Wednesday, August 27, 2014

A Short Life

Last night, I stood guard by the butterfly bush, hoping to catch a feeder.  It was a qualified success.


The Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) lives only about two weeks as an adult, and it looks as if this one has already slipped past his due date.  What a sad little butterfly.

So, when nature gives you beat up lemons, you take closeups and crop to avoid the sorry blemishes.


Close up, you don't see the sorry state this butterfly is in.


Here's a song to go with the two shots above (SYTL).

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Mini Rose

A solitary miniature rose is growing low to the ground in my backyard.  At first, I thought it was an unknown flower because the stem looked grass-like.  After shooting a focus stack and studying the result, however, it's pretty apparent that it's a rose.


Shot was taken during what passes and the golden hour:  6:45 p.m.  1/50 sec; f/3.2; ISO 100

Monday, August 25, 2014

Toad Lily

Meet the Toad lily (Tricyrtis sp.), which grows in my back yard.  This is a 27-shot focus stack captured this evening at a slow, 1/13 sec;   f/3.2;   ISO 100.  God bless the inventor of the tripod.



There were originally about 36 shots, but at 1/13th of a second exposure, a slight breeze caused a number of shots to have too much movement blur, and I had to reject them.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Silver-bordered fritillary

A silver-bordered fritillary (Boloria selene), I think:


Saturday, August 9, 2014

Superbum

It's pleasing to come across a new wildflower.  Meet the Turk's cap lily (Lilium superbum), found growing beside Decker's Creek near Masontown, WV.   It is native to the eastern and central regions of North America.  


Friday, August 8, 2014

Evening Primrose

Meet the Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis).  This time of year, it's growing like a weed wherever it can take root.  This one was on the edge of a dirt lot across from a nearby plumbing supply company.


The Evening Primrose normally opens more towards evening (duh), but at noon, this bloom decided to avoid the rush and open early.   Maybe because it was fairly overcast.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Down in the Mouth

Tried a more ambitious 36-shot focus stack last night.  At a shutter speed of 1/10 even a slight breeze was problematic.  Not to mention the occasional bee that worked its way through.

Meet the trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) rendered with a combination of SnapArt and Topaz watercolor filters:


Campsis radicans is a native to the Southeast, but I suspect that it has become quite domesticated and hybridized.  The lower flower petals have a very fleshy color to them... almost like tongues.

SYTL to title song.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Four Eyes (what you gonna do now?)

Meet the Red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus).



The binomial genus and species names are both derived from the Latin for "four eyes."

Presenting "Four Eyes" by the Lovin' Spoonful (SYTL).