I flipped a rock in the creek in hopes of finding a salamander larva and I was not disappointed. As is my custom, I snapped a shot as soon as the rock was clear so I would get some type of image, just in case my intended subject took off. As soon as this shot was taken, the larva zipped for cover beneath a large rock and my photo opportunity was over.
When I later checked my shots, I found that I had captured the larva, a Dusky Salamander, but water distortion and the reflection of the sky didn’t make it a very good picture.
Then I noticed something to the left of the larva and zoomed in to find a young crayfish. He’s got something held in his tiny pinchers, but I can’t see it well enough to get an ID.
So I decided to play the old Hidden Picture game I used to enjoy while in the orthodontists waiting room and see what else I could find. There are several Water Pennies in the shot. I like to see these because they are indicators of high quality creek water.
An aquatic isopod is grazing on a submerged stick. These scavengers feed on decaying plant and animal matter. I used to keep these as pets when I was a kid, because they were the closest thing I could find to a living trilobite. I’m always finding things in my photographs that I never saw in the field. It’s a lot of fun to discover these little surprises.
I flipped a rock in the creek in hopes of finding a salamander larva and I was not disappointed. As is my custom, I snapped a shot as soon as the rock was clear so I would get some type of image, just in case my intended subject took off. As soon as this shot was taken, the larva zipped for cover beneath a large rock and my photo opportunity was over. 
When I later checked my shots, I found that I had captured the larva, a Dusky Salamander, but water distortion and the reflection of the sky didn’t make it a very good picture. 
Then I noticed something to the left of the larva and zoomed in to find a young crayfish. He’s got something held in his tiny pinchers, but I can’t see it well enough to get an ID. 
So I decided to play the old Hidden Picture game I used to enjoy while in the orthodontists waiting room and see what else I could find. There are several Water Pennies in the shot. I like to see these because they are indicators of high quality creek water. 
An aquatic isopod is grazing on a submerged stick. These scavengers feed on decaying plant and animal matter. I used to keep these as pets when I was a kid, because they were the closest thing I could find to a living trilobite. I’m always finding things in my photographs that I never saw in the field. It’s a lot of fun to discover these little surprises.
