Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly
Here is a look back to this summer at a butterfly on butterfly – in this case it is the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) on a Butterfly Bush (Buddleia). Look at all the glorious details on this stunning individual! Bask in the warm glow of the hot sun on the beautiful orange wings. Do you feel less cold yet? Butterfly bushes are a difficult subject. On the one hand, they are non-native, and it seems that in certain areas and regions they can readily spread and exclude some of our native vegetation. Native plants also often do provide more nutrition for native species of insects, birds, and...
Read MoreMockingbird Parent
The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) seen here was as ferocious as a dinosa — er, bird, can get. Well, maybe not in the literal sense, but did you ever have the feeling that something was out to get you? This bird felt like giving me a tap or two in the head, something Mockingbirds did to me as a child on multiple occasions while on our patio near a nest in a bush. It turns out that the nasty look I was receiving here was for a similar reason as there were fledglings nearby. This Mockingbird refused to fly away as I walked up the roadway within several feet and stared me down...
Read MoreSo Yellow Warbler
This is a very yellow warbler! Actually, it is such a yellow warbler that it is a Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia). If you ever wonder why I capitalize all the common names of birds it is for primarily this reason among a couple others (email list serv posts being another big one). Not everyone knows scientific names, and when referring to these common names, the birds should have a certain recognition that they are a species and not a yellow warbler – like a Prairie Warbler, or a Common Yellowthroat, or a Wilson’s Warbler, or others! And if you ever spot a little gull, be...
Read MoreYellow Warbler on Queen Anne’s Lace
It turns out there are a lot of fans of Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)! This Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia), photographed yesterday, is among them. The autumn migration continues (what?!) with birds heading south for the winter, and Yellow Warblers enjoy stopping in grasslands and shrublands to feed on the many insects they contain. The faster you can start your journey south the more food you will find along the way all while making a more relaxed trip. Suffice it to say this bird will not be facing the prospect of ice and snow as some warblers still migrating in October...
Read MorePainted Skimmer
The Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata) dragonfly – hard to find a more exquisitely crafted species! Art on the wing…
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