I went searching for some bright photo's for this week's PhotoHunt theme of 'bright'. Then I realized that I'm always amazed at the bright colors all around us in nature and this photo came to mind as a perfect example.
If you check out the photo closely you will also see a daddy longlegs (or Harvestman) that seems to be sneaking up on the butterfly. I doubt he has anything sinister in mind as they typically eat only small insects or all kinds of plant material and fungi. The butterfly is a Viceroy which is very similar in appearance to a Monarch butterfly. They often spend time around ponds and lakes where there are willow, poplar, and cottonwood trees where they lay their eggs. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of these trees.
We don't normally see a wide variety of butterflies around the pond. I think this is because the area around the pond is mostly wooded and the shady canopy restricts the growth of flowering plants during the summer. Most of the sunny areas immediately around the pond are generally kept trimmed to provide for easy, safe access to the pond.
We have recently added some flowering plants and will likely be adding more in select places around the pond so in the future we hope to see more butterflies, hummingbirds, and other creatures that depend on flowering plants during the summer. And we will be looking to add some 'host' plants to support the caterpillars of various species. We plan to concentrate on native plants that require little or no maintenance and will add to the natural beauty of the pond.
PhotoHunt- Theme-Bright
2 months ago
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Great photography, Baker! I am always delighted to visit this very eco-friendly and informative blog.
ReplyDeleteHey, Avril. Glad you like the picture.
ReplyDeleteWriting this blog has been very illuminating for me. I'm constantly researching many of the animals and plants I encounter around the pond and I try to pass along just a small bit of what I've learned about them.
The odd thing is that I seem to never be at a loss for something to post about. There is always something happening or interesting to see at this time of year.
Yesterday I dropped by the pond for just a couple of hours or so (camera in hand) and later I realized I could write at least 5 posts about what I had seen.
One was very interesting but hard to photograph. I'm sure I will have more chances to photograph it under different lighting. And one was amazing to me. I will probably never see it again in my life. Luckily I got some good shots of it.
Such a splendid photo that reminds us of nature's beauty. Would love to see more photos of your garden. The flowers have taken quite the beating this year from the crazy temp sup here.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Rose, and thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteI plan on putting more photo's of flowers and such up regularly. Around the pond we don't have very many plants that bloom profusely during the summer and that limits the number of butterflies or hummingbirds we see. Plus my home is too shady to grow many brightly blooming flowers so I just gave up on them and concentrate more on whatever grows naturally.
It just so happens I went over to see my neighbor across the street today and asked if I could take some pictures of her flower garden and the butterflies and hummingbirds it attracts. It is not a large garden but very colorful so I hope to get some good photo's to share.
I've primarily been working on Dragonflies and Damselflies lately and try to post about them each Monday. I have what I feel are some pretty good photo's lined up already. I've never been a big photography enthusiast and all of the photo's are taken with a point-and-shoot camera, not a super expensive professional type at all. I may have to upgrade to one with a more extensive zoom, however, for some of the animal shots around the pond I want to get.
Sorry to hear the weather has not been kind to your flowers this year. We had a bad drought last year and this year we are still behind on the rain so many of our plants have suffered.