Clik here to view.
Where do Butterflies go in the Winter?
Click to view slideshow. It is October in Florida and although we look forward to the break in the extreme summer heat, Anne and I are anxiously awaiting the fall migration of birds and butterflies....
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Intelligent Butterfly!
Click to view slideshow. I lead Anne down a grassy hill from where the community clubhouse sits to the cypress swamp along the edge of Lake Tsala Apopka. The sun is still rising in the east and shade...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Peacock that is not a Bird…
Click to view slideshow. A pale colored butterfly lands on a small white flower, closes its wings, unfurls its coiled tube and pushes it into the blossom. It alights, flies close to the ground, finds...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Halloween Treat!
Click to view slideshow. It is a perfect day to see myriads of butterflies in the gardens and natural areas in our community, the sun is shining and temperatures are warming the morning air. I grab my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Geometry
Great Blue Skimmer “poses” for pictures. This great blue skimmer caught my eye when I walked out of the house to check my mailbox . It perched on the tip of a hibiscus leaf and tilted its head as if to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My December Butterfly
Eye spots on the common buckeye deceive enemies. Sleeping late in the morning is a benefit of retirement. There is no need to get up early to go to work or see the kids off to school. You get up when...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Buzz About Cicadas
“And the locusts sang off in the distance Yeah, the locusts sang such a sweet melody Oh the locusts sang off in the distance Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singin’ for me” “Day of the Locusts”...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Broken Butterfly
Flying dragons, leaping lizards, parasitic wasps and giant spiders are just a few of the marauders of these beautiful creatures. How well they escape the grasps of these hunters determines if they...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Monarch Mimic? Or is it the Other Way Around?
At one time this butterfly was thought to mimic the poisonous monarch butterfly to protect itself from being eaten. Monarch caterpillars eating milkweed absorbed substances called glycosides that are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Moth With Eyes
One of my favorite North American moths is the Polyphemus moth. It is large with a 6 inch wing span. I recently found a hind wing of this species on a sidewalk here at Arbor Lakes. It is easy to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Buzz at Arbor Lakes
On a mid-February Florida afternoon, Anne steps out the back door and hastily retreats. “There are lots of bees flying in the backyard.” As I opened the door, I instantly hear the faint, but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Six-legged Sex
Maybe I should be ashamed, but there is nothing like taking pornographic pictures to keep life exciting. The other day I caught a guy and gal out in my front yard about to have sex in full view of my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Welcome Monarchs!
It is December here in Florida and time to set up the Christmas tree and decorate it. As I hang ornaments of cardinals, geese, chickadees and other birds on the tree’s branches, I catch a glimpse of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Butterfly That Migrates to Florida
It is early November in central Florida and although the evenings are cool, the days warm quickly with the rising sun. By mid-morning Gulf fritillaries, orange brown butterflies, visit Firebush shrubs...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Creature From Down Under
During a recent walk near Lake Tsala Apoka, Anne spots a strange creäture clinging to the edge of the sidewalk. I look down to see an insect with large eyes and claw-like legs. This weird-looking bug...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Exotic Butterflies in Maryland
Tropical rainforest butterflies float over flowerbeds seeking the sweet nectar the blossoms produce. Morpho butterflies, iridescent sky blue above and brownish below land on a tray with rotting fruit...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Warning! This is Gruesome and Nauseating!!!
Eastern gray squirrels are frequent visitors to our backyard bird feeders here in central Florida. One day in early August, a squirrel appeared full of what I thought were cancerous growths on its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Delaware Skipper
While photographing a wild aster a Delaware skipper landed on a flower, much to my delight. Like butterflies and moths, skippers are in the lepidoptera family of insects. There are many species of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sleeping Bee
I came across a wild aster this morning and found a bumblebee clinging to one of the small flowers, motionless as if frozen in time. Was it dead? Was it sleeping? Did you know that bumblebees sleep in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Wasp Moth
Here is an interesting creäture. At first glance it looks like a large, dangerous wasp. It is not. It is an oleander moth, also called the polka-dot wasp moth. Resembling a wasp is a survival...
View Article
