Butterflies to Flutter by

Okay, I am waaaaaaaaaayyyy overdue for a new post! I've found a new addiction in photographing the butterflies that have been coming around here. It's been too hot to take our drives, so I look for things around home to photograph (so I don't have withdrawals;-). I still have plenty of photos from past drives to share, but this time, it's all about the butterflies! These are photos from both where we live, and some taken at Sequoia National Park in the past (ones that I haven't shared anywhere before).

"Mosey Along Now" - One of my all-time favorite sightings was this Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) at Sequoia National Park. This was the first and only Monarch sighting since returning to California. This beauty flew back and forth multiple times, allowing me to take a lot of photos. I have a couple here in my shop, but hadn't edited this one before now.

"Tiny But Tough" - This little cutie is the one that the Monarch is trying to get to move. Not happening! S/he might be small, but was determined to stay. I believe this is an Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly (Everes comyntas). If it's not, please let me know:-)

"Somber" - This is another Sequoia shot. I believe this a a Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis), but I'm not positive. I looked at a lot of different photos trying to be sure. The markings seem a little different on the top wings, but overall it appears to be a match...

"Inside and Out" - A California Sister Butterfly (Adelpha californica), taken at Sequoia. This butterfly's wings are equally beautiful inside and out:-)

"A Bright Spot" - The butterflies at Sequoia love the granite and the little pools of water that form in this one area. I believe this is a Large White Skipper (Heliopetes ericetorum). Almost looks like s/he's part of the rocks!

"Hidden Gold" - A lucky sighting! I was tracking this little beauty when s/he landed on the blade of grass. It may have been meant for camouflage, but wound up being the perfect backdrop:-) I think this is a Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides), taken at Sequoia.

"Hold Tight" - A Common Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia) with a very tight grip on some yellow lantana. We've been having a few of these show up - they seem to like yellow flowers best. I want to get a shot of the wings open, because they're so beautiful. In the meantime, I was happy to discover a new visitor to our plants:-)

"Sunny Delight" - Of course, I couldn't resist adding another photo of a West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella). This is one taken here at home on the Verbena canadensis 'Homestead Purple' that so kindly jumped out of its pot into the ground and spread like crazy:-) Butterflies love it!

"How's the World Look Upside Down?" - The very common but still pretty Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae) taking in a different view;-) This photo was taken at Lowes. Going to their garden center is a great way to get a flower fix - this center always has a great selection of plants to photograph. I'm sure people think it's a bit odd to be going there around with a camera, but it's so enjoyable that I just lose myself in the flowers:-)

"Pretty as a Picture" - Last, but not least, is another Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon). These beauties have been coming by here every day, and I've been taking tons of photos.

I hope you've enjoyed this butterfly journey. To me, butterflies are one of the most challenging photographic subjects, which is why I've become addicted to shooting them - practice makes perfect, right? I delete far more photos than I keep, and get so excited when I get a good one:-) If any of the id's are incorrect, please let me know. I'd also love to know which photo here is your favorite, and what butterflies grace your part of the world. It's so exciting to learn and see new species!

These hummingbirds wish to remain...

Anonymous;-) I wind up with a lot of shots like these when I take hummingbird pictures. Even though the faces are obstructed (or not visible at all), I still think they're kind of cool, so decided to share. Hope you enjoy this little series, too (a bit prettier than my last post!).

Danger...

I took this photo from my bedroom window today, because I wanted to see what the sign said (and now I know the chemical this time: Lorsban, will be reading about it). The lens I use is 55-250mm, and this was taken at 240mm. I'm not so great at math, but maybe someone else will be able to tell how many feet away this is. Not very many, I know that. Close enough that we most definitely get spray drift here. There are times when we get physically sick when they're spraying, because the fumes are so strong coming into our home.

So, here you have this sign telling people not to enter the orchard for 7 days because of the pesticide they used. Below are two photos taken earlier this year, that show what it looks like when they're spraying. I've kept our awning support in for perspective - these photos were taken at 179mm and 96mm.



There are other orange groves and orchards (and a whole host of vegetables and grapevines) that are even closer to homes. They all get sprayed regularly by the same sort of equipment with the same chemicals.

This isn't the first time I've written about the problems here. This is the first time I've seen the "Danger" sign where I can read it, though, and I just wanted to post it, because I really don't understand how this can be happening. The crops here are far more important than the people. In fact, our neighbor told us, the sprayers used to spray right over them while they were working. They have a myriad of health problems now...

You can say that people shouldn't be living here. While I might agree because this is really the desert and wasn't meant to sustain this agriculture in the first place, I will say that where we live here was established long before these orange groves. However, apparently the oranges are worth more than the people, the animals (the hummingbirds who live in the orchards), and the environment.

I still don't know what to do in the face of a billion dollar business that controls a whole area. Doesn't anybody care about the future? About what else they're poisoning besides the "pests"? Danger, indeed...

Willpower

"Keep on Keepin' on!"

I took these photos last week, while watering our plants. This beautiful Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) came over, and actually stayed for a bit. You can see from the first photo just how gorgeous s/he was - looks perfect, right? Well, this beautiful butterfly had a secret that wasn't obvious at first glance, with the rapid movement of the wings. I kept thinking something didn't look right, and finally realized that a good portion of the wings on the other side were torn off - as you can see in the bottom photo. I have no idea of the thought processes of a butterfly, all I know is that it has to be extremely difficult to fly with so much of your wings missing. Yet, this butterfly was bound and determined, and was flying all over. S/he didn't know to give up - a powerful message, no matter who or what delivers it:-)

There is probably no better deliverer of that message than Nick Vujicic in the video below. I'd seen him online before, but it had been a while. This video was at the bottom of a recent Cheryl Richardson newsletter, and I'm so glad I clicked to see what it was!

The words in this video really resonate with me - heck, it brings me to tears each time I watch it. It's all in how we see things, isn't? Determination and appreciation are beautiful things.

"Willpower"

Back to the Birds!

Okay, I've been bad about blogging again, even though I have tons of photos to share. No excuses, just going to get back to it:-) So, here's a little bird journey to get things started again...

"Peek A Boo!" First is an Acorn Woodpecker peeking out of the nest hole. I could hear the babies inside:-) This parent kept a wary eye on me, though I couldn't get too close, because the tree was off the road and down a little incline. It's amazing that they can fit through such a small hole!

Next, "Snacktime" is a Lark Sparrow who landed as we were coming up the road - lucky catch for him and for me!

"Mrs. Bluebird", a female Western Bluebird we chanced upon. They're such beautiful birds, aren't they?

"Sun on My Back" is a Western Meadowlark. We think s/he is pretty young, judging by the feathers (which also look wet), and the fact that s/he stayed for so long with a car right alongside. This was actually on the opposite side of the road from me, so I was doing a contortion act to try and get some photos:-)

"Open Communication" - Believe it or not, as common as Scrub Jays are around here, this is the first decent shot I've gotten. They usually fly off at the least disturbance - funny, since they're such precocious birds!

"Tough!" - Last, but most certainly not least, is this Turkey Vulture. While Turkey Vultures are also common, they don't usually sit on the fence posts as we're driving past, lol! This one allowed us to get quite close. We think there was something they were dining on out in the field on the other side of the fence, so s/he didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, this was the wrong side of the light, but I couldn't exactly get out and change things;-) Still can't believe how this big bird is balanced on that post. Even more amazing, s/he was first balanced around a t-post on the wire - ouch!

Hope you've enjoyed this journey - stay tuned, more to come, I promise:-)

One Butterfly...

And about 200 photos! I got caught up in the moment when I spotted this West Coast Lady butterfly (Vanessa arabella) visiting recently. It was just so awesome that she (or he) stayed around - she would fly off, then come back over because she really liked that Homestead Verbena. I kept following her and clicking away:-) I had to move very slowly, because the slighest movement sent her flying. Anyways, following are just of few of my favorite shots - which one do you like best? I've put the 1st in our shop, and I'm not sure if I'll add another. I love butterflies - here's hoping for more photo opps soon!

"Pretty Lady"

"Curious"

"Strike a Pose!"

"Digging in!"

"Sideways Swirl"

A little inspiration...

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Photo is "Hold on to Your Dreams", and prints are available here.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today, and every day, really, I give thanks for having such a wonderful mom! Not only has she always been a great mom, but she's also a truly good person whom I'm fortunate to have as my best friend. I wish for every person to have one good parent, biological or otherwise. As corny as it might sound, I believe that love and that foundation are truly what make the world go around:-)

Snake Medicine

While I know snakes aren't to everyone's liking, I've always found them fascinating. Spiders, on the other hand, not so much;-) Recently, we had two unique snake experiences on one of our drives. These experiences made me look up "Snake Medicine" when we returned home. If you aren't familiar with animal shamanism or medicine, I urge you to do some research. You may be surprised by what you learn! This website has a wonderful, extensive list of animals, and is always the first one I go to: Animal Spirits. I also have some books - this one was given to me, and is really interesting (the cards make it even more so!): Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals I'm not heavily into it, but it intrigues me enough to keep coming back to it when I have unusual animal encounters.

So, the snake experiences definitely qualified as unusual. The first happened when I caught something in a tree out the corner of my eye. My initial thought was snake, and then I thought it couldn't be. We pulled over, and I walked back to the spot thinking it had to be a rope or something. Nope, it was most definitely a snake, and a dead one to boot! I don't think this photo is too graphic to post. I believe it's a California Kingsnake. What's unclear is how it got into the tree. Did someone run over it and then sling it on the tree for something to find? Or, did a bird of prey get it, and have its meal interrupted? It looks like there are a couple of flat places, so I'm not sure which scenario fits.


I figured a dead snake would be like drawing the card in the contrary position; it "indicates an imbalance in the medicine of that card". I read that part in the book above, and it definitely spoke to my mom and I - here's some of it:

"....you may have chosen to mask your ability to change. Look at the idea that you may fear changing your present state of affairs because this may entail a short passage into discomfort... Is the old pattern safe, reliable, and a rut?"

Yup! Exactly what's happening in our lives right now - we've become stuck in this place since my grandparents passed. We're caught between wanting to move on, and not knowing how. Fear definitely plays a part. It's past time to shed this skin, and that snake was a powerful symbol.


If we had just seen the dead snake, we may not have paid attention or looked it up. However, when we met this Pacific Gopher Snake, we had our "Aha!" moment. We'd come around a curve, and then saw him in the opposite lane. Again, we were able to pull over and get out. I kept getting closer and closer with my camera - it was awesome! We knew we had to get him out of the road, though. So, my mom grabbed a stick and nudged him off the road (okay, so neither of us was quite into the idea of picking him up, harmless as he was;-). He disappeared into the grasses, and we got back into the car. Right after, two cars came up the hill in that lane - if we hadn't seen and moved him, he, too, would have been dead. Hence, the name of the photo: "Lucky" - it was for us and for him (and I thought this shot was cool enough to put in our shop:-).


From what I've read, Snake medicine is very powerful. With the shedding of the skin, it's no wonder snakes represent transmutation. That's the main quality that stood out the most in my research for my own life. It's what's needed now, and is definitely what both my mom and I are working on. I thank Snake for appearing when I most needed him/her - I truly appreciate the magic of nature! I hope you've enjoyed this little journey, and that it will make you look more closely at special animal encounters in your life. If you already do this, I'd love to know of your own experiences:-)