I just happen to look out one of our upstairs windows yesterday and spotted this butterfly enjoying the blooms on a Butterfly Bush! I removed the screen from the window and tried to capture her as she moved from flower to flower. The sun was in the west, which backlit this little girl.
I believe she is a Variegated Fritillary, but I can’t be sure. Years ago I found a great web-site that helps you identify butterflies. Here is the link: Identify Butterflies.
Look at her eyes!Watching for harassing bees.Beautiful patterns
She had a hard time trying to stay away from a yellow jacket that didn’t want her there.
~South Llano River State Park, Junction, TX, April, 2017
Spotted Towhee
Nice to see the Spotted Towhee enjoying a bath. Towhees are one of my favorite birds.
As you can see from the header photo above, spring was making its grand entrance. Lush green grasses and dazzling wildflowers were gracing the area with their presence.
~Lake Colorado City State Park, Colorado City, Texas, April, 2017
Everybody loves the Roadrunner, right?
Beep, Beep!
I have never seen a pair of Roadrunners. At some point, one would think, we would see a pair. Always searching for insects, lizards and snakes, and seemingly always running. I was lucky to see a few of them running around this lovely state park. Occasionally, a brief pause. And, I mean brief!
One evening, Howard and I were walking in the park and spotted this Roadrunner sitting in a tree. I have seen them (briefly) sitting on a fence post, but never in a tree. I wonder if he thought he was hiding from us.
On our walk we met an elderly couple sitting on a bench. They were wearing their Parks & Recreation volunteer vests, and huge smiles. When someone walked by their bench they were very happy to engage in conversation. With paper and pens on their laps, they were recording how many people they saw including activities they were doing. This data would be turned over to Parks and Rec to help in making future decisions on this multipurpose area. By the way, this park was being constructed in 2012 when a flood destroyed the progress. It has taken several years to build it again.
Howard and I chatted with them for several minutes and we enjoyed our chat with these friendly “youngsters”. They were RV’ers, having traveled in many different rigs and through many states. No longer wanting to travel they moved into a beautiful home within walking distance of the Big Thompson River and their bench. It was nice to see them happy and enthused about life.
So what were people doing on this beautiful morning: walking, sightseeing, biking, running, fishing, taking photos, sitting, kids were throwing rocks into the ponds, and certainly enjoying this gorgeous park along the river. As for me, I was testing out my new Canon lens. It is a EFS 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM. Just a few photos.
One of the many ponds around Loveland, Colorado.
Dragonfly PondA Sunflower reaching toward the sun. A bring yellow among the browns and beiges of Buffalo Grass
Further along the path a man was standing, straddled his bike. As we approached he pointed out this baby snake. After taking a couple of photos of the snake we chatted for a few minutes. He was from Tampa, Florida, visiting his brother and family. He told me, “all snakes bite, but not all are poisonous.” He also told us that he played base in the Lynyrd Skynyrd Rock Bank for many years. Isn’t it fun to chat with people? Well most of the time! Heehee!
Check out the colors and pattern.Sunflower – I am happy with the detail this lens is giving me up close.Baby Bull Snake (?) Great to have around the house, kills rodents and Rattlesnakes.
I saw this gorgeous wildflower along a trail. Could it be a Missouri Violet?
Wolf Song Blog 