Gulf Fritillary butterfly flitting around in an autumn hued scene.
Folly Beach, SC
September 19, 2022
Gulf Fritillary On Sand Dune Flowers
Category Archives: Insects
Slaty Skimmer
Here is one more species of dragonfly I photographed on September 14, rather a banner day for dragonflies.
This one was perched on vegetation hanging over the edge of a pond.
Narrow blades of grass seemed to be the preferred resting spot.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022
Needham’s Skimmer
This Needham’s Skimmer was perched close to the ground and out of the breeze, a nice fit for using the Tamron 180mm macro lens.
The angle and background worked well to pick up the orange tones.
He didn’t move far between these shots, trying out some different perches almost like a model.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022
Common Baskettail Above My Head
There were a lot of these Baskettails zooming over a dike between two ponds, presumably feeding.
This reed stalk was the highest vegetation around with the top coveted perch well above my head.
Backlit by the sun, you can see numerous tears in the wings.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022
Four-spotted Pennants
These Pennants were perching at or slightly above my eye level, making nice subjects on swamp reeds.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly
On a Morning Glory
October 16, 2022
Gulf Fritillary, Contrasting Sides
The Gulf Fritillary is a recurring fall subject on my blog–how could I pass up photographing this beauty, especially on such vibrant yellow flowers?
The underside of the wings are a completely different pattern.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
October 16, 2022
Four-spotted Pennants on Chinese Tallow
Chinese Tallow, also known as Popcorn Tree, is an invasive species that crowds out native vegetation and is notoriously hard to get rid of. These trees have been treated but you can see from the sprouting vegetation are not dead.
These dragonflies found the “popcorn” seeds to be good perches.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
September 19, 2022
Golden Silk Orb-weaver
Named for the color of its silk, this Golden Silk Orb-weaver’s web was in just the right light to see why.
A close up of the web, so interesting that the strands towards the center of the web (left) are spaced in a even grid-type pattern, and towards the outer edge the circular bands are closer together.
September 16, 2022
Dragonfly on Pokeweed
I almost deleted this image then saw the antennae sticking out from the stem below the dragonfly.
The dragonfly shifted to another branch right after I took the first image, giving me a little better view.
And then one more time, this time choosing a leaf as his perch.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 27, 2022