I wish you all a wonderful Easter weekend. I've been seeing lots of butterflies lately, a beautiful sign of life and rebirth. This is a mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), a butterfly widespread throughout North America.
It was perched on our big apricot tree, flittering from branch to branch in the afternoon sunlight.
This large nest is a raven nest, and you can just barely see a black head poking out of it. Ravens are one of the earliest nesters in this area, and they are already sitting on eggs.
This little bird was on the grass at the post office, not too shy about collecting some nest material. It's a goldfinch, its colors muted at this time, but they will brighten as breeding season gets even closer.
The goldfinch was intent on finding just the right nest material.
I couldn't figure out what kind of butterfly this one is--after all, there are over 100 kinds where I live, and they don't even make sounds to give you an extra hint! That's okay, it's fun just to see that the colorful insects out and about. Very soon there will be an explosion of flowers, giving them many more options for food.
Yes, beautiful! Happy Easter Weekend and Welcome to Springtime in the northern hemisphere. It's bursting out all over, and you've caught some gems with your lens.
Is your mystery butterfly a Painted Lady? We have lots of those here in Indiana, but they are found all aross the country, as well as in Canada and Mexico. http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/natural/insects/projects/painted.htm
Hi! I'm Gretchen, an ecologist, rancher's wife, mother, writer, and dreamer. I've lived and worked in three of the four North American deserts and visited the fourth. This blog is about what it's like to live in the rural high desert on a ranch, spending lots of time outdoors with kids, and our journey to live more sustainably. To learn more about the area, click here. If you'd like to contact me, leave a comment (I love comments!) or email me at desertsurvivor @ live.com.
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I wish you all a wonderful Easter weekend. I've been seeing lots of butterflies lately, a beautiful sign of life and rebirth. This is a mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), a butterfly widespread throughout North America.
It was perched on our big apricot tree, flittering from branch to branch in the afternoon sunlight.
This large nest is a raven nest, and you can just barely see a black head poking out of it. Ravens are one of the earliest nesters in this area, and they are already sitting on eggs.
This little bird was on the grass at the post office, not too shy about collecting some nest material. It's a goldfinch, its colors muted at this time, but they will brighten as breeding season gets even closer.
The goldfinch was intent on finding just the right nest material.
I couldn't figure out what kind of butterfly this one is--after all, there are over 100 kinds where I live, and they don't even make sounds to give you an extra hint! That's okay, it's fun just to see that the colorful insects out and about. Very soon there will be an explosion of flowers, giving them many more options for food. 
3 comments:
Yes, beautiful! Happy Easter Weekend and Welcome to Springtime in the northern hemisphere. It's bursting out all over, and you've caught some gems with your lens.
Thank you.
Is your mystery butterfly a Painted Lady? We have lots of those here in Indiana, but they are found all aross the country, as well as in Canada and Mexico. http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/natural/insects/projects/painted.htm
Thank you, Sarah, for your identification. It's great to slowly learn these beautiful butterfly names!
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