Ongoing Search

 

The search for new varieties of butterflies continues.  This appears to be a Great Spangled Fritillary based on the pictures of the top of the wings, and the underside of the wings, as seen below.

I have waited a few days before putting up these photos, hoping I could get a clearer picture of the top of the wings.  But this is the only one that I have been able to get on the camera.

I have seen one other orange butterfly, which I believe was a Monarch.  However, it quickly moved through the garden, and was gone by the time I got back with the camera.  Often the Monarch butterflies return in the autumn on their migration back South.  I have milkweed plants waiting their arrival.

Finally, here is one of many Praying Mantises standing guard in hopes of catching one of the dwindling number of butterflies.

Proboscis in Action

 

One of the tricks the Olympus OM-D Mark III is shooting a sequence of fast shots.  The camera will catch a series of moments without the human eye/response needing to trip the shutter at the perfect time.  

Here a Fiery Skipper is unrolling its proboscis to feed on the nectar of the Verbena bonariensis.  The first shot shows it rolled up in a tight spiral.

It starts uncurling the proboscis.

Further and further out.

Finally into the tiny flower for the precious nectar.

Butterfiles and Spiders

 

I recently traded in my beloved Nikon camera and three lenses for a partial payment on a new Olympus 12-100mm Pro
Zoom lens for the OM-D E-M1 Mark III.  As I experiment with the new lens, I am also quickly settling into how it works.

I am moving on to the smaller butterflies, much easier to get with the wide zoom range and crystal clear lens.  This is a Salt Marsh Skipper, only about an inch long.  I actually confirmed its correct name with a different shot, but this is the best portrait.

I call this my Menage a Trois picture.  The two Fiery Skippers on the left were literally hooked up, doing their thing when the third Skipper started to attack them.  The attacker appears to be a male, going after the other male on the right side. Maybe butterflies get jealous? 

This Argiope aurantia spider has many common names, as simple as Yellow Garden Spider and can be found across North and Central America.  This one has captured a Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly in its web under the tree in the middle of the labyrinth.  There were also other prey in its sprawling web.  Enjoying nature is not for the soft hearted.

More Butterflies

This is an adult Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly.  A few posts earlier I put up the photo of one of these caterpillars.  It has been difficult to get a shot of the iridescent blue on the wings because they are constantly moving.  They like both the Verbena bonariensis and the Agapanthus flowers.

There are also many Zebra Swallowtails, which prefer the verbena over the Agapanthus.   Many of these are smaller than the other Swallowtails. 

 

Finally there are the Sleepy Orange butterflies which hang out on the Zinnias.  I don't know why they are called "sleepy" because when they are flying they move very fast.  I cannot get a picture of them with their wings open.  But then my reference website to identify Maryland butterflies only has this kind of shot.

I am still trying to get a few others flying around.

Maryland Butterflies

 

There have been a flurry of butterflies in the labyrinth.  My neighbors are noticing!  The clusters of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails feeding on the Agapanthis do catch the eye.  When I went out with my camera, I saw a hummingbird hanging out on the opposite side of this group, but it slipped away.

A close look at one of those yellow beauties lets me see how well my new camera focuses.  Of course I am not going to tell how many pictures were not focused where I wanted.  That is an operator error that I hope to get fixed very soon.

There are other swallowtails enjoying the long tubed flowers, such as this Spicebush Swallowtail.  While the top of the wings are very somber, the underside has dramatic orange spots that make it easy to identify.

Moving over to the Millenium Allium are some of the smaller winged creatures.  This is a Common Buckeye, with those very distinctive false eyes to confuse their predators.

The Hackberry Emperor is also enjoying the Allium flowers.  His underbelly is white, as are his legs which are partially visible in the flowers.

The Silver Spotted Skipper is enjoying the nectar of the Verbena.  This little guy kept his wings folded up so I could not see the top of them.  But that white spot is pretty distinctive.

I will watch to see how many others I can catch with my camera

After a Summer Rain

 

This year the rain has been fairly regular for us, encouraging everything to grow generously.  Yesterday's 1.23 inches continued the trend, even though the days before were very hot and dry.

Over the last few years this Crocosmia, 'Star of the East,' has been spreading throughout the Feather Reed Grass, Karl Foerster.  It is hard to weed but looks wonderful with the long display of orange flowers.

All of the hardy hibiscus have been stunning in size.  This one, Cherry Choco Latte has reached 6 feet, and has been swarming with bees, butterflies and the occasional Japanese Beetle.  The beetles are dropped into a plastic cup filled with soapy water.

The Sedum Autumn Fire is already showing its buds.  However, we are not sure if those buds will survive the browsing by the deer.  Each year we lose some or all of them.  At least it looks wonderful now without the flowers.  

Finally, there is this intriguing little, no I mean BIG, caterpillar for the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly.  I had to look it up to determine its adult appearance.  I do have a few hanging out in the labyrinth.  I will need to watch out for its chrysalis and make sure it is safe.

These photos are all from my new "used" camera that my brother sold me.  It gets great images, and all kinds of functions I am still learning to use.

Catching up on Spring

 

I have been busy keeping up with all of the deferred maintenance outside.  We were able to move back into the house about a year ago, but have spent a lot of time and effort in cleaning up the outside.  The results are quite noticeable this Spring.

These first two pictures are from the middle of April, when the Narcissus and Redbud tree were blooming.  The Bay is clearly visible through the trees.

In March we completed the path between the parking pad and the front sidewalk.  The orange tomato cages are protecting a Japanese Snowbell sapling from being nibbled by deer.  

At the same time in May the fern bed is bursting with new growth.  Since the tree died that provided shade for the ferns, and the new black gum is still small, I am not sure how the ferns will handle the full sun. 

Today, just a couple of weeks later the peonies are in full glory.  Under the birdhouse you can also see the Acanthus flower stems growing up.  The iris are also blooming and the Penstemon are also ready to open up.