Trees and Flowers
My First of Year Monarch Butterfly Sighting
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.
Say’s Phoebes And Sagebrush
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.
Painted Lady Butterfly And Rocky Mountain Bee Plants
I'd forgotten about this Painted Lady butterfly I photographed in August of 2017 that I found while photographing hummingbirds on Antelope Island State Park.
Blooming Chokecherry Trees In Utah’s Wasatch Mountains
I am not just a bird photographer. I am also a student of nature each and every time I venture into the field because being out there teaches me something new on practically every journey.
Serviceberries Are Blooming In The Wasatch Mountains
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.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird Male Hovering Below Black Twinberry Honeysuckle Flowers
Of the hundred or so images I took of the male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds in that small and very windy area I only liked this one photo.
Photographing Blooming Glacier Lilies
I enjoyed my journey to photograph the Glacier Lilies yesterday, it was quiet, peaceful and very relaxing. No news, no negativity, and not thinking about what a mess our world is in helped me to de-stress.
Fall Colors In The Wasatch Mountains Plus A Male Dusky Grouse
This morning is cloudy and gray but seven years ago today it was bright, the air was crisp and the fall colors of the Front Range of the Wasatch Mountains were in their full glory.
Douglas Firs – Bird Food Grown, Stored And Served in Handy Cones
The cones of Douglas Firs provide food for birds and mammals and the trees provide shelter and nesting areas too. I've been paying attention to the Douglas Firs we have here for several years because of the birds I know I can find eating the seeds of the trees from their cones.
Immature Swainson’s Hawk, Golden Light And Common Sunflowers
Two days ago I was able to photograph an immature Swainson's Hawk in golden light perched on a fence post that was surrounded by bright yellow common sunflowers. Yes, I was blissed out.
Two-striped Grasshopper Photographed on Showy Milkweed
I researched Utah's grasshoppers and found out that this is a Two-striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) and even though I may have seen this species of grasshopper before it is a photographic lifer for me.
Least Chipmunk Feasting On Golden Currants
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.
Blooming Showy Milkweed In The Wasatch Mountains
I missed out on photographing Showy Milkweed in bloom in the lower elevations of northern Utah but not at the higher elevations of the Wasatch Mountains.
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Sipping Nectar From A Lanceleaf Figwort
Just a short post today with a photo of a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird getting nectar from an unknown wildflower, or at least it is unknown to me.
Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly Resting On Black Twinberry Honeysuckle
I'm confident in my North American bird ID abilities but when it comes to Fritillary butterfly species ID in the Wasatch Mountains I feel stymied a lot of the time.
Wild Roses in Bloom in Northern Utah
The wild roses, like many of the other wildflowers, don't bloom for long so I am happy that I took the time to photograph individual blossoms and the top of one of the rose bushes this year
Dame’s Rocket – Invasive Biennial From Eurasia
What I didn't know at the time that I photographed the flowering Dame's Rocket was that it is a prohibited plant in Utah.
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Defending His Chokecherry Perch
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.
Dew Drops And Blooming Mountain Bluebells
Last week I saw several clumps of blooming Mountain Bluebells that were dripping with dew drops from rains that fell overnight and I felt that I had to stop and take photos of them. I know they don't bloom for long.
Adult Green-tailed Towhee Perched In A Golden Currant Bush
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.
Flowering Serviceberries – More Blooming Bird Food
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.
Flowering Chokecherry Trees – AKA Blooming Bird Food
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.
Red Admiral Butterflies And Wax Currants In Bloom
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.
Wildflower Season Has Started In Northern Utah – Lewis’s Flax
Everywhere I go in the lower elevations of northern Utah I can see wildflowers blooming now.
Male Red-tailed Hawk With Yellow Wildflowers
What is better than photographing a male Red-tailed Hawk? Photographing the hawk with blooming wildflowers, in this case Gray's Biscuitroot.
Utah’s West Desert In Bloom
Native or introduced these purple wildflowers were a joy for me to see and photograph in the West Desert of Utah.
Cutest Bee Flies in the World on Rabbitbrush & Curlycup Gumweed
I photographed some of the cutest, fuzzy Bee Flies in the world this week nectaring on Rabbitbrush and Curlycup Gumweed in the Stansbury Mountains of the West Desert.
Western Branded Skipper Butterflies And Rabbitbrush
I saw plenty of Western Branded Skipper butterflies nectaring on blooming rabbitbrush in both the canyons I explored yesterday morning and I can't resist, nor do I want to, photographing wildflowers and butterflies.
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant Plus a Bee in Flight
On Sunday I was up in Box Elder County looking for birds but I also felt I had to stop and take some images of Rocky Mountain Bee Plants that were blooming along side the road.
Lazuli Buntings In Serviceberry Trees – Fattening Up Before Migration
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.