to figure out if my camera has a stack focus setting, although I will admit I haven’t spent much time looking yet. The macro filter may make it difficult to achieve focus stacking, even if my camera does have the proper software. I had my zoom lens, but it was zoomed it as far as it could go since the bee was so small. I was adjusting my focus range by moving the camera closer or further from the bee. Ideally, you don’t move the camera at all. Many posts I read suggest using a tripod to minimize movement. Insects also move around a lot, making it a little difficult to capture multiple images with different focal points. I’m going to need to test out this macro filter again before I speak too much about it. However I don’t think it’s going to help me get the crisp, in focus bug photos I was hoping for.

The Wasp

On the same note of stinging things, I saw a brilliantly red wasp flying around. I had reached a clearing with little tree cover. Woody vines and bushes grew alongside the trail. I normally avoid wasps. They often seem much more reactive to my presence than bees. This one, however was on a mission. It was completely indifferent to my presence, allowing me to get incredibly close. I noticed it had something in its mouth and really wanted to see what it was. Maybe not all wasps are aggressive I thought. I was feeling comfortable, but still leery. I decided to rely on my zoom lens to get close, rather than chasing it or getting face to face with it.

It kept landing on a twig. It looked like it was eating the wood! It munched on the twig with its mandibles as it slowly made its way down before flying off again. I wish I was able to get a picture of it flying with it’s mouth full of wood fiber. I was so in awe of witnessing this new-to-me phenomenon, I wasn’t able to get my camera ready for its flight. Its red armor stood out against the background of green foliage and dry brown twigs poking out from the bushes. Its black, opaque wings looked forged in thin iron. Its mandibles were full of wood fiber, as if it was a bird collecting straw for its nest. I had never been this close to a wasp before. At least in a way where I could stop and appreciate it. It had a sturdy, solidness to it that contrasted from the dainty, glittery wings and metallic shine of the last stinging creature that had my attention. I made a mental note to look up the species when I got home.

I was surprised to discover that this is a Metric Paper Wasp, or Polistes metricus. Paper wasps get their name because they make their nests in a similar way we make paper. Once a queen picks a suitable place to start a nest, the worker wasps will forage for dead or weathered wood sources. They will even source human made paper products like cardboard and fabric. They masticate the fibers into a pulp, mixing it with saliva and water, creating a paper pulp. They use this pulp to build their iconic nests.

I had always thought of paper wasps as the most aggressive, but that shows I still have a lot to learn about bug behavior! Wasps typically won’t sting unless their nest is disturbed or if they feel threatened. However, if they are threatened, they will not hold back! It is important to remember to respect their space. All in all, it was an incredible moment to witness.

The Tent Moth Caterpillars

I saw quite a few tent moth caterpillars marching around. I was told tent moths were invasive growing up. However, most trees also rebound after the caterpillars move on to their next stage of life. They are also native to the Americas. People often mistake them for Gypsy Moth Caterpillar (Lymantria dispar), which is invasive. The Spongey Moth doesn’t make tents and many people develop rashes from their hairs. Tent moths are one of the few fuzzy caterpillars that won’t sting you too! You’ve probably seen what looks like large, dense spider webs covering tree branches. They aren’t spiders they’re tent moths! The tent moths create a communal silk tent for protection. They’re known to feed before dawn, in the afternoon, and after dark. Virginia has two types of prevalent tent moths, the Eastern Tent Moth (Malacosoma americanum) and the Forest Tent Moth (Malacosoma disstria).

I didn’t get any good pictures of the Eastern Tent Moth, but I did make friends with one of them and let it climb on my arm for a few minutes. The Eastern Tent Moth has a continuous white line down it’s back. This species prefers cherry and apple trees. This species also produces the largest tent of the tent moths.

The Forest Tent Moth has the same colors at their Eastern Tent Moth, but with white, key-hole shaped spots down its back. It’s also the only tent moth that doesn’t make tents! Instead, they make a silk sheet that they hide in when molting. They are less picky with their host trees, living and munching on oaks, sweetgum, sugar maple, and other deciduous trees and shrubs. I saw a lot more Forest Tent Moths marching around on this walk. The blue is more prominent with their pattern compared to Eastern Tent Moths. The turquois blue, rusty orange accents, and white, diamond shaped spots remind me of southwestern blankets and tapestries. Is this a sign I need to travel out west? I’m going to say yes.

The Flowers

The early summer sun was coming down harshly on my back at this point. The temperature was nothing compared to late summers, but our first hot days always take a little extra out of me. It had been dry the past couple days, and the spring flowers had withered. There’s a stretch with minimal shade and usually a number of wildflowers. I lost track of time taking pictures of fluffy dandelions that had gone to seed.

Dandelions have some amazing health benefits. They’re said to help reduce inflammation and are good sources of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as other vitamins and minerals. Not to mention the joy of seeing a field of delicate fluff balls and blowing their seeds into the wind.

I decided I needed to get out of the sun, but immediately stopped in my tracks when I saw the light beaming through the trees on some wild roses. The sun was casting some beautiful shadows on their delicate petals. I’m torn on how to edit these photos to truly capture the essence of what I saw. I tried flattening the image to give them a film-like feel. But I don’t want to lose too many of the details in the process. What I loved about this moment was seeing the texture of the petals cast by the shadows and the thin shadows cast by the delicate sepals.

I’m not a huge fan of yellow-green, so I often warm the image or cut the yellows. I may rework these images again. I am undecided.

Other Moments

Like many other city trails, human life and nature coexist together, as it should be. We have become so separate from nature. In many cases we need clear separation, like making space for nesting sea turtles and stopping harmful industrial practices from destroying mother earth. However we can make our mark without completely destroying nature. We can live as part of the ecological system and honor it’s place in our lives.

Tubby overlooks turtles basking in the sun.

I had the good fortune of a train rolling by while I tried to find more frogs. Like a ship collects barnacles from different waters, the train cars collect monikers and graffiti. Traveling galleries of people’s thoughts and art as they try to be seen while maintaining anonymity.

The End

I didn’t find any frogs on this walk. I did see a lizard, but he was too fast for my reaction time. They like to hangout in the holes of the sandy banks along the trail. The banks are fragile, and I don’t want to disturb their hideaways. Walking up the banks could cause the banks to collapse, and disturb all the bugs and frogs and lizards. They’re often protected by poison ivy or hide deep in the caverns when they see my camera lens, making them difficult to photograph. I’ll share this one I got from another walk. This frog was far too sleepy and fat to hide from me. Thanks for letting me take your picture little friend, and thank you for reading!

Protect our Parks! For more information on the North Bank Trail, check out Friends of the James River Park!