Creatures

Free Range Hens

Photograph taken on Saturday, June 11, 2011 by Henry

Free Range Hens

Do you know where your food comes from? This is where we’re getting our produce and our eggs. http://www.rocklandsfarmmd.com/. Thanks, Shawn and Greg.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Chickens, Eggs, Free Range, Free Range Hens, Poultry, Rocklands, Rocklands Farm | Comments Off

Variable Dancer

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 08, 2011 by Henry

Variable Dancer

These little damselflies don’t stay put for very long and they don’t like you to get too close. Also, it was on the warm side today, especially in the sun, which made it harder. I did manage to get two shots of this one. Argia fumipennis violacea

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Argia, Argia fumipennis, Damselfly, Insect, Insects, Odonata, Variable Dancer | Comments Off

Garden Spider

Photograph taken on Thursday, June 02, 2011 by Henry

Garden Spider

The wind was whipping this little fellow around and I could only get at him from behind, so this isn’t as good as I’d like but still, it’s reasonably sharp and kind of cool. If you like that sort of thing — I understand not everyone is crazy about spiders.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Arachnid, Spider | Comments Off

Tiny Fly

Photograph taken on Thursday, May 26, 2011 by Henry

Tiny Fly

This little fellow is only about 3/8 inch long but he’s as busy as any bee you’ll find. I originally labeled this as a bee but noticing that it only has two wings, I’ve changed the title to Tiny Fly. I’m guessing that it’s a diptera (di = two, and ptera = wings) — a true fly.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Diptera, Fly, Insect, Insects | Comments Off

Male Ebony Jewelwing

Photograph taken on Monday, May 23, 2011 by Henry

Male Ebony Jewelwing

Without the white spot on the wing, this is the male Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly (Calopteryx maculata). Handsome fellow, too, but fairly shy.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Calopteryx, Calopteryx maculata, Damselfly, Ebony Jewelwing, Insect, Insects, Odonata | Comments Off

What Is It?

Photograph taken on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 by Henry

What Is It?

Anyone have a guess as to what this is?

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Dragonfly, Insect, Insects, Wing | Comments Off

Baltimore Oriole

Photograph taken on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 by Henry

Baltimore Oriole

As an illustrative photo this isn’t much but seeing an oriole (Icterus galbula) is rare enough that any photo that catches the color is pretty cool, in my book. I got two others of it on a branch but it’s mostly hidden by the branch. I could hear it singing after it flew to a different tree so I have hopes of seeing it again.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Baltimore Oriole, Bird, Birds, Icterus, Icterus galbula, Migratory Birds, Oriole | Comments Off

Tiny Green Damselfly

Photograph taken on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 by Henry

Tiny Green Damselfly

These little things are quite shy and wouldn’t let me get very close so this is cropped from a larger image. It could be a little sharper but I’m pretty pleased with it.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Damselfly, Green, Insect, Insects, Odonata | Comments Off

Harvestman

Photograph taken on Monday, May 09, 2011 by Henry

Harvestman

There are over 6,400 species of harvestmen which together make up the Arachnida order Opiliones. They aren’t spiders (which are in the order Araneae) but are cousins. I’ve always thought they were cool. Their eyes are on either side of a little turret on their heads — the little black blob in this picture.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Arachnid, Daddy Longlegs, Harvestman, Opiliones | Comments Off

Lady Beetle

Photograph taken on Friday, May 06, 2011 by Henry

Lady Beetle

I found a lady beetle today. She was nice and bright and crawling around on garlic mustard and mile-a-minute vine. Cute little thing, isn’t she?

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Beetle, Coleoptera, Insect, Insects, Lady Beetle | Comments Off

Buckeye

Photograph taken on Tuesday, May 03, 2011 by Henry

Buckeye

his is a common buckeye (Junonia coenia), posing for me on a garlic mustard. An uncommonly beautiful butterfly, I think.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Buckeye, Butterflies, Butterfly, Insect, Insects, Junonia, Junonia coenia, Lepidoptera | Comments Off

Jumping Spider

Photograph taken on Thursday, April 28, 2011 by Henry

Jumping Spider

After the heavy rain this morning I wasn’t sure I’d get out but it was a beautiful afternoon. I took more butterfly pictures but my favorite of the day is this spider I found. I think it may be a tan jumping spider, Platycryptus undatus.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Arachnid, Jumping Spider, Platycryptus, Platycryptus undatus, Spider | Comments Off

Yellow Jacket

Photograph taken on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 by Henry

Yellow Jacket

I went out hoping to get a better butterfly picture today. I got a few but they aren’t enough better than yesterday’s picture to justify putting them here. So, here’s a picture of a yellow jacket on a garlic mustard flower.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Bee, Hymenoptera, Insect, Insects, Wasp, Yellow, Yellow Jacket | Comments Off

Eastern Tailed Blue

Photograph taken on Monday, April 25, 2011 by Henry

Eastern Tailed Blue

These little guys don’t sit still for long and don’t like being approached but I managed to get a reasonable shot of one today. Eastern tailed blue, Everes comyntas.

Follow-up: I have two more pictures of this butterfly taken on April 27 in my Extras gallery.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Butterfly, Eastern Tailed Blue, Everes, Everes comyntas, Insect, Insects, Lepidoptera | Comments Off

Downy Woodpecker

Photograph taken on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 by Henry

Downy Woodpecker

I enjoyed watching this little fellow for a while. I sensed rather than saw a dark shape overhead. I looked up in time to see (but not take a picture) of a hawk as it flew on large, silent wings. I suppose if I had been a rabbit I’d have been in trouble. (Picoides pubescens)

Categories: Creatures | Tags: Downy Woodpecker, Dryobates, Dryobates pubescens | Comments Off

Ducks

Photograph taken on Monday, March 07, 2011 by Henry

Ducks

It rained all day yesterday, sometimes quite hard. When we woke up this morning there was a light dusting of snow on parts of the lawn. When I got to work, the small pond between my building and the next was much enlarged by the rain.