Blog Archives
Another Flutterby
Friends, The last few days I have been chasing butterflies in Crex Meadows, and stumbled upon this beauty. I think it is a Wood Nymph and i love the eyespots on its wing. Now the disgusting part, he is sitting on animal scat of some kind and this is the most reliable place to find butterflies this time of year. Wish it had been perched on a pretty flower but alas, I have blackened that part of the image. Forgive me for photoshoping, but it really was disgusting . til Tomorrow MJ
The Search for the Blue Karner
Friends, the Blue Karner butterfly is rare even in Crex Meadows. This tiny blue butterfly is about the size of a nickel, and has distinctive markings on the back side of the wings. My friend and I have searched many places for this lovely blue and never found them until I retired up north. Now every year I go in search of them partially to renew old times and to reassure myself that they are still there. This one is for Cheri til Tomorrow MJ
Young Cormorant
Friends, while shooting the tall ship parade, we were entertained by some cormorants that were feeding nearby. This juvenile has a beautiful turquoise eye, never noticed their eye color before. til Tomorrow MJ
Pink and White
Friends, not a spectacular image but a softer feel to this pink and white. I think these are dogbane, what an awful name for a sweet little bloom, these are about 1/2 inch and this branchful were about 2 inches across. Some of the blooms are out of the focus range but i like the softness. Not sure i like all the stems near the bottom, what do you think? til Tomorrow MJ
His Kingdom
Friends, this male goldfinch is announcing to the world his joys and surveying his kingdom. He studied me for about ten minutes and let me shoot his portrait. The goldfinch are late nesters, so his female has probably laid the eggs or hatched some young ones, either way he was out shopping for groceries. til Tomorrow MJ
Dragon Flies Everywhere
Friends, Tons of dragon flies are present in the northwoods this year and these dragon flies are just one of the species. Not sure what they are called, but thought they were unique. I had to move around a little to get both wing tips in focus and the background faded enough not to be too confusing, did I succeed? til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Fresh
Friends, this macro photo is the inside of a wild morning glory or bindweed. Peering over the edge of the near petal and focused on the back petal. I like the fresh abstract feel to this image, just hinting at the softness within. til Tomorrow MJ
Wing Detail Abstract
Friends, this beautiful butterfly landed in front of me and the light was just right, across the wing to show the details. I hated the background so kept magnifying the image until I liked the pattern. At first I thought this was a red-spotted purple, but the white stripe has me confused. Can you identify for me?? til Tomorrow MJ
The Search
Friends, this time of year we are searching for new Karner Blue butterflies in Crex Meadows. The Karner is a rare specie with an endangered population but the host plant, wild lupine grows here in abundance. Every year the volunteers of Crex survey the prime areas for Karners. The second flight or hatching is expected any day now so we are all out searching for these tiny blue butterflies. Yesterday I found these tailed blues but no Karners. This is macro with a telephoto lens. An extender (20mm) is between the lens and the camera so I can focus at about 4 feet away and avoid disturbing his feeding on the orange milkweed. His underwing is similar to Karners, but the little tail is the deciding factor. Still searching for the Karner til Tomorrow MJ
Sandhill Crane Young
Friends, this is a young Sandhill Crane colt who is about half grown. Those of you who have followed my blog know that one of my favorite birds is the Sandhill Cranes of Crex Meadows here in Northwestern Wisconsin. By fall this chick will have a brown head and as an adult bird will appear as in the bottom image. They love the cornfields and pluck the bugs from the leaves. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 