Steven Helmer Publications

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get a walk in today or if it would start raining around lunchtime. Once I knew for sure the weather was going to remain dry, I decided to go.  We did get rain yesterday though and, since I both knew some of the trails would be muddy as a result and I had no desire to contend with mosquitos, I didn't walk as far as I normally do. Despite this, I was still able to get some photos. Here is a selection of them: This monarch was a consolation photo. I missed out on three garter snakes on the same path because they were slithering into higher grass by the time I noticed them. This butterfly presented a bit of a challenge because it simply would not stay still. This was the best out of about thirty attempts to photograph it. The dragonflies were a bit more of a challenge than usual today too. Every time I'd have one in the perfect position/in focus, a fish would make a splash and startle it. Not my best turtle photo but I was able to get a pictu...

I found myself humming the theme song to Reading Rainbow on my walk today because while wildlife was limited, I certainly saw a lot of butterflies flying in the sky. I was able to capture a few of them with the camera too, along with some other things. Here are some of my photos:  ________________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/4/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (7/6/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos 9/18/2020 Lunchtime Walk Photos (7/22/2026)

There's a chance for storms this afternoon and evening, but the weather was decent enough at lunch for me to get a walk in with my camera. There hasn't been as much at the park as usual, but I did still manage to get some photos. Here are a few of them: ________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous nature photos: Just a Couple Rabbit Photos Morning Walk Photos (6/3/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/29/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/4/2026)

It was a little warm out there, making the steeper parts of my walk a bit more difficult, but I managed to get one in today just the same. There was surprisingly not a whole lot in terms of wildlife today, though I am certain I heard a deer walking just beyond my sightline. As a result, I once again focused primarily on the dragonflies and butterflies, not counting the frog I saw along the way. Here are some of my photos:   ___________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous nature photos: Morning Walk Photos (6/15/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (5/8/2026) Morning Walk Photos 7/6/2017 Lunchtime Walk Photos 9/15/2017

I am still getting used to the macro setting on my new camera. It works, just in a different way than my previous camera, and there are some nuances I'm still figuring out. I did manage to practice a bit with that on my walk today though, mostly trying to capture images of dragonflies near one of the ponds. Here are some of the photos I got: ______________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my other insect photos: Just a Butterfly Picture Butterfly Photo Dragonfly Another Dragonfly Photo

I caught myself doing something interesting today. Apparently, and I just realized this was the case, I have a habit of telling the various animals, insects, etc. I photograph "thank you," each time. Well, maybe not all of them, just the cooperative ones. Still, knowing they probably don't understand me, I guess I'm just that polite of a guy. Then again, maybe it helps with karma and ensures some of them will pose for me, as was the case today, when I had plenty of reasons to say thank you. Here are some of the photos:

 I wasn't sure if I was going to go for a walk today because of the rain we had last night and uncertainty about how wet it would make the trails and how many mosquitoes I'd be contending with. I did go out, however, and found a few photos while doing so. Here are some of them:

My wife was doing a photoshoot with another photographer today and I tagged along. While she did her thing, I did mine. Here are some of the photos. Camera: Kodak PIXPRO AZ-425

Synopsis: This nature documentary talks about the African dung beetle, its role in nature and the hazards it faces while collecting animal feces both for food and procreation. Who's in it? The movie is narrated by  Joe Szymanski . Review: Since it was once again my wife's MMA night last night, I used my alone time to find another movie to watch in her absence. This one caught my attention on Paramount Plus solely because of the title and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. I knew the basic concept of a dung beetle but honestly didn't know a whole lot of details about the insect until watching this documentary. For one, I didn't even know there was more than one type of dung beetle and thought it was interesting how the different types play different roles even as they are essentially accomplishing the same mission. Overall, I ended up gaining a whole new appreciation for the insect species and just how complex nature is. I thought it was fasci...

 Just some photos I took at Edgewater Park in Beaver Dam and Wehr Nature Center in Milwaukee the past couple of days.

I haven't been able to take a lunchtime walk the past couple of days but, despite it looking like it might rain, did managed to get out to the park and squeeze one in today. However, as far as photos go, it was a little bit of a disappointment. It was a bit too chilly for the turtles and snakes to be out, the various birds and insects I saw didn't seem to be overly cooperative and even something as simple as a flower was hard to photograph because of the wind. Fortunately, I did manage to snap this photo as I was finishing up my walk so I didn't leave completely empty-handed.

Even though I do feel a little guilty about not visiting our church's fundraising brat fry instead, I decided to pack a lunch so I could go for another walk with my camera. I didn't end up seeing a whole lot, other than some bugs. But, at least the trails had been recently mowed so I didn't have to push through weeds like the last time. Anyway, here's some of the photos I was able to get: