Tag Archives: Nature

Charleston, Close-up, OM System, Small Critters, Wildlife

Baby Snacks, Anole

September 24, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

The two main subjects here lately are the crazy growth of the Moon Flowers and the little green guys the Anole.

It was inevitable an Anole would discover how the small flys are drawn to the Moon Flowers. It’s a great source of snacks for young Anole. Both the Gnats and Anole are speedy, but I did see the Anole ‘chomping away’ at times.

This is a very young Anole, maybe a day or so, and small enough to wander right around inside the flowers.

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Baby Snacks, Anole

Close-up, OM System, Small Critters, Wildlife

Little Acrobat, Carolina Anole

September 23, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 2 Comments

When looking for these little guys I look everywhere. They have the ability to hang where you least expect one. More than once I’ve had one jump on me.

The toe of an Anole has long curved claws, the pad of the toes have deep ridges that grip most anything. I wonder… do I have any close shots of their feet ?

I always try to catch a shot of an Anole staring right into the camera, eye contact. Like below.

Specs; OM-1 (1), OM 12-100, Godox iT32 flash, Lightroom.

Birds, Heron, Marsh, OM System, Swamp, Wildlife

Perched Yellow-crown Night Heron

September 23, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

Taken at the Port Royal rookery, in what is a thick and tangled swamp area. Just what the Yellow-crowns like, and photographers hate.

You spend as much time looking for open holes through the tress as you do finding the birds. Below was shot through one of those small open views.

Specs; OM-1 mk2, OM 100-400 II, Lightroom.

Close-up, OM System, Small Critters, What I Saw, Wildlife

Careful Little Guy, These Look Sharp

September 22, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 2 Comments

When I focused in close I realized just how sharp these leaves are.

This is not a place an Anole wants to make a random jump.

Landscape, Marsh, OM System, Swamp

Lodge Pond

September 22, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 3 Comments

This large marsh is named ‘Lodge Pond’ as it backs up to an old hunting lodge built by a wealthy northern industrialist that purchased the plantation here after the US Civil War. It actually was large rice fields. This particular spot is about 4,000 acres, 6 1/2 miles long.

Most of the wetlands is covered with cattails, cane, reeds, all the usual southern marsh plants.

The marsh is a series of wetlands, ponds, and dikes. An additional 5,000 acres of swamp and woodlands surround the wetlands.

Wildlife is everywhere, people not so much. The changing climate has affected the area. Water levels are higher, rarely dropping now. Wading birds find it harder to feed due to the depth. I would imagine salt levels are rising because these marshes ultimately connect to the St. Helena Bay, Atlantic Ocean.

Donnelley wildlife area, ACE Basin, South Carolina.

Birds, Charleston, Close-up, Heron, OM System, Swamp, Wildlife

Great Blue Heron, Edge Of The Sunny Water

September 22, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 6 Comments

This is a pretty common shot here with the big Herons.

The trails through this local swamp are tight, wind around the waters edge, and have a few sharp turns. This leads to accidental meetings, up close.

Neither knows what’s going to happen, so both just keep walking. Minimal eye contact is the trick. You can, like here, get a quick shot, just keep going.

No eye contact works more than you would think. It’s for birds and animals, yes even Alligators.

Great Blue Heron, Edge Of The Sunny Water

Best viewed large.

Charleston, Close-up, OM System, Small Critters, What I Saw, Wildlife

Climber

September 22, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

Going right up the bamboo. In an instant he can be hidden in the vines and I would never see him. As often as not these lizards will jump as soon as they see me. I may raise the camera, chances are I won’t even get a chance to focus.

Historical, Landscape, Marsh, OM System

Dike / Trunk / Dirt Road

September 22, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

The marsh water runs through the center of this dike. The wooden gate on the left controls the flow. There are hundreds of these trunks across the marshes. By opening the gates on either side of a marsh the water can move through miles of dikes.

This dike opens to a salt marsh, skimming only the surface of the water the gate lets the least brackish water move in. This method was used for hundreds of years for growing rice across miles of marsh.

The last part of the story is how strong these big dikes are. The top of this marsh is a dirt road. We drive on these often. Ranger trucks and tractors use the road too.

In general an amazing system to support the environment of the Lowcountry.