Monday, July 18, 2011

Summer Beauty

As many of you know, we are currently in the process of building a permanent residence out in the country. This summer, while Bruce has been busy clearing an area for our home with machinery, I have been taking care of maintaining the property and tending to the wildlife. With 14 hummingbird feeders, 6 bird feeders and 4 bird baths to clean and refill, my days are occupied. While going about my daily chores, I make sure to bring my camera and a couple of lenses along in a backpack. There is always something new and interesting to see. Below are several macro photographs taken on our lovely country property.

Identification corrections are always welcome.

The beautiful wings of a Red-spotted Purple


Pearls of dew dot the long feathery bristles of a Common Dandelion


Silver-spotted Skippers are plentiful in our area


A lovely Widow Skimmer perches upon a blade of grass

A tiny Spur-throated Grasshopper explores the tip of some meadow foliage


Sightly Pearly Crescentspots are a common sight during the summer months


The center of this Oxeye Daisy looks very appealing to a busy Hover Fly


The impressive wingspan (3 1/2 - 5 1/2") of a Polyphemus Moth


Butterfly Milkweed fittingly attracts this stunning Great Spangled Fritillary



A Leaf-cutter Bee delights in a Common Milkweed Bloom


A pretty Little Wood Satyr clings to a thin pine needle


A most striking Calico Pennant alights upon field greenery (Identification courtesy of Greg Haworth)


Hanging on ~ Margined Leatherwing Beetle

44 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

Julie, these are beautiful! the hoverfly in the daisy is especially brilliant.

congrats on building your place in the country! how awesome that is going to be for both of you (and all the critters you already tend to...) :)

Cynthia White said...

Amazing images, very beautiful!

Artful Gathering said...

Your images are awesome. Thanks for posting. Have a great day. Dawn

Scott said...

Gorgeous images Julie!

Jann said...

WOW, Julie!! :o) Just stunning photos, I'm so jealous of that 400mm! I esp love the dandelion with dew, just fabulous!

Kerri Farley said...

Oh Julie - your images are absolutely breathtaking! Thank you for sharing such beauty with us!!

Unknown said...

Such a gorgeous series!!!! I LOVE the dandelion shot!

SLH said...

WOW! What an amazing series of photos. I love them all, especially the beetle at the end.

PoetessWug said...

Ohhh! As usual...just beautiful!! That first butterfly photo is actually breath-taking. And the last shot of the little beetle hanging on for dear life made me giggle. ^_^

de schoonheid van de natuur said...

Hoi Julie
wat een geweldige foto's erg mooi
groetjes Herman,

Unknown said...

Absolutely & totally superb! You nailed each & every shot here!

Unknown said...

Just love these photos Julie!

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Julie,
Wonderfull pictures with lovely colors. Really amazing. I like them very much. The last one is a very special shot. Very funny to see this little one watching you.
Very nice!!

Greetings, Marco

Debbie said...

spectular julie....you are an artist with your camera!!

i could never pick a favorite, every one is brilliant!!

thanks so much for visiting my blog and always leaving such kind comments!!!

Whimbrel Nature said...

Great post Julie. I love your macro shots.

Ben said...

Hello Julie,
Wonderfull macro shots,nice colars and sharpnes

Greetings,

Ben

Dan Huber said...

Your photos are each wonderful to look at, so much detail.

dan

Cathy Ross said...

I love how you see the macro world through you lens Julie...each image has a beautiful sense of purpose and depth. I enjoy every second of anticipation as I slowly scroll down your posts! Awesome work, as always!

Jim Braswell said...

Awesome, Julie!!! Great job capturing some beautiful critters!

Patricia/Trisketta said...

Oh Julie: these are absolutely EXQUISITE!!! The dandelion with the dewdrops is sublime! Bravo!!

RVDaalen said...

What an amazing pics. I'm enjoying them all, specially the first one, because of the wonderful colors.

Good job!!

Greetz,

Remco

BirdGalAlcatraz said...

Julie, your beautiful photos always leave me speechless. These are no exception. Each one is so beautifully composed and rendered, and what you've accomplished with these macro shorts is nothing short of breathtaking. I especially love the dandelion image with the dew drops and the Hover Fly on the daisy is spectacular! I love the dragonfly shots as well -- just exquisite. Thank you for sharing all these lovely photos!

Kathie Brown said...

Love the daisy with the fly. You sure are busy!

JRandSue said...

Julie,these are superb images.
Fantastic detail rich in colour,and sharp as a pin.
Once again superb photography.
John.

John said...

Julie,

I have just found your blog, the photo's are just beautiful. You capture nature in all it's glory. Fantastic. John

cindyzlogic said...

Julie, these images are all outstanding!!! I so enjoy seeing your nature photography!! My favorite is the gorgeous blue-colored butterfly!!

-- said...

WoW! I LOVE butterflies and that first shot is absolutely amazing! They are all fantastic, Julie! Love the colors on the Wood Satyr ~ mauves & purples are my favs! Excellent work! :)

Larry Ostby said...

As always Julie, you have managed to capture a natural beauty not seen by many. Every photo shares its own special uniqueness in natural splendor. I must say I have a fondness for the dragonflies and the butterflies and moths. Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Hey Julie,
I was wondering if you had been out shooting. We have had ample time to recover from the wedding reception :)

I really like the dandelion shot, Good eye my friend. Say Hello to Bruce for me.

Bengts fotoblogg said...

Lovely photos, the Blue-colored butterfly is gorgeous.

Jeanne said...

These are beautiful and lovely photos.
Grt Jeanne

forgetmenot said...

Julie, Once again, incredible photos. You need to be doing these for a Nature Magazine--these are as good as "any" I have ever seen. How exciting to be planning for your new home. Sounds like you (and Bruce) are doing a lot of the work yourselves. What a wonderful thing to look forward to-- a new home out in the middle of nature. Have a lovely Sunday. Mickie :)

Tammy said...

Those are some fantastic macros! I just love that last shot.

Dawn Fine said...

I adore the dew dropped dandelion..awesome pics!

greg haworth said...

The unidentified dragonfly is, i believe, a Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa).

Nice work.
greg haworth

Art said...

Your photos are so amazing, i love it!

Native Gardener said...

I'm with Dawn: that is the most amazing Dandelion pic. All these photos are really wonderful. But I also like the grasshopper. Hope U enjoy your new country place :-)

Connie Arnold said...

What beautiful photos, Julie! Thank you for sharing them.

Bob Bushell said...

That is one of the most beautiful blogs, thanks for inviting me.

KaHolly said...

What hasn't been said about your wonderful photos? What a joy to scroll through your post. ~karen

Victoria said...

These pictures are amazing - just perfect! I love the Polyphemus especially. Truly inspiring.

theconstantwalker said...

Wonderful images... I have really enjoyed my browse around your blog.

Unknown said...

Great shots! I love seeing your nature photos.

Joanna Durczok said...

Julie, these photos are amazing. I love the whole set but the first one is my favourite:)