Fresh Red Admiral
This Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) butterfly is as fresh as you can get! Having emerged probably earlier this very day, the photo does not do it justice as it was both so black and so vibrantly red/orange in a way that is impossible to capture in one shot. Lenses have limitations that nature does not.
Read MoreRed-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)
This window was not the most photogenic place to capture such a beautiful little butterfly, but I will take any place I can to snap a shot of a Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). A lot of new species and second broods seem to have emerged this week. Keep an eye out for cool little friends! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDaffodil Buds
I snapped this photo of daffodils emerging in the leaf litter in Connecticut on February 25 as I have seen them coming up in several areas at multiple locations. I recalled that I took a similar photo last year and wondered when, knowing this season’s warmth and last February’s historic cold likely meant it was a couple weeks later. Surprisingly it was a full month later on March 25! If the date wasn’t enough of a shock there was also still snow surrounding them then which is very late indeed for Connecticut. We had a taste of winter recently along with a couple of strong...
Read MoreCicada Season
Cicada season has arrived! The first chorus of the season is sounding from treetops across the local landscape. These fascinating insects spend many years subsisting in the subterranean realm feeding on tree sap before finally emerging for their brief nuptial song and dance. Listen for their rattling cacophony and look for their crunchy molts on tree trunks over the next several weeks.
Read MoreVariegated & Great Spangled Fritillaries
Here’s a beautiful close-winged view of the Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) and Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele). Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read More
