Camera Critters #195

After I added butterflies to “shoot list,” I began seeing all sorts of Lepidoptera, some I never knew existed.

One day in the Juniper badlands east of town, I came across one I had not seen before. It was white, with golden yellow veins. So I headed over to image it…but it flew before I could get in position. At that point the chase began.

The chase didn’t last long, as I found out the butterfly can fly a bit faster than I can run, and easily disappears when it wants.

Several weeks later, the opportunity presented itself again when I spotted a golden-veined, white butterfly off in the distance. Once again, the chase didn’t last long.

However, this time it was a successful chase. I got the photo I wanted of the white butterfly with golden veins. That butterfly is the Becker’s White.

As you can see, since then I have photographed a number of Becker’s Whites. I have even learned to recognize them from a distance just by their flying characteristics. Knowing nature sure is fun.

Have a wonderful new year everyone!

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critter #194

As a kid, there were two kinds of butterflies I remember.  The Monarch Butterfly and the Eastern Swallowtail Butterfly. 

For the longest time, those were the only ones I knew.  Then along came white butterflies and yellow butterflies.  However, I still wasn’t paying much attention to the Lepidoptera around me.

Then, a number of years ago, I began photographing the little flying creatures.  It didn’t take me long to realize there were a lot more colorful butterflies than I had previous thought.

One of my favorites these days are the blues.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critters #192

I may get a lot of flak by saying this, but the Mud Hen is one ugly bird.

Also known as the American Coot, this blackish bird with a white bill is easy to identify when seen.  Although primarily a waterfowl, it isn’t in the duck family.  It's closest relatives are rails, which are marsh birds.

I see Coots all the time.  In the water, they appear rather graceful (although still ugly), but on land…well, I think the phrase “Duck out of water” was coined after first seeing this bird waddle around.

Enough of their story…8v)  It’s time to show off my better images of the old coots.

Coot feeding young

Coot feeding on pond-weed

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critters #191

Several years ago, when I was visiting my brother in Texas, I had a list of things I wanted to see and image while there.  Though I only crossed a few off my list, I did come across a few things which weren’t on my list.

On one of my early trips out and about, I came across a blue bird playing in a bush.  I could see flashes of blue, but had no idea what it was.  A week or so later, during one of my final ‘out and abouts',

This time I was thrilled to see it, as it was the first time I had seen that species of bird.

If you don’t recognize the birds…they are male (top) and female Blue Grosbeaks.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.