Northern White Skipper
This Northern White Skipper was too busy drinking to be bothered by my lens in his face.
Posts from the ‘Butterfly’ Category
May 24
May 23
Common Sootywing
I went searching for butterflies, skippers, etc, on Mingus Mountain near Jerome yesterday. Fabulous day but it was cloudy and windy so the species were few and far between. Here is one lucky shot for me since the tiny daisy was swaying back and forth. The one inch Sootywing was common to my fellow butterfly hunters but new to me (Common Sootywing). Of course, most of them are 🙂
May 21
Butterflies and Beetles
Yesterday was the last official day for the flora survey until after the hot weather. Although I did get some photos of flowers, my prize captures yesterday were a couple of butterflies and a gorgeous red beetle! At upper left is a Marine Blue Butterfly. Lower left is a Mormon Metalmark Butterfly. It took a lot of googling to ID the beetle but I finally found that it’s a Bloody Net-Winged Beetle. What a name!
Apr 16
Rackensack Canyon Butterflies
I went bird and butterfly watching in Rackensack Canyon with 3 friends yesterday. A 300mm lens wasn’t much use for bird photos but it was great for butterflies. It’s rare to see a Two-tailed Swallowtail sitting still so encountering this one was a real treat. It is Arizona’s state butterfly, by the way.
Mar 4
Mourning Cloak
I spotted this Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) last week as I walked out my front door. When I see a butterfly with tattered wings like this, I know their days are probably numbered and I’m hoping they’ve laid eggs somewhere in my yard! Just wishful thinking, though, since this species prefers more riparian area trees. He was probably just resting.
Dec 13
American Snout revisited
I spotted four more American Snout butterflies over the weekend. This vantage point shows the snout isn’t a single protrusion. Pretty cool!
Dec 8
American Snout
I was extremely excited to spot an American Snout on my own this morning! I first saw it flitting around a Desert Lavender (which are in bloom at the moment) but these butterflies are so small you don’t really notice the snout without binoculars or a zoom lens so I thought it was something else. Thanks to my friends at CAZBA for introducing me to this species 🙂
Nov 5
Out of Bounds
I’ve been playing with Elements 9 for a couple of weeks and WOW…has it ever improved! The addition of Layer Masks was the most significant change and a very welcome one for those who enjoy compositing. Each version of PSE has always had excellent help but this version has even more in the form of Guided Editing. This image is an example of being guided. The BEST part of the process is that you’re left with a layered document with which you can continue making changes. In other words, PSE now gives you as much control as you want. CLICK HERE to see some fantastic examples of Out of Bounds images.
