Big, Beautiful, Swallowtail

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I love to watch Swallowtail butterflies. The size, colors and space make this one look like a King Swallowtail Butterfly. Unfortunately the King is not found in this part of the US. They are also even larger than this one. I am not sure about this one.

What I do know is that I love this photo. The bee gives it scale. I’ll just call it a big, beautiful, swallowtail butterfly.

~ Rick


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©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright

A Skipper

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This is a Silver-spotted Skipper. Over the past few years, I have seen a number of them, but I have not captured many good photos. I saw this one on the rocky bank of the Stillwater River. Lucky for me, she did not take off until I captured a couple of photos.

~ Rick


Rick’s latest technology muse:

Check out our vlog, which includes more pictures and video on YouTube at tales.photos. Remember to subscribe!

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©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright

Nature At Work

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Bees come in many sizes, shapes and colors. This carpenter bee is large compared to the much smaller bee to the left and the one on the flower just below him. Three bees at work, doing their best to polinate. #NatureAtWork

~ Rick


Rick’s latest technology muse:

Check out our vlog, which includes more pictures and video on YouTube at tales.photos. Remember to subscribe!

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©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright

Hummingbird Or Moth?

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I do not recall ever photographing one of these before. Heck, I am not sure I have ever seen one. This is a hummingbird clearwing. It is a moth. Click that link and read the description .. very interesting. I posted an excerpt below.

The body of an adult Hemaris thysbe moth is spindle shaped, and is largely covered by a thick coat of fur. There is significant variation in coloration between individuals. Typically, the back side of the moth is olive to golden-olive on the thorax and burgundy to black with light olive to dark golden patches on the abdomen. The underside of the moth is white to yellow on the thorax and burgundy to black on the abdomen. When it first hatches, the wings of H. thysbe are dark red to black. As it begins to fly, scales fall off leaving a mostly clear wing with reddish-brown borders and veins. The width and shape of the border as well as the patterning of the veins vary between individuals. The moth beats its wings quite rapidly and has a wingspan of 4 to 5.5 centimetres (1.6 to 2.2 in). H. thysbe has light-colored, often yellow legs. In general, southern broods and individuals hatched later in the season are darker in color. Southern and eastern populations generally exhibit jagged wing borders, while northern and western ones are usually smooth.

The antennae of H. thysbe are thicker at their base and are curved at the ends. Unlike most moths, the species lacks hearing organs. It has compound eyes and well-developed reproductive organs. Hemaris thysbe can be distinguished from Hemaris gracilis and Hemaris diffinis by the lack of stripes on the underside of its thorax and by its pale legs. (Legs are reddish in H. gracilis and black in H. diffinis.) The H. thysbe caterpillar is yellowish green with bands of dark green and reddish brown to dark brown. It has a granulose body with small, white spots and a white horn projecting from its posterior. (Wikipedia entry for the hummingbird clearwing)

The entry on wikipedia is loaded with footnotes and links .. its an interesting read.

~ Rick


Rick’s latest technology muse:

Check out our vlog, which includes more pictures and video on YouTube at tales.photos. Remember to subscribe!

Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. Contact Rick for more information.

©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright