It`s all about the light. There have been 1so many queen butterflies (Danaus gilippus) lately that I have started ignoring them as I look for the uncommon ones. This one caught my eye though. The angle of the light brushing across the surface of this butterflies wings highlighted the top of its vein ridges, casting a shadow on the bottom of those ridges. A degree or two in the angle of the light and the effect is lost. The surface of the wing is not as flat as they normally appear. Does that aid in their flight?
#butterflies #naturephotography #backyardphotography
Here are three of about sixty species of the sulphur butterflies found in North America. These were photographed in my Tucson, Arizona yard during September 2026. Enjoy the subtle variation of wing patterns found in these yellow beauties. Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme). Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae). Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole).
#backyardphotography #backyardwildlife #gardenlife
Photo: A Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) strikes a pose from a fence line picket. This year round resident of the Sonoran desert, including Tucson, is one of my favorite desert birds because of its distinctive double-note, "whit-wheet" call. It`s like the whistle of someone trying to catch your attention. Hear it one time, you won`t forget it. Whit-wheet!
#backyardbirds #backyardbirding #sonorandesert
A fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus) nectaring on Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum). Interesting fact: Males perch near the ground and chase almost anything that moves—other skippers, other insects, even windblown leaves—using motion more than color to spot potential mates.
#butterflies #backyardphotography #gardenphotography
It`s distinctively beautiful. This Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) is sipping moisture from our pool deck pavers after a monsoon rain. I`ve posted two photos of the same individual so you can see the pattern difference of the underside and upperside of this butterfly`s wings.
#butterflies #gulffritillary
Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) female.
#BackyardBirds #backyardwildlife #TucsonBirds
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) feeding on flower nectar from a Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) flower. Interesting fact: It is also also known as the alfalfa butterfly. Historically a western species, it spread across the eastern United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s as forests were cleared and alfalfa was widely planted. It is now found from southern Canada to central Mexico, coast to coast (generally absent from the Florida peninsula).
#backyardphotography #PollinatorGarden
This juvenile Costa`s hummingbird (Calypte costae) perched on a nearby bougainvillea to observe my attempt to photograph butterflies at one of our gardens. It quickly became a hummingbird portrait session.
I was photographing butterflies when this vulture passed overhead. Built to soar, and beautiful in their wobbling flight as they maneuver the lightest of updraft air currents.
Flame Skipper (Libellula saturata). That orange pops against the blue sky. That wing structure! Beautiful. One look at me made the hair stand up on his back (see inset). 🥹
#backyardwildlife #backyardphotography
A Hairy Maggot Blow Fly (Chrysomya rufifacies) pauses on a Woolly Butterfly Bush (Buddleja marrubiifolia).
Hairy and wooly. Mmmmmm?
One of our night visitors. A Great Horned Owl. Then a few hours later, just after sunrise, seven coyotes hunting rabbits in our front yard. The largest pack we have seen in the neighborhood. This is part of the reason we love where we live.
#trailcam #backyardwildlife #backyardphotography
More monsoon rain, more butterflies. Here are three I captured visiting the backyard pollinator garden.
Pic #1: Ceraunus Blue (Hemihasargus ceraunus).
Pic #2: A Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia).
Pic #3: Palmer`s Metalmark (Apodemia palmerii).
This years monsoon rains have been meager but the butterfly population "awakens" with a little moisture. Here, a Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus) pauses, with proboscis extended, after feeding from a Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) flower.
#arizonamonsoon #butterflies #arizonawildflowers
