Small White
Here is a Small White, or Cabbage White, (Pieris rapae) butterfly feeding on some Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) last week. This fresh individual afforded me the best opportunity to photograph one that I have ever had as it posed perfectly on the flowers. The non-native species may be common and invasive but boy, they certainly are beautiful little things! I had never seen one with so much bright yellow on it. And check out those eyes! Wildlife certainly looks different when up close. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBank Swallow
Speaking of July migrant birds, here we have the Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia), a species you might not find in habitat near you during the nesting season but stand a good chance to spot on a wire or in a field on the way back south right now. They are our smallest swallow species which will help you pick them out from among the Purple Martins, Barns, Trees, Northern-rough Wingeds, or even Cliffs.
Read MoreButterfly on Butterfly
Here we have butterfly on butterfly – Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies nectaring on this Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) as photographed yesterday and today. The Asclepias likely tipped you off to the fact that this is indeed a species of native milkweed plant. It is always attractive to our lepidoptera. Enjoy the orange on orange! Have you found your Monarchs yet? How about any eggs or caterpillars? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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...
Read MoreThe Big Dipper
Can you spot the Big Dipper just above the horizon between the trees? It can be hard to believe in the midsummer heat but birds are already migrating south for the winter both during the day (various swallows to Eastern Kingbirds to Blue-gray Gnatcatchers) and the night (Red-eyed Vireos to Indigo Buntings to Black-billed Cuckoos). Those nocturnal species use various methods to help them move around our planet – some may use a coastline, others the Earth’s magnetic field, and like people, certain birds gaze at the stars. Various species take in the night sky as a map, just as we...
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