nature photography

Photo of the Day: Bee-ootiful

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The winds picked up well before the blizzard hit, and the pool noodle bumpers I’d made for the main gate were being blown away. On my way in and out, I grabbed them and quickly tossed them into the van.

As my daughters and I were heading out together, they noted the pieces in the van…

… and a passenger!

It was getting so chilly, the poor little bumble bee was slow and sluggish – but in the relative warmth of the van, she was starting to perk up!

My daughter released it near where the pieces were found. Bumble bees nest in the ground, so we are hoping it had a nest somewhere near there that it could tuck into for the winter!

Critter(s) of the Day: on the beach

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Insects count as critters, right?

While walking the beach not long ago, there were a surprising number of lady beetles all over.

So many, in fact, in some places, it was impossible not to step on any.

I also saw a couple of these guys…

At first, I thought this one was dead. Especially when a wave reached its wings and it didn’t move. It wasn’t dead, though, and I was able to move it a short distance, where the waves could no longer reach it.

Critter of the Day: snakes alive!

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One good thing about living in the middle of nowhere. When I see a snake on the gravel road, I can stop and shoo it off.

It’s that time of year when the garter snakes are heading north to the dens where they spend the winters. Sadly, many never make it as they try and cross the roads. Especially on the highways. It’s almost impossible to avoid them. Often, they can’t even be seen until it’s too late to even try.

Critter of the Day: this one’s easy

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It may be hard to tell a downy from a hairy woodpecker, but there is no mistaking these guys!

It’s a fairly rare treat for a pileated woodpecker to come visit. Not only do they have a very distinctive red head, but they are much larger than our usual visitors. At one point, I could see him tearing pieces of this tree’s bark off and tossing it down to the ground! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woodpecker do that before!

Critter(s) of the Day: Denizens of the Beach

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I was able to visit the beach yesterday morning and was walking along on the sidewalk, when I realized I was seeing a whole lot of birds that weren’t seagulls!

So I headed over for a closer look (my broken toe is healing nicely, so walking on the sand wasn’t too much of an issue).

If you look at the opposite shore, on the left, you can see smoke. It had been heavier, earlier, but was gone by the time I returned to my vehicle, which is good.

This is just one group of the different birds, along with our usual seagulls, that were along the beach.

Digital zoom sucks.

I did some research to find out what these birds were. In appearance, it came down to either Laughing Gulls or Franklin’s Gulls. They have to be Franklin’s Gulls, though. Laughing Gulls have a range in the southeastern and southwestern North American coast, while the Franklin’s Gull is a more northerly, prairie bird.

Beautiful birds. :-)

Critter of the Day: Swallowtail on lilacs

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Another picture taken by my daughter, in the middle of June.

Looking it up, I am seeing this butterfly identified as both the Eastern and Western Tiger Swallowtail.

From my searches, more of these come up as Western than Eastern, though, so… I’ll go with Western.