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Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

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Butterfly takes to the blooms

July 11, 2022 by Tony

Butterfly takes to the blooms
A skipper butterfly enjoys a flower. (© Tony’s Takes)

I’m not a “bug guy” so rather than a butterfly, I suppose this could be a moth but it was pretty darned cool looking. I spotted it during a walk through my wife’s flower gardens recently as it flew from bloom to bloom. My Canon EOS R5 coupled with an older Canon EF 100 L macro lens captured the little guy quite nicely.

Edit: I have been informed this is indeed a butterfly, one of the “skipper” family.

Backyard photo session with butterflies, bees, wasps and a hummingbird

August 9, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Backyard photo session with butterflies, bees, wasps and a hummingbird
A cabbage white butterfly on a flower. (© Tony’s Takes)

I have bragged before about the beautiful job my wife did over a period of three years turning much of our backyard into an oasis for us as well as birds and insects.

After being out of town for much of a week, I desperately needed to catch up on yardwork yesterday so I skipped my usual photo excursion. After much of the work was done though, I broke out the camera and spent some time in the yard photographing some of the cool visitors.

Among them, a cabbage white butterfly, a young broad-tailed hummingbird, a European paper wasp and an orange-belted bumblebee. It was late morning by the time I took these and the light was kind of harsh but fun stuff to see no matter the time of day.

Much of the work was done thanks to Thornton Water Conservation and is a certified National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Habitat.

A European paper wasp works on a flower. (© Tony's Takes)
A European paper wasp works on a flower. (© Tony’s Takes)
A hummingbird gets a drink from a zauschneria. (© Tony's Takes)
A hummingbird gets a drink from a zauschneria. (© Tony’s Takes)
An orange belted bumblebee holds onto a flower. (© Tony's Takes)
An orange belted bumblebee holds onto a flower. (© Tony’s Takes)

Backyard butterfly

July 8, 2019 by Tony Leave a Comment

Backyard butterfly
An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly enjoys a flower in Thornton, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Sometimes you don’t have to go far for a photo op.

One evening last week my wife and I were sitting on the patio when I saw this huge butterfly circling. I was happy to see the eastern tiger swallowtail settle in at one of our flowerbeds so I rushed inside to grab my camera. I managed a few good pics of it as it hopped from flower to flower.

It was a pretty impressive looking thing and had a wingspan of probably four inches or so. Kind of fun and best of all I didn’t have to go anywhere to get pics. 😉

An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly enjoys a flower in Thornton, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly enjoys a flower in Thornton, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly enjoys a flower in Thornton, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly enjoys a flower in Thornton, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Painted Ladies pay a visit

October 7, 2017 by Tony Leave a Comment

Two weeks ago these very pretty butterflies began appearing along the Colorado Front Range. They are working their way south toward warmer environs and their winter residences. Up until this past week I hadn’t seen one in my area and I was pretty annoyed.

Then, on Tuesday, I come home and find our miniature rose bushes covered with them. Needless to say I grabbed my camera and took a bunch of pictures of them. I don’t own a true macro lens to do them justice but it was fun to play with a subject right in my front yard.

A pair of Painted Lady Butterflies on miniature rose bushes. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of Painted Lady Butterflies on miniature rose bushes. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Painted Lady Butterfly on a miniature rose bush. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Painted Lady Butterfly on a miniature rose bush. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Painted Lady Butterfly on a miniature rose bush. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Painted Lady Butterfly on a miniature rose bush. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Painted Lady Butterfly on a miniature rose bush. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Painted Lady Butterfly on a miniature rose bush. (© Tony’s Takes)

Butterfly takes advantage of the green conditions

August 13, 2014 by Tony Leave a Comment

Colorado’s high country experienced above average snowfall this past winter and has had a relatively wet spring and summer. That has allowed the mountain landscape to be greener and more lush than in recent years and provided an abundance of flora. This little butterfly was taking advantage of the greenery in Colorado State Forest this past week.

A butterfly sits on a flower in the Colorado mountains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A butterfly sits on a flower in the Colorado mountains. (© Tony’s Takes)

 

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