The photo above is a Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) butterfly, also called Blue Swallowtail. It is found in North and Central America. I had to try countless times to get pictures of this butterfly, but they move so quickly that … Read More

While revisiting some photos I captured in our old home’s backyard, I came across this Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) enjoying the nectar of a Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii). The shallow depth of field I got was obtained by … Read More

In our old home, we used to have a water feature with several native plants around the area. We had done a project to attract more wildlife, primarily pollinators. One of the plants we added was a Pride of Barbados … Read More

In September 2021, we spent a few days in the Ruidoso, New Mexico, area. Besides hiking around the area, we also did some sightseeing in other places. On the day we went to White Sands NP, we noticed a beautiful … Read More

This morning, I read an article about the Monarch butterfly’s plight in the Washington Post. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a significant proposal to declare Monarchs a threatened species. Scientists are saying the species is on the decline. The … Read More

To conserve, restore, and create healthy landscapes – That’s the mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Southwest Austin. Through innovative research, the center focuses on showing the beauty and usefulness of native plants in everyday life. It … Read More

It is no wonder that the Latin name for a daisy flower is Bellis perennis (pretty everlasting). With so many varieties, a daisy flower is generally called a common daisy, lawn daisy, or English daisy, for example. This particular photo … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #321 – Intentional Camera Movement I was excited when Anne (of Slow Shutter Speed) presented the theme for this week’s lens artists challenge. She wrote she had “never really attempted to do this except for the occasional image.” … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #300 – Delicate Ann-Christine brought us a tremendous challenge this week, and what a celebration it is to mark 300 Lens-Artists Challenges! She invited us to think about the word delicate’s meanings: “Exquisite, Fragile, Subtle, Elegant.” One thing … Read More

The first Saturday in May marks National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. Let’s celebrate the day and attempt to help save this endangered species. First, though, let me give you the story behind the photo. I had gone to Berry Springs … Read More