Leaf Lovers
Welcome to October! It is a wonderful month of the year for the leaf lovers among us, and one of the crew is certainly the Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla). These little warblers prefer to stay on the forest floor among the dead leaves that have now started to fall. I was very grateful for such an uncommonly sensational look at the loud but typically unseen species earlier this year. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreFall Sunset
This was a surprising sunset last week on a day that I did not expect any sort of light show. It turns out that the clouds parted just enough to let the light in while getting that special glow. Unfortunately I was rather far from any water or hill, unable to get a great view of a spectacular scene unfolding so rapidly and ending so briefly. After a moment of thought – and a minute of two of running for my camera and swapping lenses – I noticed that I was soaking in the sunset from behind the bare branches and falling leaves. I decided to take advantage of that and shoot some...
Read MoreUnknown Eggs
I found these eggs last month on Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) and Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) leaves. This macro view lets you see they are mostly white, not quite spherical, and feature two gold bands. They are certainly tiny, and they are almost certainly moth eggs…but what species? I have enough of a difficult time sorting through the hundreds and hundreds of adult moths we see, let alone eggs! The closest match that I could find were those of the Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus) which would be exceptional. I saw some caterpillars had emerged with broken eggs and some snacked...
Read MoreRed-spotted Purple
This is a Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) butterfly showing off some of those red spots on a leaf last week. The harsh and very bright mid-morning sunlight really washed the butterfly (and photo) out, so what you see is my work balancing those contrasts and tones a bit. Woodland edges are usually a good place to find them. I was only able to get a good ventral view, and the somewhat skittish individual never allowed me a dorsal photograph. I wish it would relax – it’s a Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) mimic and telling me it is poisonous, so why not shoot some...
Read MoreMale Eastern Pondhawk
I was able to spend a little time checking out a couple of usually good spots for dragonflies last week. This lovely male Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) was waiting for some females on a leaf on the edge of a pond. June is usually the beginning of the main part of our flight season, and this is the best time of year to get out and find some odonates. Whether they are zipping by capturing prey, mating, ovipositing, warming themselves or more you should explore any type of wet area near you to find them busy as can be in the summer sun. If you need some creative plans for the...
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