Wet Pine at Sunset

Hang on tight!

This tiny butterfly was hanging on to a Queen Anne's Lace bud during some stiff gusts of wind.

Female Downy Woodpecker

Daddy Cardinal with Baby

I had to shoot this through my living room window because I knew they'd be gone as soon as I opened the door to go outside.

Butterfly Wars

The Monarch and Fritillary butterflies were chasing each other away from the same patch of milkweed plants. I couldn't catch them in action, but was able to get shots of them as they made landings to refuel.

How many mosquitoes can dance on the head of a snake?

From the looks of this photo of a Northern Water Snake, the answer is at least three!

Hummingbird Clearwing Moths

My favorite moths showed up in the milkweed patch this week!

Finally!

The butterflies have been very scarce in this area this summer. I don't know if it's due to the cool, rainy weather or if their numbers are just declining. I was happy to get a shot of this Monarch today!

Cardinal Mystery

This female Cardinal recently started to show up at my bird feeder. It appears to be missing the toes on the right foot. I have been wondering if this is a known birth defect or if it lost the toes after it hatched? It's a mystery to me. Does anyone out there know or have an educated guess? You can get a good close-up look by clicking on the photo to view a larger version.

Oriole

Daddy Grosbeak

Feeding his baby on top of the safflower feeder.

Happy Independence Day America!