The concentration of strands and zig-zap pattern made this little spider web stand out from the potted plants.
At a different angle I could see the spider through the web.
Look closely for a series of strands further out from the center, more easily seen between the plant leaves.
June 2018.
Red was the favorite for this Palamedes Swallowtail as he zipped around the brilliant Lantana blossoms.
This garden area had some orange and pink zinnias and other annuals but this butterfly kept coming back to the red.
Head on images of wildlife rarely end up looking good, but I liked this view with the wings folded and antennae out.
The butterfly then turned a bit to the side showing off his long legs. If you zoom in you can see he’s picked up some pollen in his travels, too.
Click any image for a larger view.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, August 27, 2019.
Common Buckeye ButterflyBouncing gently on a grass frond this Common Buckeye seemed quite content to stay put.
This bit of tall grass was within a mowed area that I was able to walk around the other side and still he didn’t move.
I haven’t seen many butterflies this summer and it was nice to watch this one for several minutes.
The light color and change in texture under an old branch over my path drew my attention to this wasp nest. I stopped to take a good look and saw no movement.
I liked the shape and layers and stopped directly under the nest for another look. Only when I developed the images did I see the wasps crawling on the exterior. If I had realized there were occupants I would have taken some additional closer images.
It was a lazy summer afternoon and a few rather large bees buzzed around a group of Trumpet Vine trumpets. They enter the blossoms head first…
… then awkwardly back out.
Lift off to the next flower.
This one appeared to pause for a moment on the flower ruffle.
Pollen sacks loaded but they kept working, this time with a sideways maneuver into the blossom.
There is a small patch of Canna Lilies at the edge of the big field at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. It’s a wet spot and the lilies and cattails seem pretty happy there.
This dragonfly found an unfurled blossom a nice place to perch on a hot day. True to form he lifted off just as I was ready to shoot then returned to the exact same spot,
The orange and yellow combination of the flowers is quite attractive, shouting out “summer!”
This Black Swallowtail Butterfly flitted along on the outside of the plants lining the walkway as I went along the edge of the pond, obscuring my view. Finally he landed in a fern and seemed to peak through the fronds.
He then moved to a more open area and spent some time on this statice type plant.
The plant was down an embankment putting me even with the Butterfly for part of his feeding.
The area just beyond these plants has recently been flooded as part of a plan to make an additional pond near the heron rookery. Next year the vegetation will likely be very different here.
A year ago I captured similar images of butterfly and plant at a different pond about 25 miles (40 Kilometers) from this spot and thought the plant to be Brazilian Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis). Black Swallowtail Butterfly is the post if you’d like to compare.
Butterflies do not know that Mimosa Trees are invasive and this Swallowtail happily partook of the pink fluffballs these trees are known for.
The flowers have a sweet smell that can be overpowering but this late afternoon a breeze was blowing it away from me.
The butterfly bounced along at the top of the tree then disappeared into another flower grouping in the shade.
This rather large dragonfly was looking for a spot to land and finally settled on this pretty lichen covered branch. In the first image he was hanging on to a bit of Spanish Moss.
He then got a better grip on the branch and stayed put. I did not see any insects for him to prey on. It was almost 100 F (37 C) and I wondered if he was looking for some shade. I don’t know what is going on with his tail–it looks like some plant debris was hitching a ride.
05/29/2019
The combination of the sun light and the distance from the perches to the background shows off this dragonfly’s striped wings quite nicely.
I don’t remember seeing this type of dragonfly before; but recognize the “return to the same spot” behavior I’ve seen in others.
He left and re-lit on this grain stalk multiple times while I watched.
5/19/2019 Mepkin Abbey
