Lovely clear, somewhat breezy day.   So I took the camera out...


( Read more... )

( Read more... )

On the one hand, Writer-Cartographer has been and is still working on the maps for the next book in this series.

On the other, Naturalist-Cartographer just acquired a GPS to define locations where something was found or photographed.   To practice, I went out back and marked some spots where I know I'm likely to take pictures...and found the chaste ( Read more... )

If you'd like to see some of the butterflies on the 80 acres, as photographed this past week, the pictures are up at the 80 acres blog.   Some butterflies weren't cooperative (that would be all the sulphurs, the swallowtails, and the variegated fritillaries) but some were.   I'm particularly happy with the new photos of the Reakirt's blues, which ( Read more... )

Thanks to a report by a woman in Austin doing hawk-watch, who noticed the time of day she saw monarchs coming through--with a peak in numbers between 10 and 11 am--I broke my writing day today and went out to see if they were in evidence here at that hour.


( Read more... )

Yesterday I went out on foot looking for more monarchs on the gayfeather.   I found one, but it wanted to hide on the other side of a gayfeather stalk and offered only a front view, wings folded.

Then I saw another flash of orange:


( Read more... )

After the morning's writing, I went out on the tractor to mow.   A cold front brought 0.3 inches of rain last night--less than a tenth of what we need, but we'll take every drop.  The cold front also brought dryer air and a strong wind.

I spent three-plus hours on the tractor, which explains my hip and back discomfort (being restrained about it) ( Read more... )

Today's small beauty (the one I caught in the camera with a working SD card, anyway) was this rather plain looking butterfly...a Goatweed Butterfly, whose wings are plain below, but oddly angled, and orange on top.  This one is worn, as the softening of the angle-wing and the tattered margin of the forewing show.

( Read more... )

Finally got home around midnight Thursday night, slept late the next day, walked out on the land, stayed up too late Friday night trying to catch up with email, newsgroups, etc., and slept late yesterday.  Was determined to stay up, no naps, on Saturday so I could sleep at the right time and wake up ready for church.  Did not work.  First I had a ( Read more... )

I spent some time this afternoon trying to photograph small things--caterpillars on cow parsley, damselflies, spreadwing damselflies.  Along the way some larger things (dragonflies, flowers, butterflies) got in front of the lens, not by accident, but mostly I was dealing with tiny stuff.  Stuff so small I couldn't see it until I had disturbed it.  ( Read more... )