Spicebush Swallowtail on Eastern Purple Coneflower
This breathtaking sight was a recent morning surprise for me as once again the wonderful Eastern Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) brought in a special friend in the form of a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterfly. It can be somewhat difficult to identify the Spicebush Swallowtail as the Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) looks very similar. To me, in terms of general and unscientific impressions, the Spicebush Swallowtail is a duller black, flies a little stronger, and seems a little larger with broad wings. One scientific way to tell the species apart if you have a view...
Read MoreSpicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
I took these Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) photos last Friday evening after the opening of Stratford Point’s new water garden while the butterfly was being battered by gusty winds off the water. It was appropriately trying to feed in the garden itself but the seabreeze pushed it around to the other side of the building and some of the other gardens a little more out of the wind. Catching a drink while you’re being tossed about by those big sails is not easy, and it ended up fluttering to keep itself steady in the wind at times. The species is a daily sighting now among...
Read MoreEastern Tiger Swallowtail
There is no way to overstate how perfect, fresh and crisp this gorgeous Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) looked while feeding on the Eastern Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) last week. This individual was meticulously designed and seemed hand-crafted for ultimate beauty. It actually flew on to a flower for a drink within a couple feet of me while I was already photographing a skipper, showing no trepidation as I was swinging a big lens all over the place. I had to back up to be able to focus! This dorsal view shows well that is a female with all of that blue along the outer...
Read MoreGadwall Sunset
I photographed this spectacular sunset last week at Stratford Point while attempting to give it a number of different looks by changing lenses and positioning. A friendly Gadwall felt a little less friendly once it saw me approaching the water, but you can still see the duck behind the spartina in the first photo. That spartina is slowly regenerating and growing in to the intertidal zone, helping to protect and preserve the low energy side of the site from tidal and wave action. There are still plenty of pools for long-legged waders to feed in on small fish like sand lance, and there are...
Read MorePopular Plants
The outdoor restaurants are getting more crowded now that we are in the middle of July with Eastern Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) like this one sitting two to a table at times. On the left is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) and on the right is a Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus). This is as good as a summer nature scene gets. I was able to capture more images of both of them while nectaring independently, and I will share them in the next week. For now we wish you a wonderful weekend full of delightful nature sights and sightings like this one. Scott...
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