Disc Golf Treasures and Lovebugs

 

Indian Blanket

I never know when I tag along with the guys as they play disc golf what treasures I’ll find to photograph with my Nikon D300 and Nikon 105mm macro lens. Take last week for example. All three guys played at TC Jester Park in Houston. At first, I was content to shoot the occasional berries, as well as some disc golf action. And then I saw something that made me say to the Mister, “I’ll catch up to you later.”

That “something” was a patch of bluebonnets!

Blooming bluebonnets with crimson clovers

TC Jester has a wildflower reserve along a walking path that was brimming with blooming bluebonnets and other wildflowers. A veritable cornucopia of earthly beauty. I missed play on two holes while I was snapping away, but it was well worth it.

Bluebonnets

Of course, I knew which wildflowers were bluebonnets. But I had never seen the Indian Blankets (the top photo) before or the Mexican Hats or the crimson clovers. This was new wildflower territory for me, and I loved it! This was photography heaven.

Mexican Hats

Crimson clovers

Sometimes the insect population wants to be photographed, too.

Blooming bluebonnets with a couple passengers

If you don’t live here in the Gulf Coast region, you probably are clueless about lovebugs. They’re two dark flies, actually, that fly as one into your face, your car, and your house in late April and May and then again in late August and September. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about them:

The adult lovebug feeds on the nectar of flowering plants. Upon reaching maturity, the lovebug spends almost the entirety of its remaining life copulating with its mate, hence its numerous romantic nicknames. The male and female attach themselves at the rear of the abdomen and remain that way at all times, even in flight. In fact, after mating, the male dies and is dragged around by the female until she lays her eggs. 

Lovebugs joined for life

Lovely, aren’t they? No headaches for that poor gal. And how about that female actually dragging the dead male around after mating? Talk about your extra baggage!

Female lovebug: “Honey, would you take out the trash for me? Honey? Honey? Oh, that’s right, you are the trash!”

Once again, I digress. As much as I loved shooting photos of the flowers and insects around me, I still can’t forget about the guys in my life who at the same time were trying to throw plastic discs into metal baskets.

The #1 son putts

An easy putt for the #2 son

The Mister putts from the woods

Yes, these three are my real disc golf treasures!