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Collared Lizard
Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, in the middle of New Mexico, between Tularosa, and Carrizozo. One of my favorite places to be. To see what is happening there in the world of nature. To be amazed by what happened back in 200-1450 AD, when beautiful artwork was created by Jornada Mogollon people. Over 21,000 petroglyphs just waiting…
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Treat After Yoga
Sitting there, stretched out, sunning itself, as I pulled up to the garage this morning after yoga. Not the least bit concerned that a pick-up truck had pulled up beside it. A handsome adult, Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps). Yes, a Skink, but also a type of Lizard. Look at that cute little face! Such a…
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Agreeable Tiger Moth Caterpillar
I took this image of an Agreeable Tiger Moth Caterpillar (Spilosoma congrua) a couple days ago. Agreeable Tiger Moths can be found throughout eastern North America. Their caterpillars eat Dandelions, Plantain, and a species of Amaranthus, called Pigweed. It was a surprise to look at this image, after loading the pictures onto my computer. The…
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Bounty Of Summer
The bounty of summer. Radish, zucchini and jalapeño pepper, and soon to be on the dinner table. These from the garden. Tomatoes of all sorts. This just a day’s harvest. Potatoes. Colors of all sorts. Another day. Another harvest. Another harvest. Peppers. Some hot, some not. All good! Oh, and I see a couple tomatoes…
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Dots Dots And More Dots
So many dots on the Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis). Host plant? Of course it is Hackberry trees (Celtis). As adults the butterflies live 6 to 14 days. During that very short period of time they seldom visit flowers for sustenance but instead get nutrients from rotting fruits and vegetables, carrion, scat, damp sand, tree sap…
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Plain Brown Butterfly With Sparkle
A little brown butterfly with a wingspan of about 1.5 inches. Not a moth, I did say butterfly. A Gemmed Satyr (Cyllopsis gemma), which can be found in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico. On the ventral, or underside, of this butterfly’s wings, on the outer edges, there are lines of four round “gems”…
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Flowers Of Scarlet
Stunning scarlet flowers, an invitation to butterflies and hummingbirds. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Native to North America, Central America, and South America. And here in Virginia it is native to all of our counties. Here the brilliance of the flowers attract a Pipevine Swallowtail (Papilio troilus). These tubular flowers are the perfect design for hummingbirds,…
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Up Close
Under the blazing midday sun a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) uses its long proboscis to sip nectar from a Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Cicada Killer
Quite an impressive wasp, due to its size, a Cicada Killer (Sphecius speciosus). Its size is between 1.125 to 2 inches long. Females are larger than males. Though what seems like an intimidating size, they are not to be feared. The males don’t have stingers and females are intent on using their stingers for paralyzing…