European Mantis (Mantis religiosa)
Today our Project Wild America crew let me play with one of their recent encounters, a European Mantis (Mantis religiosa). Jamestown’s urban habitats are just full of cool surprises!
Read MorePainted Skimmer
The Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata) dragonfly – hard to find a more exquisitely crafted species! Art on the wing…
Read MorePink Tiger
This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) was looking a little tattered and torn, showing the wear of weeks on the wing this summer. It took a long drink from this pink coneflower which was also looking a little past its prime, but that clearly did not matter in making a perfect moment of nature’s beauty and grace.
Read MoreHummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe)
Here we have the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) to kick off National Moth Week (July 23-31), appropriately photographed yesterday in a gratifying yet frustrating experience. I found it feeding on Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) while watering in the morning, and because I was watering I did not have my camera (always a great tactic to ensure a good sighting). After running back inside and all the way around…yep, still there. Great. As usual with wildlife I approached it with caution, slowly, shooting while closing in on the moth. The species moves quickly while...
Read MoreMated Monarchs
This was a memorable moment from last weekend – a mated pair of Monarch butterflies high up on a tree branch. Here’s to them having successful eggs, caterpillars and a healthy next generation. We need every butterfly we can get!
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