October 14, 2021
Silent Sunday: Gulf Fritillary Butterflies
Tag Archives: Insect
Praying Mantis
This Praying Mantis has been hanging out in the corner of our back yard. The first time I spotted him he disappeared while I retrieved my camera.
A few days later I got another chance when I found him nicely posed on a newly opened Hyacinth Bean flower.
He was about half the size of others I have seen, less than 2 inches (5 cm).
October 7, 2021
Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly on Salvia
A large Yellow Swallowtail was working all around a planting of purple salvia.
The butterfly was working hard, in almost constant motion.
As was I as I circled the garden seeking a fully open wing image.
Middleton Plantation, Charleston, SC
September 14, 2021
Butterflies on Lantana
I’ve recently commented that I haven’t seen many butterflies this summer. Last week at Middleton Place I was surprised to find several species, three that were attracted to Lantana.
First was this rather tattered Black Swallowtail.
This Buckeye was another tattered example.
Then a very good looking Fritillary. I always say the ones I see are Gulf Fritillaries, but that may not be true.
Eastern Pondhawk on Lily Pad
I borrowed Ted’s Tamron 18-400 MM lens this morning and put the range flexibility to good use when I spotted an Eastern Pondhawk on a Lily Pad.
I got a decent closer image of the dragonfly and his shadow.
And a nice view of the scene without changing lenses or cameras.
Backyard Dragonfly
A small dragonfly working on his hand-stand pose on a hot day.
September 6, 2021
Arachnid Cafe
A very large spider web stretched across this opening looking out onto a rice field pond.
A couple of what I think are Black and Yellow Garden Spiders can be seen, along with several dragonflies that met their end in the web.
There’s more detail of the catch if you want to zoom in on the spider wrapping his prey.
Further along the dike another large spider had set up shop. I took the photo because I liked the leaf. When I processed the image I was amazed at the number of little items that had been snagged.
Walking Grasshopper
I potted this rather large grasshopper on a wooden walkway leading out to a river overlook.
I fully expected him to hop as I passed by.
He had other ideas and just walked slowly along.
Bee on Pink Flower
A lone bee was busy working these pink blooms on a recent morning.
The blossoms remind me of a roof-top satellite dish, communicating in secret to the bee.
He seemed to get the message.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 31, 2021
Common Whitetail on Ground
This dragonfly, which I think is a Common Whitetail, was going back and forth between a patch of grass and a sidewalk, perching for 20 or 30 seconds in each place.
He might have been overstuffed with mosquitoes as there was no shortage of them after me.
ID corrections welcome.
I first thought it might be a Banded Pennant, the described variations on each species are confounding.
Hampton Plantation, McClellanville, SC
August 26, 2021