Butterfly and Wildlife Gardening And Photography In Houston Texas
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Category Archives: Camera Bodies Although I haven’t posted much lately, it’s not because there hasn’t been any Butterfly activity in the backyard. Right now we have Giant Swallowtails, Monarchs, Skippers, Sulphurs, Eastern Black Swallowtails, and lots and lots of Gulf Fritillary Butterflies. Last year with the drought, the Gulf Fritillaries really appeared to be effected. We saw very few. …  We’ve had lots of butterflies roaming around the yard but I have posted many pictures of them. We are seeing a good supply of Gulf Fritillary, Monarch Butterflies, Skippers, and Giant Swallowtail Butterflies. Last year during the drought, these common butterflies made very rare appearances. The Zinnias have so much nectar that the Giant Swallowtail…  Once they 5 Bluebird babies left the nest, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the again. This weekend the parents convinced the young birds to visit my meal worm feeder. I only saw 3 of the fledglings, so to where hiding something else, or perhaps they just didn’t make it. I know this look is…  We did a brief nest check today on our 20 Purple Martin Babies. Everyone is looking really good. Three eggs didn’t hatch, but all babies that did hatch look just fine.  Two birds I don’t often see in the backyard. Actually one of them I’ve never seen in the backyard. The first bird was a Chestnut Sided Warbler. I didn’t think I’d ever seen one in the backyard before, but I noticed I had a post on May 21st from last year that referenced this bird. …  My job is over. The last three Eastern Bluebird babies have left the nest. One left on Thursday at 2:51 p.m. and another at 2:54 p.m. Not sure when the third one left the nest. In summary, we had five eggs, all five hatched successfully, and all five left the nest successfully. I did get…  Although I didn’t get to spend much time in my new backyard bird blind, I did get to spend a little and I enjoyed it. I was just a little too close to the feeder, but I love the detail in the shots. First up is the Red Bellied Woodpecker. I’m pretty sure there is…  Today is day 14 for the five Eastern Bluebird Babies. The countdown has begun. In approximately three more days they could become fledglings. I know the nest is getting very crowded, and I’m sure the parents are getting worn out trying to feed them all the time. Although I’m sure the parents are getting tired,…  On day 6 (Saturday) the baby Eastern Bluebirds just started opening their eyes. They are also starting to make little bird noises letting the parents know that they are hungry. There clearly (at least to me) is a runt of the family. It’s the one on the far right of the picture. The others appear…  I think the North wind that blew through yesterday really stirred up some things. We’ve had a male Ruby Throated Hummingbird hanging around for quite a while now, but a female suddenly appeared which has made the male much more active. It’s been a strange year for the Ruby Throats in our backyard as we…  I’ve never seen this type of Woodpecker in my part of the woods before. It’s a Red Headed Woodpecker. I really wish I had a 500mm lens, but I used what I had (300mm). I saw this Woodpecker at the same time Leecy and I were watching over 20 Indigo Buntings fly overhead. Unfortunately none…  Our Butterfly Bush is really starting to bloom now with big purple flowers. That has attracted both the Hummingbirds (Ruby Throat) and the Butterflies. This one particular Monarch Butterfly was feasting up a storm on this plant. I think it was also on a bit of a sugar high as this crazy Butterfly was chasing…  I’m sorry I haven’t taken any photos of the Bluebird babies the last couple of days, although I can assure everyone they are doing quite well. Today it is raining, and yesterday I got home too late to take any pictures. I promise I’ll post some pictures of the babies tomorrow. Since today is day…  This year is the first year that I haven’t had to buy Milkweed. It’s not because we haven’t had lots of Monarch Butterflies hanging around, rather it’s because after so many years of buying Milkweed and letting it naturally seed, we have quite a few plants. Today I saw two Monarch Butterflies that were feeding…  Last year the Gulf Fritillary butterflies seemed to be hit especially hard with the drought. Fortunately this year we have seen quite a few. I’ve also spotted several Gulf Fritillary caterpillars and chrysalises. The picture below is from my wildflower garden. I’ve essentially just let it grow wild this year and it has done fantastic. … |
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