The preceding photo shows a pair of L.L.Bean “Green Wellies” knee-high rubber boots (discontinued) and a JobSite Boot Puller (a.k.a., a “boot jack”). For an odonate enthusiast like me, these items proved to be “game changers” during the past few months.
Odonates, that is dragonflies and damselflies, are aquatic insects. If you want to maximize the ode-hunting experience, then you need to be able to go into the water world that is their habitat.
Although I bought a pair of knee-high rubber boots a long time ago (for trudging in deep snow), I didn’t like to wear them because they’re difficult to remove! Problem solved when I discovered something known as a “boot jack.” Really, this simple, inexpensive device makes it so easy to remove my boots that I don’t hesitate to wear them.
Many of the photos posted on my photoblog during 2016 were taken while I was standing in water — shots that would have been impossible otherwise. Also, I have spotted many more odonate exuviae this year than in past years; looking from the water toward the shore seems be a key success factor. Lastly, chiggers and ticks seem to be less of a nuisance as long as I’m wearing my rubber boots, and that’s a huge win!
Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: wildlife photography
September 9, 2016 at 12:49 am |
I spend my life in wellies.
September 9, 2016 at 1:28 pm |
I wish I started wearing mine sooner! (Oh the photo opportunities I missed…) What brand of rubber boots do you wear? I may need to replace my “Green Wellies” next year, and I’m not sure what to buy — there are a lot of choices!
September 9, 2016 at 3:08 pm |
My green wellies are from Strauss Workwear; they cost £20/pair and are very deeply cleated.
November 28, 2016 at 4:01 am |
[…] of the photographs in this set are full-frame, that is, uncropped. Like the next photo. Knee-high rubber boots enabled me to photowalk the stream channel, allowing me to get much closer to the subject. This […]
January 24, 2017 at 5:54 pm |
[…] case, the damselfly was perching over deep water. I waded into the water as far as I could go in my knee-high green wellies and made the best of a less than ideal […]
July 23, 2017 at 4:03 am |
[…] the photographs in this set are uncropped. Knee-high rubber boots enabled me to photowalk some segments the stream, allowing me to get close to the […]