Golden Hour, Golden Harvest

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#GoldenHourMagic #FruitPhotography #NatureCloseUp #PearLovers #HarvestVibes #GardenPhotography #FruitArt #NaturePerfection #EdibleBeauty #OrganicAesthetics #FreshFromTheTree #HomeGrownGoodness #SunlitSerenity #NatureInFocus #SeasonalColors

Flowers of the Kampina – Part 3

Summer in the Kampina is a feast for the senses, and nowhere is this more evident than in its wildflowers.

I began with Sagittaria graminea (smalbladig pijlkruid), its delicate white petals catching the morning light, while a honeybee worked busily at the top of the frame. Nearby, the toxic yet beautiful Cicuta virosa (waterscheerling) stood tall, its blossoms framed by a shimmering bokeh from the water behind.

The humble Prunella vulgaris (gewone brunel or bijenkorfje) was next—a true bee magnet. I captured it with my Canon 5D Mark III and MP-E 65mm macro lens, a rare, specialized lens that magnifies from life-size to five times life-size without additional accessories. It’s a tool for those who want to dive into the smallest worlds nature hides.

At the northeast near Huisvennen, I wandered into a sea of blooming clover. My photo shows just one flower, but the meadow was alive with bees darting between blossoms.

The heath is also in bloom, painting the landscape in purples and pinks. In the early morning, unopened buds still held tiny dew droplets—each a perfect lens for the rising sun.

Finally, the Galeopsis tetrahit, here in a pale form with purple specks. While modest in appearance, it belongs to the vast orchid family—one of the oldest and most diverse plant families on Earth.

Next: Part 4 – Birds of the Kampina.

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#Wildflowers #Kampina #MacroPhotography #Canon5DMarkIII #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma100400 #MPE65mm #SagittariaGraminea #CicutaVirosa #PrunellaVulgaris #CloverFlower #HeathInBloom #GaleopsisTetrahit #OrchidFamily #BeeFriendly #PollinatorLove #NatureCloseUp #DutchNature #Oisterwijk #WildNetherlands #MacroMagic #FloralPhotography #BotanyLovers #PlantScience #FlowerDetails #TinyWorld #FlowerMacro #InsectPollination #BeePhotography #NatureArt #BokehLovers #MorningDew #BloomSeason #SummerFlowers #WildFlora #NatureObservation #PhotographyForTheSoul #BotanicalBeauty #PlantDiversity #WildflowerSeason #HiddenNature

The Wonderful World of Fungus – Part 2

After last week’s rains, the Kampina near Oisterwijk revealed a hidden kingdom—one that thrives quietly beneath our feet. This week, I set my lenses to macro mode and explored the intricate, often overlooked life of fungi and slime molds.

First, I found Rickenella fibula, a tiny moss-dwelling mushroom just a few millimeters tall, its orange caps glowing against the green carpet. Nearby, Mycena stylobates stood on delicate stems, their translucent caps perched above fallen leaves. Looking closely, I could see the long, thread-like hyphae weaving underneath—nature’s living network, breaking down leaf litter and recycling nutrients.

Then came the slime molds. One bright orange species looked like clusters of tiny eggs, each a potential transformation into a spore-bearing structure. Another, still a mystery to me, appeared as a single white, chalk-like sphere on moss—perhaps the fruiting body of another slime mold, or something else entirely. Nature loves to leave puzzles for us to solve.

After hours in this miniature world, I reached the heart of the Kampina and paused at a weathered workman’s hut before heading home. My Canon 5D Mark III with MP-E macro lens captured the fine details, while the Canon 7D Mark II with Sigma 100–400mm kept watch for the bigger picture.

Next up: Part 3—The blooming heath and wildflowers of the Kampina.

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#MacroPhotography #Canon5DMarkIII #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma100400 #MPE65mm #FungiPhotography #RickenellaFibula #MycenaStylobates #MossLovers #TinyMushrooms #FungusAmongUs #SlimeMold #Mycology #MushroomLovers #FungiMacro #ForestFloorFinds #NatureCloseUp #DutchNature #Kampina #Oisterwijk #WildNetherlands #MushroomSeason #MicroWorld #FungiFriday #InstaFungi #MycoBeauty #ForestMagic #MossAndFungi #TinyWorld #FungiOfTheNetherlands #MacroMagic #MushroomArt #SlimeMoldSpotting #MysteryMushroom #SporeLife #NatureDetails #HiddenNature #WildlifeMacro #NatureObservation #CloseUpNature

Summer’s Small Wonders

It’s been an intense week job hunting—stressful, but necessary. When the tension builds, I return to my medicine: walking and photography. This time of year, midsummer, wildlife can be scarce. So I turned my attention to the smaller residents of the Kampina near Oisterwijk.

With my Canon 5D Mark III and MP-E macro lens, I captured a common honeybee at work. Then a Calopteryx splendens—known in Dutch as the weidebeekjuffer—its metallic blues shimmering in the sun. A gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) with weathered wings reminded me that beauty exists in imperfection. Another posed with wings closed, its patterned eyes giving the illusion of a cross-eyed stare—an optical quirk of insect anatomy.

A small emerald moth (Hemistola chrysoprasaria) rested among blooming heath (Calluna vulgaris), a gentle hint that summer’s edge is near. Nearby, four perfectly shaped green leaves formed the silhouette of a butterfly—nature’s accidental mimicry.

Switching to my Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100–400mm, I explored further. After a week of rain, the forest floor has begun to transform—mushrooms emerging like quiet sculptures. These fruiting bodies of fungi are not just beautiful; they are vital recyclers, returning nutrients to the soil and supporting entire ecosystems.

Next up: a closer look at the “wonderful world of fungus.” Until then, I’ll keep walking, keep noticing, and keep sharing.

#MacroPhotography #Canon5DMarkIII #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma100400 #MPE65mm #WildlifeMacro #NatureCloseUp #InsectPhotography #BeePhotography #Damselfly #CalopteryxSplendens #Weidebeekjuffer #ButterflyPhotography #PyroniaTithonus #GatekeeperButterfly #SmallEmeraldMoth #HemistolaChrysoprasaria #HeathFlowers #CallunaVulgaris #LeafMimicry #NaturePatterns #SummerNature #Kampina #Oisterwijk #DutchNature #Biodiversity #InsectMacro #Pollinators #WildlifeOfTheNetherlands #InsectsOfInstagram #MothOrButterfly #NatureObservation #CloseUpNature #MacroMagic #SmallWorldBigBeauty

#nature #lichen #yellowlichen #moos #flechte #rocksurface #stoneart #naturmuster #naturecloseup #macroshot #yellowonblack #wildtextures #mossandlichen #urbanwildlife #naturfotografie #outdoordetails #stonephotography #closeupnature #lichenlove #naturfarben

A Bumblebee's Dream

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#macroflower #bumblebee #wildflowers #thistlelove #pollinatorfriendly #naturecloseup #purpleflowers #flowerandbee #macro_perfection #insectphotography #meadowmagic #nature_brilliance #wildflowerphotography #beeandbloom #floral_focus

#Pusteblume #Löwenzahn #Sommermoment #Naturfoto #Makrofotografie #Naturzauber #Pflanzenliebe #Wiesenwunder #Sommerlicht #Blumenliebe #Nahaufnahme #Naturerlebnis
#Dandelion #NatureCloseUp #MacroNature #FlowerDetail #SummerVibes #PlantLovers #FloralMagic #NaturePhotography #SeedHead #GentleNature #SoftFocus #OutdoorBeauty