A Zabulon skipper (Lon zabulon) is a smallish butterfly but average as far as skippers go. I consider it to be thumbnail size. I come across one in central Pennsylvania about every other year, but this season was different since I managed to photograph both a male and a female Zabulon.
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Posted in butterfly, Wildlife
Tagged butterfly, butterfly bush, photography, skipper
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Monarch color
By “monarch color” I don’t mean “typical” monarch photos (which, incidentally, I love to take) but a different category altogether. The following photos make use of different angles and lighting conditions to present artful monarchs.
Continue readingMore hummingbird photos
One day last week when I was outside photographing butterflies in my backyard, a ruby-throated hummingbird came along. Given that my 200mm macro lens depends on manual focus, image clarity depends on a fair bit of luck. And I was lucky that day.
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Posted in hummingbird, Wildlife
Tagged hummingbird, photography, ruby-throated hummingbird
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A tiger swallowtail
The tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is one of the largest North American butterflies, and the following photos are all from my backyard. Theoretically, this particular tiger swallowtail is a male (because of the bright yellow), whereas the females are darker and may appear as one of the black swallowtails.
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Tagged butterfly, butterfly bush, photography, wildlife
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It’s time for hummingbirds
Autumn migration is underway for hummingbirds, and for Pennsylvania that means the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). Consequently, I have many and excellent opportunities to photograph them. Of course it helps to have a pollinator garden and/or a hummingbird feeder. I have both.
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Posted in hummingbird, Wildlife
Tagged blossoms, butterfly bush, hummingbird, photography, ruby-throated hummingbird
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A hummingbird clearwing
Since a snowberry clearwing featured in my previous post, I thought it fair to have a hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) be the subject of this one.
A hummingbird clearwing is the larger of the two hummingbird-type moth, about half again a large as a snowberry clearwing. And like the snowberry, the hummingbird clearwing is incredibly beautiful.
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Posted in moth, Wildlife
Tagged blossoms, butterfly bush, hummingbird clearwing, hummingbird moth, photography, wildlife
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A snowberry clearwing
The snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) is the smaller of the two species of hummingbird moths in the United States. It is somewhat larger in body size than a bumblebee but has a magnificent presence thanks to its wonderful wing motion while hovering. As such it is a joy to photograph.
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Tagged clearwing moth, hummingbird moth, moth, snowberry clearwing
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Red squirrels don’t beg
Red squirrels often shout, curse, or complain, but they don’t beg.
Continue readingA celebration of bumblebees
Actually, it is a celebration just as much of thistle flowers, on which bees of all types and butterflies both dine on – in terms of gathering pollen and/or nectar. They leave the flowers as beautiful as on first arrival.
Continue readingA great egret in flight
Whereas a green heron in flight is aerodynamically superb, a great egret in flight is something else: extra long feathers, neck, legs, and toes. But however strange, in flight a great egret is remarkably graceful, beauty on wing.
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