32 Nebraskaland • August-September 2021
it would just stare at me as I captured its gorgeousness on my
pricey slide film. I hardly noticed that my pants were soaking
wet and my feet were sloshing around inside my sodden
boots. The world was sparkly and still and perfect.
Now, more than 25 years later, I'm still entranced by
insects and tiny creatures, but my budget is a little bigger
and I can just delete blurry images from the memory card of
my camera. I can chase active little critters around on breezy
days, pressing my shutter button like I'm sending a telegram,
and it doesn't cost me a thing. Sometimes, I even get a good
photo that way.
The freedom afforded me by digital cameras and a paying
job, though, hasn't lessened my love for dewy mornings
and sparkling bugs. During the summer, I still scan weather
forecasts daily, paying special attention to cloud cover, dew
point and wind speed. When all those factors line up, I set
my alarm and arise before the sun so I can be in place, socks
already soggy, by the time the first shaft of morning light
hits the prairie. Then, I spend a happy hour or so trying to
defend my title as "the dewy bug guy."
N
Chris Helzer is the Nature Conservancy's director of science
in Nebraska.
7:56 a.m.
This male bumblebee had spent the night beneath this
native tall thistle fl ower and endured the presence of
my camera.
7:28 a.m.
Another dragonfl y (variegated meadowhawk) waits for
the sun to warm and dry it enough that it can continue its
southward journey.
8:04 a.m.
Dewdrops covered the pollen-fi lled anthers of big bluestem
and other grasses.
