In 2006, The North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) designated June 15 as Nature Photography Day – a day to enjoy capturing the beauty of nature through photography and to learn more about preservation and conservation along the way. I may be a few days late for the actual date, but since nature photography is one of my favorite hobbies, I thought I’d share a few recent photos in honor of this day.

Observations from Holden Forests & Gardens Nature Areas

Holden has many acres of protected natural areas and while not all are open to visitation, as much for the safety of visitors as it is for the safety of the fragile environments, some of them house some very rare species.

Cypripedium reginae, showy ladies’ slipper, is a threatened species in Ohio and is rare throughout much of its range. One of its biggest threats is collectors, but this species has a way of getting even. The hairs on the flowers and leaves may cause contact dermatitis, like poison ivy, on the skin of those who touch it.

This butterfly is a Baltimore checkerspot, Euphydryas phaeton. It was found in the same area as the orchid above and is considered an indicator species of high-quality wetlands.

This tiny orchid, about 3 inches tall and nearly impossible to find if it is not blooming, is Spiranthes lucida, shining ladies’ tresses, a potentially threatened species in Ohio.

Observations from the Gardens

While working in the gardens at the Holden Arboretum, we see many interesting plants and animals too.

If you’ve been to Holden Arboretum recently, you may have seen one of our many turtles out of the pond looking for sites to dig a hole and bury their eggs. In the weeks following, predatory mammals often dig them up and feast. While it is easy to be sad about the destruction of so many turtle eggs, it is also important to realize that nature has its way of balancing and some do survive.

We often find baby turtles like this snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, I found as it was coming out of its first winter dormancy last month.   

I happened to be in the right place at the right time to see this. A praying mantis egg mass, found in the arboretum gardens while pruning, was bursting to life with young hatchlings all in a rush to get out. I’m not pointing out the scientific name because there are three different genus types known in Ohio. While this is likely one of the exotic species, they aren’t necessarily considered invasive.

The potentially threatened, Ohio native wild lupine, Lupinus perennis, was blooming in the sand prairie recently. Requiring a very specific environment of sandy open soil, this plant is the exclusive food for the caterpillars of the endangered Karner blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa samuelis.

Magnolia macrophylla, appropriately known as bigleaf magnolia, has been blooming in the Wildflower Garden this month. This tree is known to have the largest simple (undivided) leaves of native North American tree species – up to 30 inches long – and the flowers are pretty big too! In the wild it is usually not hardy this far north, but it has been living in a protected spot in the Wildflower Garden for many years.

This is just a small selection of some of my recent favorite photos from Holden Forests & Gardens. Hopefully it encourages you to get out there, look around and take some of your own!