I call these posts “moving things” so I don’t have to call them birds, insects, amphibians, and mammals or some other long, boring title. Since plants don’t move from place to place on their own accord “moving things” in this case means something other than plants. Long time readers know I don’t usually try to photograph these critters, but when they pose for me like these did I can’t resist.
I posted a photo of a Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) here not too long ago and mistakenly called it a monarch. Thanks to fellow blogger Mike Powell I learned that monarchs don’t have the black stripe seen here on the lower wing. I’ve seen quite a few viceroys this year but no monarchs.
A white admiral butterfly (Limenitis arthemis arthemis) landed on a maple tree to get some sun. Every time I tried to get a photo of this one it closed its wings just before I clicked the shutter release. After doing that at least 10 times it finally let me get a shot with its wings open. Trying to guess what a butterfly is going to do next can be frustrating.
This red spotted purple butterfly ( Limenitis arthemis astyanax) landed on the damp sand in front of me as if to show me the differences between it and the white admiral in the previous photo. The white admiral and red spotted purple are essentially different forms of the same butterfly. I think the harsh sunlight made this one’s red spots almost disappear.
The water that this great blue heron was in was so covered with duckweed, pollen and / or algae that I didn’t see how he could see anything in it to catch. For as long as I watched him he didn’t move, so maybe there was a clear spot he was looking through.
This bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) would have made a tasty snack for the heron, but he was in a much cleaner pond sitting on a rock. I just read that bullfrogs will eat just about anything that moves, including other bullfrogs.
Toads probably have better luck getting away from herons than frogs do. This one was out in the woods, away from any water. I’ve seen a lot of much smaller toads in the forest too. Like the bullfrog in the previous photo, this one was big enough so it would have been a handful if I’d picked it up. I think this is an American toad (Bufo americanus.) We only have one other in New Hampshire-Fowler’s toad.
This painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) seemed to be sniffing the air like a raccoon. I’m not sure what he was doing, but I wondered if he could smell me standing on the shore.
One foggy morning these two crows were perched where a great blue heron usually sits to wait for the sun on foggy mornings. Crows are smart birds and usually fly off if anyone points anything at them but these two sat still as I pointed my lens at them. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but these were big birds. After reading Jerry’s latest post on his Quiet Solo Pursuits blog, I’m wondering if they weren’t ravens instead of crows. They didn’t make a sound while I was there, so I can’t tell by that. Their beaks are another way to identify them but they don’t show very well in this shot.
I’ve discovered that fritillary butterflies are very hard to identify, even for experts. This one could be a great spangled fritillary (Speyeria Cybele,) but to be honest I don’t know what it is, other than very beautiful. It was also quite big-bigger than a viceroy.
Here is another butterfly I can’t positively identify, but it might be an Appalachian Brown (Lethe appalachia.) It was on a goldenrod.
The milkweed tussock moth caterpillar (Euchaetes egle) gets chemicals from plants like milkweed and dogbane that protect the moth from being eaten by bats. The moth is also called the milkweed tiger moth. There was one black, white and yellow caterpillar on top of the leaf and another mirror image of it on the bottom of the leaf, but I didn’t get a shot of them both.
This hoverfly (Toxomerus geminatus) landed on the outer edge of this evening primrose blossom just as I was about to take a shot of it. As I watched, it crawled into the center so I took its picture instead of the blossom.
This song sparrow looked like someone had left it on the fluff cycle in a clothes dryer. I wonder if it’s a juvenile or an adult just having a bad day.
This song sparrow caught what I think is a grasshopper. Maybe it was going to feed it to the bird in the previous photo. It flew from tree to tree as if not wanting to show me what it was up to. I felt kind of guilty, realizing that I was keeping it from doing what it wanted to do, so I left it alone after a few quick photos.
I was at the Ashuelot River recently and this cedar waxwing kept flying from rock to rock, acting agitated. Every now and then it would fly toward me and then pull up and turn when just a few feet away. I wondered what it was trying to tell me and then I remembered that these birds eat fruit. I just happened to be standing between it and a bush full of ripe silky dogwood berries, so I took a few photos and let him be.
Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission — to be of service to them wherever they require it. ~St. Francis of Assisi
Thanks for coming by.
I love the photos, and the quote!
Thanks Montucky!
Wonderful shots. I still have only seen one butterfly this entire summer so your photos are welcome sights.
Thanks! That’s the way it was here last summer but this year we seem to have plenty of butterflies. Maybe next summer will be the one for you.
Isn’t it nice when things stop and pose for you? Sometimes I think butterflies taunt me by sitting nice a d still then flying off just as I try to take a photo or doing the closed wing thing. You got some wonderful shots though 🙂
Thanks! Yes it is nice when they sit still. It doesn’t happen that often, as you know!
Lovely selection of critters! I didn’t even know there was a White Admiral. Some years we have lots of Red Admirals, though not this year.
Thanks! Yes, there is a white as well as the red. I’ve never seen the red one. We seem to have plenty of butterflies this year, but no monarchs.
The photographs are great but what a bunch of subjects! The baby sparrow is fantastic but the Tussock moth caterpillar must get the award for the cutest caterpillar, I have a penchant for the tufty ones. I enjoyed seeing your butterflies and I love watching the ones I see over here but I find them a real pain to photograph.
Thanks! Those fluffy caterpillars are cute but some are toxic and can make you very sick if you get one of their hairs embedded in your skin. I just take their picture and leave them alone.
Butterflies are tough to get good shots of but sometimes they will land right in front of you and wait while you get the shot that you want. I think these shots were just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
Hard to say, but those “crows” do look a bit more raven-y to me. (Not that I’m an expert or anything, just a birding hobbyist.)
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a raven so it’s hard for me to say. All I know for sure is that they were surprisingly big birds. Thanks for your input.
An amazing demonstration of the beauty of our summer.
Thank you Charlie. It really has been a beautiful summer this year.
I’ll have to get better spectacles. You see so much more than me when you go about.
I think it’s just because I spend a lot of time outside-a few hours each day if I can.
Thanks for the shout out. You’ve been holding back, your photos are very good, especially those of the birds!
Your story about the drunken waxwing is funny. But, that makes me wonder, waxwings are known for getting drunk on berries, yet I’ll see robins feeding on the same berries at the same time as the waxwings, but I never see drunken robins. So, do robins have a higher tolerance for alcohol, or do they have enough sense to quit before getting drunk?
Thanks! No, I haven’t been holding back-nothing has been willing to sit still until now! I can’t answer the drunken robin question, but what I was reading said that cedar waxwings will often eat so many fermented berries that they die from alcohol poisoning. Maybe robins are just smarter birds and stop after a little nip.
What a wonderful collection of interesting (and cooperative) subjects. Very enjoyable post!
Thank you, Sue.
Lovely shots and commentary. Thanks!
Thank you Martha.
When I worked in a wildlife clinic, we would occasionally get intoxicated waxwings. Treatment: put them in the drunk tank and let them sleep it off with a little fluids for good measure. Usually happens in winter when there’s not much left for them to eat but the last, boozy berries still clinging to a few branches.
And I’d say you’ve got crows there. I love them and ravens both. When they’re young, they have blue eyes. Which is a startling thing to see.
That’s funny-and interesting. I’m going to have to watch for drunk cedar waxwings this winter now that I know where they hang out. This one was acting very strange and made it quite clear that I wasn’t welcome.
I’d love to get a shot of a blue eyed crow. That would be amazing! As you know though, you don’t get close to a crow unless they want you to.
A while back I saw a heron. I thought ok…I don’t have anywhere I have to be, I’ll sit here until it finds something to eat and snap a few photos. An hour later, I had plenty of pictures of the heron walking around, but no shots of it eating. I finally gave up and left. I have 2 ponds at my house and they are both loaded with bullfrogs and they will eat ANYTHING they can get in their mouth!
I know what you mean Laura. Back in the days of film I used to spend countless hours watching herons do exactly what yours did-nothing. It really is amazing how they can stay motionless for so long.
I’ll keep my shoes on around bullfrogs!
Awesome shots of a wonderful variety of “moving things,” including many of my favorites. The shot of the cedar waxwing is particularly gorgeous–the only times I have seen them, they have been obscured by tree branches. The photo of the crows/ravens is amazing too. In many of your shots you have managed to capture the personality of the creature, especially the birds.
Thanks Mike. That cedar waxwing was acting very strange and I read later that this bird often gets intoxicated from eating fermented berries. I’m wondering if maybe it was drunk because of the way it kept flying directly at me. It was nice of him and all of these subjects to sit so still while I fumbled around with camera settings.
I enjoy all your postings. You have a great camera eye!!
Thank you, it’s kind of you to say so.