No Butterflies today.

Just for a change no butterflies. Time for a kitty. I've been playing with my new flash, bouncing it off the ceiling. Bluey was a willing subject.

Bluey

Hackberry Emperor

Just as we have Spicebush Swallowtails we also have Hackberry Emperor butterflies. Probably the largest tree in the yard is a Hackberry.

Here's what a Google search came up with.

Wildlife Value

The fruit of the hackberry is popular with winter birds, especially the cedar waxwing, mockingbird and robin. The tree also attracts many butterfly species including American snout, comma, hackberry, mourning cloak, tawny emperor and question mark.

I've seen all these butterflies apart from the American Snout. I'll keep an eye out for that one.

Hackberry Emperor

Yet more butterflies

I wasn't around  when the Monarch emerged from the chrysalis but she was flying around later in the afternoon. I saw her or her relative flying around the yard this morning.

Monarch

We have loads of Spicebush in the yard so consequently we always have loads of Spicebush Swallowtails. If you rub the leaves of the spicebush you get a really nice spicy smell. The berries make Allspice and you can make tea out of the twigs or a cold tea out of the leaves in summer. Not a lot of people know that!

Spicebush Swallowtail

Spicebush Swallowtail

Spider!

In the back yard this afternoon trying to get more photographs of the humungous spider. She is very low to the ground and I couldn't get the angle I wanted. I'll try again at the weekend.

Black and Yellow Garden Spider

An assortment of images

Just an assortment of photographs over the last few days.

August Sky

I was driving home and the sky looked wonderful in the mid afternoon. So I had to stop and put on a 21mm wide angle lens and took this out of the car window.

Bee on Joe Pye Weed

This happy little bee was busy on the Joe Pye Weed. I've been out snipped off the dead flowers and I hope to have a lot more flowers yet.

Black and Yellow Garden Spider

This evening I was out in the back yard and found this little beauty, not so little but still beautiful. You can be scary but still beautiful, right?

Hosta's

I think the Hosta's need thinning out a bit. Job for next spring.

Monarch Cocoon

A Monarch cocoon, I just hope it produces a nice butterfly.

Red-spotted Purple

Very descriptive name, it's Purple and it's got Red spots. Say no more.

Red-spotted Purple

Grass

Firewood shifted, one pile at least, one more to go and a load more to cut and split.  Front yard mowed. I had a wander round with the camera and liked the look of these grasses. There's a clump of milkweed along the verge for the Monarchs but this hairy little caterpillar beat them to it. The caterpillar is a Milkweed Tussock Moth which makes perfect sense as it was eating the milkweed. I also couldn't resist some more shots of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

Grasses

Hairy Caterpillar of the Milkweed Tussock Moth

Hackberry Emperor

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Joe Pye Weed

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Joe Pye Weed

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Being a Saturday it was do a bit in the yard day. Theres a pile of firewood down the drive that I've been moving bit by bit. It's so damn humid out there that I've had about 3 goes at it. Today rather than load up the cart and drive it to my log stacking area and actually stack it I decided on a new approach.  So today I just loaded up the cart and made a big pile adjacent to where I'm going to stack it. I reckon I've got about two more cart loads and that will be it. I developed a flat tire in my cart so that was a good point in which to stop. As I was driving up and down the driveway I was keeping an eye on the butterflies on my Joe Pye Weed. I have no idea why it's called a weed as it's quite a pretty flower and the bee's and butterflies love it. This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was having a great time on the flowers.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Herps

 No not Herpes silly. Herps as in Amphibians and Reptiles, short for Herpetology, like ornithology but looking down not up. I looked it up, it comes from the Greek word meaning creeping. Well these are not actually creeping, they're  hoppers if anything. Oh, and a couple of Butterflies thrown in for good measure.

American Toad

American Toad

Green Frog 

Grey Tree Frog 

Eastern Tailed Blue

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail