Zebra Swallowtail

Another awesome butterfly captured at Big Oaks NWR in Madison Indiana. This is one of my favorite butterflies not because of their beauty or elegance but because of their aggressive nature.

As an example last year I was sitting in a lawn chair photographing great spangled fritillaries on butterfly weed at Splinter Ridge FWA in southern Indiana. The plant was covered with the fritillaries but this one beat up zebra would fly in and run off every other butterfly on that plant and even took aim at me a couple times flying right up into my face just daring me to do something !!

So even though they are one of the most beautiful and unique butterflies that grace our local fields and woodlots it is their fighting spirit that really makes them one of my favorites !!

Thanks for stopping by and having a look.

Common Buckeye

Thought I would share another great butterfly from southern Indiana, the Common Buckeye, photographed at Big Oaks NWR near Madison Indiana. Maybe the most beautiful butterfly that inhabits our area and certainly one of my favorite.

The color and markings on their wings is really quite amazing and they are a joy to photograph and view as well. But they can also be quite skittish which makes it very hard to view let alone photograph.

A very cautious approach and movements kept to a minimum are a must when stalking this little gem. Try to keep low to the ground so you can keep your profile broken up.

Thanks for stopping by and having a look !!

Gliding Giants

This is one of those images that doesn’t present itself to you very much.

I captured these two Giant Swallowtails at Splinter Ridge Fish & Wildlife Area earlier this summer as they were gliding thru an open meadow in some type of courtship ritual.

I was lucky enough to be following them when they made a sudden loop and sailed right over me and my camera for a once in a lifetime shot. I fired off about 30 shots and I came up with this one image that I believe best represents this wonderful experience.

The cool thing is that these were the first Giant Swallowtails that I have ever observed or let alone photographed making it an amazing experience. Thanks for stopping by and having a look !!

Monarch Sunset

Warm evening light bathes this beautiful Monarch Butterfly as it stops to rest and feed on its long journey to Mexico. Monarch butterflies perform annual migrations across North America which have been called “one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world”.

Starting in September and October, eastern and northeastern populations migrate from southern Canada and the United States to overwintering sites in central Mexico where they arrive around November. They start the return trip in March, arriving around July. No individual butterfly completes the entire round trip; female monarchs lay eggs for the next generation during the northward migration[2] and at least four generations are involved in the annual cycle.

Similarly, the western populations migrate annually between regions west of the Rocky Mountains including northern Canada and overwintering sites on the coast of California.

I captured this amazing specimen just south of the Big Oaks NWR near Madison Indiana the fields that surround that area have been planted in an wonderful assortment of native wildflowers and this year I have been blessed to capture some awesome images of the great variety that utilized the fields.

Hope you enjoy the image and thanks for visiting my blog !!

Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art

I am sure I probably shared these before one time or another but I thought it might be nice to put them out their again for people to see. Madison is such a beautiful place it never hurts to show it off a bit.

Madison with all it’s beautiful architecture and many festivals is a great place to visit. And the natural diversity that surrounds Madison is second to none,if you love photography you will love this place.

Fall is fast approaching and the of the Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art will be next weekend and would be a great time to travel to our little river town and enjoy all the fine amenities we have to offer.

Thanks for stopping by and having a look!