It’s been a terrific year for butterflies in my part of the country. When visiting a local botanical garden, in among the clouds of painted ladies was this solitary sulphur butterfly. I went back a day later and I saw it again. Unlike the painted ladies who were constantly on the move, the sulphur, Pink-edged or Clouded (I’m not sure which) savoured the nectar for a while.
Another country scene taken on a recent road trip. It was mid afternoon and something was calling the horses back to the barn. We watched as they returned at a slow and relaxed gait.
A friend had some success photographing a hummingbird moth at a wildlife garden we frequent. Luck was on our side too on a recent visit. This moth beats its wings at great speeds so I was pleased to get this photo and several others in decent focus (of the hundreds I took). Not an easy subject but oh, when it works😊.
I wasn’t sure if the bird was moulting or just wet. Another chickadee close by didn’t appear out of the ordinary. If the bird was moulting, it still looked pretty sharp unlike other birds that can look downright ugly!
I’ve never seen a sunflower this colour before. It seemed rather fitting for this time of year. The sun isn’t as bright or warm as even a week ago and this flower seems to fit in perfectly with the changing season.
This is a metallic or sweat bee. Their attractive colouring make them one of my favourite bees. We don’t see many of them but when we do they often have a dusting of pollen that makes them stand out even more. You might notice another insect making its way up the underside of the flower. Had I seen it when I was taking the photo I would have remained to witness the encounter.
This is one of only a few frogs I’ve seen this summer, a handsome leopard frog. He stayed in the same position for the longest time, I hoped he would move forward a bit so I could get all of him in the shot. I waited for a while and finally gave up and continued my walk. As we were leaving the garden, I checked to see whether he had moved on. He hadn’t budged at all. I guess he was enjoying the day his way!
We stopped the car when we saw the horses in the field. They were at a considerable distance yet one curious horse stopped grazing to look our way. Not much detail in the horses given how far away they were, but they added a tranquil feeling to the scene.
I’ve photographed this park before. I went back again, this time with a wider lens. I think the slightly off-balanced aspect, makes the photo a little unsettling and more interesting.
As the end of summer approaches it was nice to see this ladybug. Ladybugs hibernate over winter. Here in Canada, if they hibernate in your garage, it’s said to be a sign of good luck. Many would disagree 😏. The ladybug was racing along the stem and I kept my lens trained on it as it dodged in and out of sight. I hope to see a few more of these insects before the cold weather sets in.
There is a lot of wall art in Ottawa on both commercial and residential buildings. I came across this piece on a recent walk and liked the whimsy of it. As I’ve written before, you never know what you’re going to come across when you’re out and about. Some days can be pretty rewarding.
I wish I could remember where I took the photo above, as I would return to see how the garden looks now. I liked the untamed look to the place and exotic flowers growing there. The second photo was taken in my neighbourhood. I return every year to photograph these yellow flowers against the brick wall of the house.
Recent photos from a walk in town. It’s been very hot lately and the mosquitoes are biting, so we’ve been taking some city walks. You’re never far from some shade and a cold drink and no shortage of things to photograph if you keep your eyes open.
I was scanning the river for birds when I noticed this very large painted turtle on the edge of a boulder. I kept expecting it to slip into the water but it continued to balance like this for all the time I was there. Although not endangered or threatened, its status is of “Special Concern” as it may become so. That said we haven’t had as many sightings as usual this summer; I do look forward to seeing them every year.
On a recent weekend afternoon, a drive through the countryside with friends provided many scenes like this one. The colours of late summer and the light are different now, not as brilliant but still beautiful.
The Canada Goose was swimming close to shore winding its way through the reeds. I usually try to get a clean shot of a bird but in this case I thought the reeds made for a more interesting and realistic photograph.
We often see Black-crowned night herons intent on the water, performing this balancing act. They can hold the pose much longer than I can keep my camera raised. I took the photo from further than I would have liked but it does allow a glimpse of the surroundings.
Poppies grow here for a very short period in summer. Their brilliant colour makes a mark on the landscape. Even against a brilliant backdrop they are standouts.
These four ducks are a tight knit group. I’ve seen them swimming in close formation on my last couple of visits to the reserve. On this particular day they were drying off after a swim. I was happy to get them all looking up, it took a while as they did some preening beforehand.
This damselfly perched on a plant that contained an insect gall (the growth you see on the stem).
We are getting to the end of the damselfly season although dragonflies will continue to emerge into September. It feels as though summer has barely begin but I sense the change of season. The days are warm but the evenings are cool and the wildflowers are beginning to fade.
A morning when there were a lot of sparrows about and not much else. On days like these you appreciate the beauty in the ordinary. The sparrow was a nice poser and the surrounding vegetation framed it nicely.
Different flowers, the first ones from a garden, the second growing in the wild. They both have an untamed quality to them. The violet flowers reminded me of underwater plants you’d see moving in a sea current. The others were found along a path and I took the shot just as the wind was lessening.
The ladybug is a a pretty common beetle, although I’ve only seen a couple this summer, including this pair. They come in many varieties and are useful insects as they eat a lot of garden pests.
I took this photograph at the Dominion Arboretum in Ottawa, Canada. Established in 1889, it occupies 64 acres (25.89 hectares) of green space in the city core and contains over 4000 varieties of trees and woody plants. On a recent hot, sunny day the bench was inviting us to sit a while and enjoy the view.
It’s a summer with more bugs and insects than birds. Happily, dragonflies are attractive subjects that I like to take. This one looks like he’s King of the Meadow.
The daylily is showing up everywhere at this point in the summer; in gardens, fields and roadsides. Not native to North America, they do beautifully here and are another flower I look forward to. The wind picked up as I was taking the photograph. The focus is a bit soft but I think it adds realism to the shot.
The bird was at a distance and in the shadows. Sometimes you get lucky, this was the only shot I took before it flew off. I see these warblers in the woods all summer but rarely get the chance to photograph them, they rarely touch down for long.
Queen Anne’s Lace is everywhere right now. In fields, vacant lots, on roadsides, wherever there’s sun and a bit of earth. It’s classified as an invasive weed but it also produces this lovely flower. In the fall the flower dries and takes on the appearance of a “bird’s-nest”, its colour complementing the landscape.
The Widow Skimmer is a big showy looking dragonfly that we’ve been seeing a lot lately. They are known to be territorial and aggressive but you’d never know it to look at this one.
Standing on a platform looking out at the lake we saw this female wood duck doing the same. I rarely see a male wood duck on its own, the females seem to appreciate the quiet though. No chicks in sight, probably taking a break from it all.
Black-eyed Susans appear midsummer like clockwork. The flower was on slightly higher ground than the path I was on and I liked the angle. I only noticed the soldier beetle on the flower (to the left) when I looked at the image on my computer screen. As I said in a recent post, if you see one of these beetles it’s likely there are more about.
We’ve seen several Black-crowned night herons this summer. They can stand motionless in the water for long periods waiting for a fish to swim by or else stalk with the best of them. This heron is the first one I have taken this year with no reeds blocking my view.
I believe this is a red soldier beetle. I saw one then a few more on surrounding plants. It’s been my experience that you never see just one. I took this with my 300mm so I was pleased that I got a decent shot with a bit of cropping.
Bindweed or Wild Morning Glory is a beautiful looking flower but can take over a garden, wrapping itself around other plants and smothering them. I saw this flower in the wild; the early morning light providing a nice soft box effect.
I’m not a great fan of flies but they can make engaging subjects, particularly the pollinating kind like this one. There’s a tiny garden maintained by a local business association that plants a variety of wildflowers every summer. I was walking by when I spotted the fly on some milkweed.
It won’t be long before these mallard chicks set out on their own. We saw some when they were newly hatched but only a few times since. They were enjoying the swim and I felt cooler just watching them in the water. It’s been a strange summer, fewer birds, fewer bugs but the vegetation is lush. I hope to have more opportunities to photograph the former, perhaps I will as the the summer moves along.
We got to the park in the early morning when it was still cool and watched as the swallowtail landed on the plant. If we had been an hour later it would have led us on a merry chase; as the temperature warms, butterflies speed up and don’t stay still for long. We see a few of these butterflies every year, always a pleasure.
I always see skippers low to the ground in bright sunlight, tricky conditions for photography. If you can spot them before the day gets too warm, they are more slow moving and easier to photograph. This variety of skipper is tiny, the clover gives you an idea of scale.
One of my favourite things to photograph in summer are wildflowers. They will grow just about anywhere that has plenty of sun, including roadsides and big open fields. Open fields are best as they carpet the ground for great distances.
Another dragonfly from earlier in the week. I took this photo with my 300mm lens and although I could have cropped the image more, I thought the background was as integral to the image as the insect was.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 