Shrubs – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Blue Elderberry – Leave Food for Wildlife

By Mia McPherson|2023-09-06T04:54:18-05:00August 31st, 2023|Categories: Blue Elderberry, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: berries, berry, Blue Elderberry, canyon, close up, flowering shrub, fruiting shrub, leaves, mountains, ripening, Sambucus cerulea, Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea, shrub, summer|

When I photographed these ripening Blue Elderberry berries a few days ago, I was reminded of something I saw last year related to the elderberries I observe in the Wasatch Mountains.

5

Pink Hydrangea In Full Bloom

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-14T03:43:17-05:00June 6th, 2023|Categories: Shrubs|Tags: bloom, blooming, blossom, flowering, flowering shrub, garden, hydrangea, hydrangeas, shrub, spring|

Today my post is about a pretty pink Hydrangea in full bloom that I photograped yesterday morning.

5

Hydrangea Just Starting To Bloom In May

By Mia McPherson|2023-05-23T01:56:13-05:00May 23rd, 2023|Categories: Shrubs|Tags: bloom, blooming, cultivar, flowering, flowering shrub, flowers, green, hydrangea, hydrangeas, lianas, pH, purple, shrubs, spring, trees|

I was glad I had my cell phone handy to photograph this hydrangea just starting to bloom when I had no other camera handy.

6

Wildflowers I Photographed In 2022

By Mia McPherson|2022-12-29T04:11:01-06:00December 29th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Blue Elderberry, Box Elder County, Chicory, Common Mullein, Common Sunflowers, Curlycup Gumweed, Davis County, East Canyon, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Gray’s Biscuitroot, Hound’s Tongue, Lewis’s Flax, Longleaf Phlox, Morgan County, Mountain Goldenbanner, Parsnipflower Buckwheat, Purple Loosestrife, Roundleaf Snowberry, Rubber Rabbitbrush, Scarlet Gilia, Showy Milkweed, Silvery Lupine, Spearleaf Arnica, Sticky Purple Geraniums, Summit County, Tooele County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Western Chokecherry, White Water Crowfoot, Wood's Rose|Tags: Aster, Beardtongue, blooming, blooms, Blue Elderberry, Blue Flax, Chicory, Common Mullein, Common Sunflower, Curlycup Gumweed, Flatbud Prickly Poppy, flowering, flowers, Gray's Biscuitroot, Houndstongue, Lewis's flax, Longleaf Phlox, Mountain Goldenbanner, Parsnipflower Buckwheat, Penstemon, Prickly Poppy, Purple Loosestrife, Roundleaf Snowberry, Rubber Rabbitbrush, Scarlet Gilia, Showy Milkweed, Silvery Lupine, Spearleaf Arnica, Sticky Purple Geranium, Utah Serviceberry, Western Chokecherry, White Water-crowfoot, wildflower, wildflowers, Woods' Rose|

This morning I wanted to share some of the wildflowers I photographed in 2022. Birds are my primary subjects yet I simply can't resist focusing on wildflowers.

7

Least Chipmunk And Serviceberries

By Mia McPherson|2022-08-12T03:11:39-05:00August 12th, 2022|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Summit County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Amelanchier utahensis, berries, berry, breakfast, canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, chowing down, close up, eating, face, flowering shrub, fruit, fruiting shrub, fruits, funny, Least Chipmunk, leaves, mountains, ripe, serviceberries, serviceberry, squirrel, squirrels, staring, stretching, summer, Utah Serviceberry|

Warning: More cute Least Chipmunk photos ahead plus serviceberries high in the Wasatch Mountain Range. I just can't resist them and I don't want to.

8

Immature Bullock’s Oriole Photos From The Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2022-08-11T16:50:03-05:00August 11th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Bullock's Orioles, Morgan County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Amelanchier utahensis, berries, berry, branch, Bullock's Oriole, canyon, flowering shrub, fruiting shrub, hawthorn, Icterus bullockii, immature, mountains, oriole, orioles, perched, serviceberries, serviceberry, summer, Utah Serviceberry, young|

My last stop yesterday up in the Wasatch Mountains gave me great views and photos of this immature Bullock's Oriole perched in a serviceberry shrub.

4

Young Lazuli Bunting In A Serviceberry

By Mia McPherson|2022-07-21T06:02:22-05:00July 21st, 2022|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Summit County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Amelanchier utahensis, berries, berry, bunting, buntings, canyon, flowering shrub, fruit, fruiting shrub, fruits, immature, juvenile, Lazuli Bunting, leaves, mountains, Passerina amoena, peeking, serviceberry, summer, Utah Serviceberry, young|

I escaped into the coolness of the Wasatch Mountains yesterday morning for a few hours. While I was there I photographed this young Lazuli Bunting.

3

Early July Wildflowers In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2022-07-16T09:11:24-05:00July 16th, 2022|Categories: Blue Elderberry, Morgan County, Musk Thistle, Parsnipflower Buckwheat, Silvery Lupine, Spearleaf Arnica, Sticky Purple Geraniums, Summit County, Utah, Washington County, Wood's Rose|Tags: Arnica longifolia, bee, beetles, blooming, blooms, blossoms, Blue Elderberry, buds, canyon, Carduus nutans, Eriogonum heracleoides, Geranium viscosissimum, Lupinus argenteus, mountains, Musk Thistle, Parsnipflower Buckwheat, ravine, Rosa woodsii, rosebuds, Sambucus cerulea, Silvery Lupine, Spearleaf Arnica, Sticky Geranium, summer, wildflowers, Woods' Rose|

I wanted to share some of the wildflowers I photographed in the first part of July that I have found in Summit and Morgan Counties high in the Wasatch Mountains.

3

Wild Rose Blossom And Buds

By Mia McPherson|2022-07-06T06:08:59-05:00July 6th, 2022|Categories: Shrubs, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wood's Rose|Tags: bloom, blooming, blossoms, buds, flowering, leaves, Rosa woodsii, rose, rosebuds, roses, shrub, summer, Woods' Rose|

When I photographed this wild rose blossom and buds high in the mountains last week just seeing the flower made me happy. I stopped to photograph the roses.

2

Roundleaf Snowberry In Bloom

By Mia McPherson|2022-06-26T05:21:09-05:00June 26th, 2022|Categories: Roundleaf Snowberry, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: bloom, blooming, bloosoms, canyon, flowering, flowering shrub, fruiting shrub, mountains, native, Roundleaf Snowberry, shrub, snowberries, Snowberry, summer, Symphoricarpos rotundifolius|

Last week I was excited to see the the Roundleaf Snowberry shrubs high in the Wasatch Mountains had started to go into bloom.

4

Cedar Waxwing Photos And Serviceberries Are Setting Fruit

By Mia McPherson|2022-06-16T05:01:43-05:00June 16th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Cedar Waxwings, Morgan County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, berries, berry, Bombycilla cedrorum, canyon, Cedar Waxwing, flowering shrub, flowering tree, fruiting shrub, fruiting tree, mountains, perched, serviceberry, spring, staring, Utah Serviceberry, waxwing, waxwings|

Yesterday morning one of the birds I photographed was a stunning adult Cedar Waxwing perched on a serviceberry that has started to develop fruit.

3

Some Birds And Blooms From The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2022-08-17T03:23:39-05:00June 13th, 2022|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Black Twinberry Honeysuckle, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Gray Catbirds, Mallards, Morgan County, Mountain Goldenbanner, Red-tailed Hawks, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Western Chokecherry, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, American Goldfinch, Anas platyrhynchos, babies, bathing, Black twinberry honeysuckle, blooming, blooms, blossoms, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, canyon, catbirds, Chokecherry, creek, ducklings, ducks, Dumetella carolinensis, feathers, feed, finches, flowering, gold finches, grasses, Gray Catbird, hummingbirds, Lonicera involucrata, male, Mallard, Melospiza melodia, Mountain Goldenbanner, mountains, native, Prunus virginiana, riparian habitat, Selasphorus platycercus, Setophaga petechia, singing, Song Sparrow, sparrows, Spinus tristis, Thermopsis montana, tree, warbler, warblers, Western Chokecherry, wet, willows, Yellow Warbler, yellow wildflowers|

This morning I wanted to share some photos of the birds and blooms that I took images of one morning last week while I was high in the Wasatch Mountains.

8

Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly With Serviceberry Blossoms

By Mia McPherson|2022-06-12T05:05:39-05:00June 12th, 2022|Categories: Shrubs, Summit County, Two-tailed Swallowtails, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, blooming, blooms, blossoms, butterflies, butterfly, canyon, close up, flowering, flowering shrub, fruiting shrub, mountains, Papilio multicaudata, serviceberry, shrub, spring, Summit County, swallowtail, swallowtails, Two-tailed Swallowtail, Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains|

Late last week I stopped my Jeep in the Wasatch Mountains because I spotted a Two-tailed Swallowtail butterfly resting on a blooming serviceberry shrub.

5

California Tortoiseshell Butterfly And Blooming Fragrant Sumac

By Mia McPherson|2022-04-26T05:50:55-05:00April 26th, 2022|Categories: Box Elder County, California Tortoiseshell Butterflies, Shrubs, Trees, Shrubs and Flowers, Utah|Tags: blooming, bush, buterflies, butterfly, California Tortoiseshell, desert, Fragrant Sumac, freshwater seep, memories, Nymphalis californica, perched, Rhus aromatica, shrub, spring, sumac, wildflowers|

I had this California Tortoiseshell butterfly nectaring on blooming Fragrant Sumac up in a far northern Utah desert in my viewfinder four years ago today.

6

Clouded Sulphur Butterfly And Rabbitbrush

By Mia McPherson|2021-09-29T06:40:33-05:00September 29th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Clouded Sulphur Butterflies, Shrubs, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, autumn, bloom, blooming, butterflies, butterfly, close up, Clouded Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur butterfly, Colias philodice, Ericameria nauseosa, fall, feeding, flowering, nectaring, rabbitbrush, ranchlands, roadside, Rubber Rabbitbrush, sulphur, sulphurs, wildflowers, yellow wildflowers|

I got lucky at one rabbitbrush when I found a Clouded Sulphur butterfly nectaring on what I believe is a Rubber Rabbitbrush.

4

Roundleaf Snowberry Berries

By Mia McPherson|2021-08-16T06:26:27-05:00August 16th, 2021|Categories: Morgan County, Shrubs, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: berries, berry, bloom, blooming, canyon, drupes, flowering shrub, Mountain Snowberry, mountains, pink wildflowers, ripening, Roundleaf Snowberry, shrub, snowberries, Snowberry, spider webs, spring, summer, Symphoricarpos rotundifolius, Utah, white wildflowers, wildflowers|

Last week while I was up in the Wasatch Mountains I had the opportunity to take photos of Roundleaf Snowberry berries in between photographing birds.

1

Blooming Blue Elderberry

By Mia McPherson|2021-07-17T05:46:34-05:00July 17th, 2021|Categories: Blue Elderberry, Summit County, Trees, Shrubs and Flowers, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: blooming, blossoms, Blue Elderberry, canyon, drought, drought conditions, elderberries, elderberry, flowering, flowering shrub, flowering tree, mountains, Sambucus cerulea, Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea, summer, white wildflowers|

Blue Elderberry shrubs are blooming right now high in the Wasatch Mountains. Two days ago I took a few photos of the elderberry blossoms.

4

Trees, Shrubs, Wildflowers And A Butterfly

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-09T04:59:37-06:00May 23rd, 2021|Categories: California Tortoiseshell Butterflies, Shrubs, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: Abies concolor, aspen, aspens, bloom, blooming, blossoms, butterflies, butterfly, California Tortoiseshell butterfly, cone, cones, currant, currants, Douglas fir, fir, firs, Gray's Biscuitroot, Hydrophyllum occidentale, Lomatium grayi, Nymphalis californica, Populus tremuloides, prunus, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quaking Aspen, Ribes cereum, shrubs, spring, trees, Wax Currant, Western Chokecherry, Western Waterleaf, White Fir|

On a recent trip to the West Desert sky island mountains in Tooele County I found my lens pointed at trees, shrubs, wildflowers and a butterfly.

12

Bluebells, Currants, Warblers And A Duck

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-15T05:59:28-05:00May 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Morgan County, Shrubs, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, alpine, Anas platyrhynchos, bath, bathing, beaver damage, bloom, blooming, blossoms, blue wildflowers, branch, branches, canyon, creek, creekside, currant, currants, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, female, flowering, flowers, fork, Golden Currant, male, Mallard, mallards, Mertensia ciliata, Mountain Bluebells, mountains, perched, pink wildflowers, purple wildflowers, Ribes aureum, riparian zone, Setophaga petechia, shrub, singing, spring, stump, tapestry, warbler, warblers, water, water droplets, wildflowers, Yellow Warbler, yellow wildflowers|

I spent my morning up in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday and came home with photos of bluebells, currants, warblers, and a duck.

5

Least Chipmunk Eating A Serviceberry

By Mia McPherson|2021-07-13T13:29:30-05:00June 28th, 2020|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Shrubs, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, berries, berry, branches, canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, close up, eating, fruit, fruiting shrub, fruits, growing season, Least Chipmunk, leaves, mid-way, midway, mountains, Neotamias minimus, serviceberries, serviceberry, shrub, Utah Serviceberry|

Last week while I was up in the Wasatch Mountains photographing birds I had a Least Chipmunk pop into my view while it ate a serviceberry.

7

My First of Year Monarch Butterfly Sighting

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-23T09:09:27-05:00June 18th, 2020|Categories: Box Elder County, Monarch Butterflies, Shrubs, Trees, Utah|Tags: adult, butterflies, butterfly, Celtis reticulata, Danaus plexippus, desert, male, Monarch Butterfly, Netleaf Hackberry|

I'm always happy to photograph "other things with wings" when I am out in the field so last week when I spotted my first of year Monarch butterfly I had to take a few photos of it.

8

Say’s Phoebes And Sagebrush

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-11T04:15:41-05:00June 12th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Habitat, Say's Phoebes, Shrubs, Utah|Tags: adult, Artemisia tridentata, barbed wire, Big Sagebrush, Box Elder County, desert, fence, fence post, flycatcher, flycatchers, foraging, hunting, landing, nest, perched, phoebe, phoebes, sage, sagebrush, Say's Phoebe, spring, tyrant flycatchers, Utah, young|

Over time I have come to associate Say's Phoebes with sagebrush because I don't think I have ever seen or photographed one of these phoebes where there wasn't sage nearby here in northern Utah.

8

Serviceberries Are Blooming In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2022-08-15T05:40:44-05:00May 24th, 2020|Categories: Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Amelanchier, Amelanchier alnifolia, bloom, blooming, cold snap, flowering, flowering shrub, fruit production, in bloom, migration, serviceberries, serviceberry, Western Serviceberry, white flowers|

What got me so excited was seeing how many serviceberries there were blooming on the slopes of the mountains and how thick the blossoms were on each of the shrubs.

5

Least Chipmunk Feasting On Golden Currants

By Mia McPherson|2021-07-13T13:58:44-05:00August 8th, 2019|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Shrubs, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Buffalo Currant, canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, Clove Currant, currant, currants, Golden Currant, Least Chipmunk, mountains, Neotamias minimus, Ribes aureum|

I noticed that the Golden Currants have started to ripen and this chipmunk was actively feeding on the fruits when I caught sight of it and twisted my body like a pretzel to take a few photos of it.

5

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Defending His Chokecherry Perch

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-11T14:58:38-05:00June 27th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, branch, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Chokecherry, favorite perch, flowering tree, hummingbird, hummingbirds, male, Prunus virginiana, Prunus virginiana demissa, Selasphorus platycercus, Western Chokecherry, white flowers|

It was interesting to watch and photograph this little Broad-tailed Hummingbird defend his favorite perch from the intruders I barely saw but could hear as they flew in and he flew out to chase them away.

8

Adult Green-tailed Towhee Perched In A Golden Currant Bush

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-16T03:53:02-05:00June 14th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Shrubs, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, blooming, Buffalo Currant, Clove Currant, currant, currants, flowering shrub, Golden Currant, Green-tailed Towhee, Missouri Currant, perched, Pipilo chlorurus, Ribes aureum, sparrow, sparrows, towhee, towhees, yellow flowers|

I truly wish that I had been able to photograph this adult Green-tailed Towhee in this Golden Currant bush while is was in full bloom because that would have been gorgeous with all the tiny yellow flowers.

6

Flowering Serviceberries – More Blooming Bird Food

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-13T20:45:28-05:00June 9th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: Amelanchier alnifolia, Amelanchier utahensis, blooming, bunting, buntings, feeding, female, flowering shrubs, Lazuli Bunting, native, Passerina amoena, Service Berry, serviceberries, Setophaga petechia, Utah Serviceberry, warbler, warblers, Western Serviceberry, Yellow Warbler|

Like the chokecherries I wrote about yesterday it seems that because of our wetter than normal spring the serviceberries are also doing very well so there should be plentiful fruit for the birds to feast on before they migrate this fall.

6

Flowering Chokecherry Trees – AKA Blooming Bird Food

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-10T09:47:26-05:00June 8th, 2019|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Morgan County, Shrubs, Smith and Morehouse Reservoir, Summit County, Trees, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: American Robin, bird food, bloom, blooming, cherry, Chokecherry, flowering shrubs, flowering tree, immature, native, Prunus virginiana, Prunus virginiana demissa, ripe, robin, robins, Turdus migratorius, Western Chokecherry|

Because of our wetter than normal spring it seems that the chokecherries are doing well, extremely well. Many of the chokecherry branches are bending low because of the weight of the blossoms.

5

Red Admiral Butterflies And Wax Currants In Bloom

By Mia McPherson|2021-08-05T18:08:36-05:00May 17th, 2019|Categories: Red Admiral Butterflies, Shrubs, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: admiral, admirals, adult, blooming, butterflies, butterfly, currants, pink flowers, Red Admiral, Red Admiral Butterfly, Ribes cereum, Vanessa atalanta, Wax Currant|

While I photographed male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds a few days ago in the West Desert I also took a few moments to photograph some of the butterflies nectaring on the blooms of the Wax Currant bush which included Red Admiral butterflies.

5

Lazuli Buntings In Serviceberry Trees – Fattening Up Before Migration

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-01T04:25:01-05:00August 26th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah|Tags: Amelanchier utahensis, berry, bunting, buntings, curious, eating, female, gape, immature, Lazuli Bunting, male, molting, Passerina amoena, serviceberry, young|

Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to photograph male, female and immature Lazuli Buntings as they have been gorging on the fruits of Serviceberry trees to fatten up before their migration.

5