Everyone seems to be pretty well informed about the migrations of monarch butterflies in North America. Long distance southbound fliers end up in southern states in the east and in refuges in California and Mexico in the west. In spring, northbound females lay eggs that hatch into butterflies that fly north and lay eggs, reaching […]
Tag: butterflies
Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly
My favorite detail is the ringed antennae, alternately black and white. Pretty! Also note that it has a small thin “tail” on each hindwing; when perched the butterfly typically moves its hind wings and the tails move up and down. The butterfly also sports three orange dots on the lower surface of the hindwing. Eastern […]
Recycling protects wildlife
Life as a wild animal is challenging: you have to run after your own dinner, find your own shelter from the elements, and learn to avoid any predators that might be interested in making a meal out of you. And then, of course, there’s us. Sometime we make life easier for our furred and feathery […]
Osprey Farewell
It has been many weeks since I reported on the Lake District ospreys. The good news was that the pair of ospreys had been successful in rearing two chicks and I returned this week knowing that they had fledged. I wanted to see them before they left on their long migration to West Africa. I […]
Beitostølen and Valdresflya
Our stay in Beitostølen with visits to Valdresflya continues to produce some interesting birds. On Valdresflya I have seen the Long-tailed Skuas again but they have been too distant for pictures. The two male Long-tailed Ducks seem to have their own areas on a lake and may well have a female on a nest nearby. […]
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is one of my favorite plants for its globe of sweet florets and the bounty of butterflies, bees, and other creatures it attracts. Within a milkweed stand there is a large community being nourished along with any onlooker’s imagination. A weed of milk . . . common milkweed is abundant in beauty and […]
Scarce swallowtail
Comparison between Iphiclides podalirius VS Iphiclides p. feisthamelii What a pleasure to go after dragonflies and find this gorgeous specimen on my doorstep in the lavander! Un Flambé magnifique, un des plus beaux papillons d’Europe, dans la lavande du jardin. Ces plants isolés m’ont offert un bokeh assez uni mais je n’ai pu me concentrer […]
