Once again, there are Tiger Swallowtails in the yard. I photographed this variety here last year, just about a year to the day. And once again, this particular Tiger Swallowtail has a piece of his wings missing. I think it must be quite an "eat or be eaten" yard when it comes to the littlest of critters. I'm continually amazed at how "friendly" the swallowtails are. They flitter around from flower-to-flower, within inches of my camera, seemingly unfazed by my presence. In contrast, the Monarchs are much more skittish, and it's hard to capture their images without using the zoom function. This year's crop of Tigers seem to be paler in color, more of a cream than the almost butter yellow of last year. I guess all sorts of environmental factors come into consideration. We've had much more rain this year, with fewer extremely hot days. We've also had Black Swallowtails this year, captured digitally here in July. I'm not positive, but considering the timeframe, the swallowtail caterpillar I shot with my camera earlier this summer, might have been one of these Tigers.
They love my zinnias.
It's quite easy to see in this view why they are named Tiger! They are about 4-inches long and wide.
Captured mid-flight leaving one zinnia for another, I love this photograph! All photos clickable to enlarge, as always.
Wow! those photos are incredible. Well done, Casey and thanks...
ReplyDeletethanks, Annie! Imagine what I could do if I got out of my yard, lol.
ReplyDeleteThat idea boggles my mind. lol
ReplyDeleteKeith is trying to identify a bird he photoed on his blog...he thinks it is an Egret. Maybe you can take a peek and help him out. http://theworlds-writenow.blogspot.com/
I left a comment at his blog. I'm pretty sure he's correct. It's either a Great Egret or a Snowy Egret. I love seeing those birds around here! They're so elegant, like natural works of art.
ReplyDeleteI had two crops of baby barn swallows nesting on my deck. I have to admit I enjoyed watching the kids getting ready for their first flight. It really is 'sink or swim' for those little birds.
ReplyDeleteI went crazy one very hot day when mama bird seemed to be gone too long. I figured something at happened to her, but she did come back and all was well.
watching birds nest, and then have babies and watching them fledge, has been fascinating this year. We've been able to watch Chickadees and Wrens have their broods. Years ago, a family of Bluejays built a nest in between two flood lights at my mother's house. She could see right into the nest from the breakfast nook's window. She kept a journal every day of their progress, eventually ending when all five of the babies flew off. If I remember correctly three of them flew perfectly and two of them had a bit of trouble, landing on the ground, but they made it up to the trees before anything happened to them. I should find that journal. Scanning and printing those hopeful pages would make a nice detail in a piece of art.
ReplyDeleteJust glad to see you posting.
ReplyDeleteBarry
thanks, Barry.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS,
ReplyDeleteGRANNY