Fun Friday: Monarch & Rattlesnake Interaction

By Jim | Published July 14, 2017




The local Missouri Master Gardener group I’m a member of had a great week. On Wednesday morning we met and drove to a wonderful butterfly garden that a nearby Kansas Master Gardener established many years ago. We had a very educational tour from the local butterfly expert, learning much about the butterflies and the plants. […]

Posted in 2017, Blog, Butterfly Photography, Fun Friday post, Insect Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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One Last Fling?

By Jim | Published October 11, 2016




I had hoped to publish another post yesterday, but my 3-day art festival in Lee’s Summit, over the weekend, took it’s toll on me … I came home Sunday evening very tired and wore out! I had a great show and met many new nature lovers, some repeat customers, some former co-workers, and I even […]

Posted in 2016, Blog, Butterfly Photography, Insect Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Royalty on the Prairie

By Jim | Published September 30, 2016




A couple of mornings ago, I spent about 4 hours on Snowball Hill Prairie, photographing the last of this year’s wildflowers. Transitioning into fall, the last of the wildflowers are now in bloom, while lots of wildflowers are already setting seeds for next year’s color. Arriving before sunrise, there was not much happening except for […]

Posted in 2016, Blog, Butterfly Photography, Fun Friday post, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Fun Friday: ViceroyMania

By Jim | Published September 2, 2016




Yesterday morning, before getting to work on my large backlog of “things to do”, I decided I would fix my coffee and sit on the front porch and enjoy it while watching nature around me at my rural Missouri home. This was especially nice since our temperatures have really cooled off overnight, with expected highs […]

Posted in 2016, Blog, Butterfly Photography, Insect Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Monarch Chrysalis

By Jim | Published February 3, 2016




I came across this image while editing my Lightroom catalog last evening … another image I have not previously published: At first, I thought it was a swallowtail chrysalis, but after a closer look, it is a Monarch’s chrysalis. This was hanging from one of my sister-in-law’s flowers in one of her flower gardens, in […]

Posted in 2015, Butterfly Photography, Insect Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Nature’s Recycling (Re-post)

By Jim | Published January 9, 2013




(This post originally published in September, 2010) As I meandered around the Prairie Meadow the other day, I came across this Monarch Butterfly caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) feeding on a Common Milkweed plant. As I moved in close and watched it, it was literally having a feeding frenzy on a milkweed leaf. As I watched it, […]

Posted in 2010, 2013, Blog, Butterfly Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Magnificent Monarch (Re-post)

By Jim | Published January 5, 2013




(This post originally published in August 2010) While photographing birds in the prairie meadow the other day, I was joined by a large, beautiful Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). He landed on a nearby thistle and grazed the flower for nectar for several minutes. When he was done, he lifted off and fluttered above the meadow, […]

Posted in 2010, 2012, Blog, Butterfly Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Butterflies & Sunflowers

By Jim | Published August 15, 2012




Not only have birds been flocking to the nearby sunflower field … several other winged critters have been observed and photographed. Today’s post focus on the butterflies. One of the first visitors I encountered in the sunflower field was a Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria cybele):   A bit later, I found another Great Spangled […]

Posted in 2012, Blog, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Magnificent Monarch

By Jim | Published August 30, 2010




While photographing birds in the prairie meadow the other day, I was joined by a large, beautiful Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). He landed on a nearby thistle and grazed the flower for nectar for several minutes. When he was done, he lifted off and fluttered above the meadow, likely searching for another flower to feed […]

Posted in 2010, Blog, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Wildflowers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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