Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Countryside Wonders

This post features many wondrous summer sights seen on our country property

~ Identification corrections always welcome ~

A stunning Common Buckeye Butterfly alights on a blade of grass


A delightfully fuzzy Hickory Tussock Caterpillar makes a meal of a plant leaf

 
Filtered sunlight enhances the striking wings of a Viceroy Butterfly


A colorful Black-and-yellow Argiope wraps its unfortunate prey ~ I was one step away from walking through the web before I spotted this busy, large spider (female ~ 3/4 - 1 1/8")


I visited the same spider four days later to find it feasting of web captured insects


This Common Clearwing Hummingbird Moth surprised me by landing on a locust leaf directly in front of where I was standing ~ I had never seen one stationary prior to this occurrence


A Beautiful Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly explores a fragrant milkweed plant


I found this large, fuzzy, yellow American Dagger Caterpillar dining on lush green ground cover ~ I observed it most often on the underside of the leaves


This is the same American Dagger Moth Caterpillar viewed from a different angle ~ Surprisingly, it stayed in the same general area feeding for at least six days


 Bristly Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillars collectively swallow up the leaves of a Common Milkweed plant


A delicate, tiny Gray Hairstreak Butterfly perches atop a Common Milkweed bud


This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar has developed what appears to be large eyes, though they are not  ~ The purpose of these distinctive eyespots is to resemble the look of a larger creature or snake, thus scare away predators


This warty toad was larger than my fist ~ It was seen hopping about our building site ~ I believe this is an American Toad

33 comments:

elaine said...

Your photos are truly amazing - love the one of the caterpillar with the face. To be able to capture nature at its best is a real gift. Well done you.

Kerri Farley said...

Always Awesome and Amazing!
This post would make a Nature Lover out of anyone reading it ...... Beautiful images of these lovely creatures!!

Dawn Fine said...

Super shots!

PoetessWug said...

As usual...some wonderful photos! I love the caterpillars eating! LOL I even loved the spiders! Go figure! ^_^

Bob Bushell said...

Brilliant shots.

TexWisGirl said...

spectacular shots! love the underside of the caterpillar showing his little red feed. :)

forgetmenot said...

Julie, Another series of "stellar" shots. I love the caterpillars, and the angles you have taken the photos from make them all the more interesting. The moths, butterflies, and that colorful spider are all great photos. Another enjoyable excursion through your post! Have a wonderful week. Mickie :)

Berto Garcia said...

OOOOOHHHHH espectaculares imagenes que espero algun dia poderlas hacer ahora mismo me faltan medios y conocimiento fotografico saludos

FAB said...

Whow Julie .. you continue to amaze me with another series of superb photography of your local wildlife.

Art said...

Gorgeous pictures and great details, nice colors.

Guy said...

Hi Julie

What a stunning collection of photos I especially loved seeing the red feet of American Dagger Moth Caterpillar what a surprise.

Regards
Guy

Angad Achappa said...

Wow, what an awesome set of bugs in this one post..loved the pics... :)

Ben said...

Hi Julie,

What a wonderful butterfly pictures. Great collours and sharpness. The photo's of the spider and the caterpillar are outstanding. Compliments for your work!

Grtz Ben

Cynthia White said...

Amazing photography! Love the spiders :)

theconstantwalker said...

Wow! these are all wonderful to see...beautiful images.

Debbie said...

gorgeous, gorgeous pictures.

wonderful subjects, angles and light!! amazing details and colors!!

i wish i could do this!!

JRandSue said...

These are all stunning but especially the Butterflies. When in America/Canada The Common Buckeye is the one Butterfly I have really wanted to see but have always missed. Maybe next time. Sue

Anonymous said...

Julie,
Good eye for the close ups my friend! I particularly like the one of the back side of the the holey leaf full of hungry caterpillars. Good work.

Jen Sanford said...

These are all so awesome!! The milkweed eaten by caterpillars is an easy favorite! Thanks for sharing all of these.

Unknown said...

Love the photos, especially the caterpillars! Always love seeing your blog. . . :)

Unknown said...

Beautiful photos! I especially liked the one of the caterpillar with the large eyes. Great job!

Patricia/Trisketta said...

Julie: I have to bestow another name on you--the Beautiful Fauna Whisperer. You have a remarkable aptitude for disclosing the wonders that are all around us. Thank you:)

Larry Ostby said...

Your observation of your subjects is amazing. I really like the milkweed caterpillars. The underside of the dagger moth caterpillar with the pinkish feet is quite reveling. As always, your photos are all exceptional.

linksdistodaquilo said...

Segui passos e encontrei este blog.
“Conhecer alguém aqui e ali…”
Gostei.
Volto.

Anonymous said...

You capture Natures Splendor beautifully by becoming and connecting with all that is beautiful. Love your photos and your blog.

John said...

Some of the most stunning photographs. The Caterpillars are just amazing. You are a real natural Julie. John

forgetmenot said...

Julie, Just took another scroll through your post--just as amazing the second time through as it was the first. Have a lovely weekend. Mickie :)

Rebecca said...

Love your site! Beautiful wildlife photography :)

Cristina Munteanu said...

Great macro shots!

Flights said...

Nature is at its best. This is mine first visit here. I am a nature and travel lover. I really feel glad after watching amazing captures of nature. I will surely follow this blog in the future for sure.

reba said...

I love the caterpillar's...never seen any like these. So cute. Blessings.

Susan's domain said...

Wow, wonderful images. Beautiful post

Jane and John said...

Your American Dagger Moth is actually a Spotted Apatelodes. See
http://bugguide.net/node/view/689758/bgimage