I’ve Moved

I’ve pretty much made my move over to my new site, www.butterfliesandwildlife.com.  Come on by and visit and be sure and subscribe to the blog so you can be updated when I post new pictures or offer new information.

I’m Still Here!

Betcha thought I had disappeared huh?  Nope, I’m still around.  Actually I’ve been working on getting my new site up and running (it has been a pain and still isn’t done), and I’ve also been sick.

The good news is I have lots of information to post and lots of pictures to share!  I’m also hoping my new site is good enough to finally share with everyone, so please check it out at www.butterfliesandwildlife.com.  I have to admit this migration to my own hosted site has not been easy, nor pleasant, and I still have many updates to do, but it is getting there.

Since I’m hoping my new site will stay permanent, for those of you who subscribed to this blog, I encourage you to subscribe to my new blog, as I will gradually decrease my posting on this site.  To subscribe to my new site, just enter your email where it says “Subscribe by email” on the Menu bar (on the new site, not here).

I look forward to your thoughts and comments on the new site!

Time To Move On

In just the couple of short months I have been doing this, I have come close to outgrowing its capabilities. As a result, I will soon (I will notify everyone beforehand) begin migrating this site over to a new website.  At first it should look exactly the same as it does now.  However, with this new site I will have much more customization capabilities and storage space.  I’ve already uploaded just short of 2 gigabytes of pictures and videos and after that I would have to start paying more money, but still not really have any customization I could do.  This new site will allow me to do that.

Also, if in the future I decide to start selling prints of my pictures, then that capability will be available at this new site as well.

This weekend is a busy weekend for me.  Tomorrow (actually today since it’s 12:15 am) I will need to print out all my pictures to take to my Photographing Butterflies class on Saturday.  I also hope to take several more pictures late Friday afternoon.   Saturday morning is more picture taking, then I’ll break to do my weekend chores and grocery shopping.  I’ve also got to plant some new plants I bought (need to go and guy some new soil as well). Last, but not least, I need to trim up some plants, and completely yank some others.  I’m getting an early start on the Fall cleaning of the backyard.

Butterfly-wise we are getting more and more Monarchs laying eggs, and those eggs are quickly turning to large caterpillars.  I hope I’ll have enough Milkweed when the full migration comes though.

The Hummingbirds are a different story.  We have lots and lots of them right now, and they are sucking down the sugar water like crazy.  We are having to refill our 7 feeders twice a day now.

For some strange reason, we just started getting a very large mass of Honeybees.  I wonder if a nest is nearby somewhere.  The bees never really bother me, but the wasps do.

We have also noticed we have a new late night visitor out at the bird feeders.  It’s a big ol’ rat.  Leecy will have to take care of that for me.

It’s also around this time when we start seeing a hawk or two appear.  Once they appear, the regular birds need to be careful.  If they aren’t paying attention, that hawk will swoop down and carry one of them off.  Maybe it will be able to find the rat instead.

I haven’t really mentioned it publicly, but I am really taking a hard look at taking my photography to the next level.  It’s not an easy business to do.  Anyone with a fairly decent camera can take pictures of Butterflies so I need to come up with a strategy to take my pictures to the next highest level.  I don’t have my full plan worked out yet on paper, but I do have lots of ideas in my head.  In the short term, I’d like to see a picture of two published in a magazine, and if I get to write an associated article, or even be interviewed for an article, I think that would be a real thrill.

My new website (once it’s available) will be Butterflies and Wildlife.com.  Don’t try and go there just yet as it is not set up.

In taking a step back for a moment, I have the majority of common (and some not so common) Butterflies right here in my backyard.  That’s not necessarily an easy task when you live in a suburb, but we definitely have it working.  The sheer volume of Butterflies and other wildlife that we have suggests that we are doing something right so I figure at the very least I still have more information to share.  Once you set up a Butterfly Garden, and/or one that caters to wildlife, it really is an enjoyable and relaxing endeavor.

I also should be getting that new camera soon (I hope).  That may have to be my last big purchase for a while.  I’ve got most of the tools and I’ve got many of the plants I want.  Now I need to work on doing all of this smarter and more efficiently.  Who knows, maybe I’ll publish a quick little book for attracting and raising butterflies in the Houston Gulf Coast Region.  It’s not difficult, it just takes some time to research everything and since I’ve done a lot of that, why not share some of that knowledge for just a few dollars, right?

I don’t think I would even be considering some of this stuff if it hadn’t been for the wonderful feedback I have received, either here on this blog or from personal email.  To have almost 1000 visitors a month is a nice stepping stone for me to share information over this passion I have.

That’s about all I have to say tonight as it’s getting late.  I hope everyone you reads this blog now will follow me over to my new site once it is ready.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird Swarm Video

Here’s another brief video of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds.  However, I must confess.  This video is shot from an interesting perspective.  I mentioned to Leecy that I need to try different angles when I am taking pictures.  Leecy took that comment and thought I was suggesting that she should shoot the video from a different perspective.  So Leecy was laying on the ground shooting Up at the Hummingbirds.

If you’ve ever wondered what Ruby Throated Hummingbirds sound like, you can definitely hear them in this video.  Also, the flash you see coming from the left side is from my camera while I was taking pictures.

Remember, you can always subscribe to this blog and it will automatically send you an email update whenever I enter a new post.  Look in the top right corner to subscribe (where it says Subscribe to Texdr’s Blog by Email).

Ruby Throated Hummingbird Swarm

We got bombarded this evening.  There must have been 20-30 Ruby Throated Hummingbirds invading the feeders tonight.  While I was taking pictures, Leecy was laying down filming them with the video camera.

It was just one year ago that Hurricane Ike came through and I’m sure disrupted the migration of the Hummingbirds.  I don’t recall seeing very many last year.  It looks like this year might be like it was a couple of years ago where we probably had close to 100.

Here are just a few pictures I took this evening.  I also have some video I’ll try posting.

Dove Mouth Disease (Graphic Warning)

Warning.  These next two pictures are gross.  I noticed this weird looking Dove from a distance today and I was hoping to get a picture of it.

Unfortunately, I did get some pictures, but they are not that good, and what they do show is gross.  I think this Dove is infected with Trichomoniasis.

After doing some additional research.  It the above disease is what this Dove has, it is highly contagious.  It says the bird will continue to try to feed and drink even though it may be starving or dying of thirst (reference here).

Now I’m feeling kind of bad.  Hopefully I didn’t create a situation where this disease develops.  It says to clean the food and water stations daily (I didn’t do it every day).

Last but not least, this bird looks so miserable, how do I put it out of its misery and also protect the other birds?  I’m not good at euthanasia.  I can’t imagine trying to catch him with a net or anything.  I do have a pellet gun (which I never use).  Maybe I’ll see if Leecy can try and shoot it.  For those wondering why I would ask Leecy to try and shoot the bird to put it out of its misery, I’ll share one example of why.

We put down a glue mouse trap one time.  It worked.  The mouse was stuck in the glue.  Being the freak that I am, I was asking how we could save it and even tried to gently pry it off the glue (that made it worse).  In the end, Leecy was able to end it’s suffering, no thanks to me.

Trichomoniasis In Dove

Trichomoniasis In Dove 2

Ruby Throated Hummingbirds Video

I thought I might try something different (Leecy gave me the idea).  I recorded a short video (just a hair over 1 minute) of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds in our backyard.

For the majority of the video, you see them sipping sugar water from 2 of the feeders.  At the end of the video, you’ll see a Hummingbird getting nectar from the Firecracker Bush.

More Great Ruby Throated Hummingbird Pics

Here’s some additional Ruby Throated Hummingbird pictures.  They are really start to come out in full force now.  Strangely enough, there’s even starting to be 2, 3, and 4 Hummingbirds per feeder.

Fantastic Ruby Throated Hummingbird Pics

Just an early warning.  I got some fantastic Ruby Throated Hummingbird pictures today.  On some, you can see 3-4 Hummingbirds in the same picture.  Check back later this afternoon for the pictures.

Hummingbird On Cardinal Flower

When I went to Joshua’s today I was asking him what other nectar plants I might buy, particularly those that the Hummingbirds would like.  I also wanted a plant that might look nice in a picture.  Behold the Cardinal Flower.  It wasn’t more than 10 minutes had I set this plant on the ground that the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds started to investigate.

Hummingbird On Cardinal Flower

A different angle, and different Hummingbird.

Hummingbird On Cardinal Flower 2

Guess What’s For Dinner?

I’ve got an interesting picture for y’all.

In the early summer we had lots of little Lizards (Anoles).  Now it seems as most of those Lizards have grown up and become big and fat.  Check out these photos of a Lizard stalking some prey.

Hmm, possible dinner?

Lizard Looking For Dinner

Guess this wasp won’t become dinner tonight.

Lizard Watching Dinner Fly Away

Female Monarch On Coneflower

I found around five Monarch Caterpillars feeding on Milkweed.  There were also two females flying around getting nectar from various plants.

Here’s a female Monarch sipping nectar on a Purple Coneflower.

Female Monarch Sipping Nectar On Coneflower

Same Monarch, different pose.

Female Monarch On Coneflower

Polydamas Butterfly On Hummingbird Feeder

This afternoon was just crazy in terms of Butterflies.  It rained (finally) most of the morning here in Houston.  Then, for just a brief moment we had some sunshine.  That brief change in weather really brought out the Butterflies.  There were Monarchs, Polydamas Swallowtails, Giant Swallowtails, and all kinds of Skippers.  I’m guessing that because it was raining so much this morning, the Butterflies didn’t have a chance to feed earlier in the day so as soon as the sun came out it was time to feast.

This is a picture of a Polydamas Swallowtail feeding on the Hummingbird feeder.

Polydamas Butterfly On Hummingbird Feeder

Here’s that same Polydamas later feeding on a Penta.

Polydamas Feeding On Penta

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

There’s four types of Butterflies that we don’t have in our backyard, but I wish we did.

1. Spicebush Swallowtail
2. Tiger Swallowtail
3. Red Spotted Purple
4. Zebra Swallowtail

Now that list can be trimmed down to three.  Today I went and purchased 2 Spicebush from Joshua’s Native Plants.  Even better, that had a few Spicebush Caterpillars on them!  Personally, out of all the Butterfly Caterpillars, I think these are the “coolest” of the bunch.

Here is a tiny Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar taken with a macro lens.

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

Learning From Timothia

A recent comment from a new poster got me to thinking about Timothia again.  Before I continue, I know some of you just want to see pictures and don’t care for when I go into personal thoughts and reflections, but that’s the beauty of my blog.  Sometimes I get to utilize this site as my own personal therapy.

Joseph12164 just left this comment,  “I just happened upon your site and read this touching story.As far as you know, a butterfly lives to fly, reproduce and then pass on.Only a life span of MAX’ of 6 weeks, Timothia lived to middles age, if she were a human that would be 35to50yrs, a dog or cat 8-12 yrs. Its all in your perception, She got to fly, have a fling, gave birth, all in the safety of a beautiful environment . Some could be so lucky!
Awesome story……”

His comments really caused me to slow down for just a moment (I was reading a book on Photography) and think about good ol’ Timothia.  I still have a picture of her as my desktop background.  When I look at that image, or the several others that I took of her, my first inclination is to think about what a sad little Butterfly.  In reality, I have no idea if insects like a Butterfly contain any kind of emotion or anything beyond instinct, BUT the impact that they can have on us is truly amazing, at least for me.  I think about how I found her flittering about in the pool.  She couldn’t have been in there too long, otherwise she would have been dead.  So, I got lucky to have found her (or she got lucky to have been found).  I know right now, my professional life is extremely busy and when I get home I’m pretty much mentally and physically drained.  Thinking back though, I felt the same way when Timothia was around, but that one little deformed Butterfly who has little power over a predatory wasp, had an immense power over me, and I can squash a wasp in a heartbeat.  During the day I would wonder, and worry, did she have enough nectar in her cage until I got home.  I bargained with a neighbor to come over to my house just to take her outside so get some fresh air, flap those deformed wings, and sip a little nectar from the Butterfly Bush.  I would imagine most folks who are stressed because of this economy, or their job, or their family life (or whatever) would probably take one look at Timothia and say she was dying.  In fact, I think she was truly living!  Sure, she couldn’t rapidly flap her wings to take flight, but she could move them slowly up and down perhaps to give herself the “thought of flight.”  She also “appeared” to have a great passion just for living.  I’ve never seen a Butterfly, before or since, perch on a nectar plant and taste each petal with such vigor and energy.  When she got done, she was literally worn out.  Maybe in her eyes, she was so close to death previously, that the simple fact of not dying, AND being able to drink your favorite drink was near Heaven.

Then one day the surprise of her life came when she was out on the Butterfly Bush.  A young strong male comes along, attaches to her, and off they go in flight!  How cool must that have been?  I realize I’m stretching this a bit, but indulge me in this delusion.  Timothia then realizes she is full of fertilized eggs.  Even if this little insect has no capacity other than instinct, this probably brought some since of purpose to her life don’t ya think?.  Actually, maybe it was at that point that it brought purpose to my life in terms of truly appreciating these great little creatures. Since that time, no matter how stressed I am at work, or how tired I feel, I can always go out into the backyard, view these wonderful Butterflies, Birds, or Dragonflies, and for just a few moments, my brain will slow down just enough where I can really take in some of the beauty of nature and wildlife.

Back to Timothia. So then she’s pregnant and full of eggs.  Does a Butterflies instinct kick up a gear to say you need to hurry and lay those eggs, because you aren’t going to live my longer, or in something like Timothia, does it translate to something like, I’d never thought I’d be doing this in a million years, how lucky am I?  Towards the end of her life and several days of laying eggs, she was obviously getting weaker.  She’d drop off a limb, and use all her strength to hang on to the next limb, deposit a few more eggs.  What little wings she had were being torn to shreds by her legs getting entangled in them.  I’m sure that Butterflies use their wings for balance, so imagine your sense of balance slowly deteriorating.  What instinct kicks in at that point?  Yet in her (or my perception or her) misery, I felt so enlightened.  Not at how her body had become or how her life was slowly fading away, but at what all she accomplished.  If nothing else she had extreme determination or passion.  When I decided to put her down, I actually cried believe it or not.  Keep in mind, I’m a big 6’1, 230lb guy, not someone who externally would appear wimpy.  I personally didn’t, and don’t, feel wimpy.  My sadness had to do with the realization about how short life can be, and at the same time how beautiful it can be.  Previous to Timothia, Butterflies were Butterflies, very pretty creatures that were fun to try and take pictures of.  Now my photography of butterflies (and the other critters) is so much more than just a photography exercise.  It gives me a sense of well being, a sense of being relaxed in a chaotic world, it gives me a view of the world that I often miss because I have so many other things I choose to think and worry about.   Although I can be a little neurotic on occasion, no therapist would have been able to give me insight into myself and about life in 1 week like Timothia did.  It’s gotten to the point where when I walk in my backyard, my ears are wide open, but only to nature and wildlife.  I can instantly recognize the tweet of a Northern Cardinal, the squawk of a Blue Jay, the quick flapping of the wings of the Mourning Dove coming to get their nightly meal from the bird feeder.  While my ears are tuned to the sound of birds, my eyes are geared towards movement.  I’m constantly scanning for the rapidly firing wings of the Gulf Fritillary, or the slow hovering glide of a Giant Swallowtail, or the semi slow glide and flap of a Monarch, always the most curious of the Butterflies, flying over towards me to see what I might be doing. In just that 5-10 minutes when I get home and step into the backyard, my job doesn’t exist and there are no problems.  Timothia showed me that, or at least I give her credit to opening my eyes and ears to that.  After that 5-10 minutes I am relaxed, decompressed.  I can then turn to Leecy and ask about her day.  I can turn to Maggie and Sascha (the dogs) and greet them like they always want to be greeted; with total focus on them, and deep body rubs.  Last but not least I can then turn toward the Bird cage and listen to Coco ask me “how was your day”, “whatcha doing”, then finally telling me “it’s time to eat.”

So there you have it.  Everything that Timothia, the deformed Monarch Butterfly taught me.  Silly I’m sure, but also true.  I’m sure there are lots of messages in there too like, “take things day by day,” “appreciate the small things in life,” and/or “you can do anything if you try hard enough.”  If you’re having a bad day, a bill is late, your mad at your partner, go outside.  Look for a Butterfly and just watch them fly.  Listen to the birds.  They’ll sing and talk to you.  Sit calmly with your pet.  Most times they just want to be near you.  And strangely enough, some of these small little creatures who may only live for a few weeks, months, or years at a time, can often leave you with a smile that can last a lifetime.

End of story.  Happy reading for those who chose to do so:-)

Timothia Enjoying Nectar from Butterfly Bush

Dog Hoarder

Have you seen those shows on A&E about people who hoard things?  Well I’ve got a dog with the disorder.  Sascha, the lovely German Shepherd loves to hoard every toy she can find, then just lay on top of them.  This serves two purposes; 1) Maggie doesn’t get any toys as far as Sascha is concerned, and 2) if Sascha decides to pick another toy to pop the squeaker out of it, it will be right there in front of her.

Dog Hoarder

Monarch Caterpillar Disaster

I put this in my response to Valerie, but I thought I would post it as well.  We just had a strange occurrence happen that we’ve never experienced before, at least not at this high of ratio.

Leecy and I took in about 7 Monarch Caterpillars about a week ago.  Only 2 of them made it to Chrysalis, the rest of them are just “dangling” straight down (not in a “J” shape).  I don’t know if they had OE disease or perhaps were attacked by the Tachinid Fly, or maybe something else.

UPDATE:  It’s probably from the Tachinid Fly.  See this link for the gory details (the fly larvae eat the Caterpillars from the inside out).

For folks who just recently started reading my blog, I have posted about parasites and diseases in Monarchs in earlier postings.  Besides the information that I posted previously, Valerie also has an excellent site about Monarch Butterflies and their diseases and parasites and goes into much more detail than I have.  If you’re curious about raising Monarch Butterflies (and the hazards that can occur), I would definitely recommend checking out her site as well.  You can find it at Evanson Art & Design.

I just took some pictures of what I was talking about above.  First, are the dead Monarch Caterpillars.  I’m pretty sure it’s because of the Tachinid Fly.  If you look closely at the images you can see that white string coming out the Caterpillars.  The Caterpillar on the far left is starting to liquefy.

Monarch Caterpillar Disaster

This image shows those “strings” protruding from the Caterpillars.  You can also see that the Chrysalis is starting to have problems as well.

Caterpillar Carnage

Here’s a closeup of the Chrysalis from the photo above.  It’s turning brown after one day, which is not a good sign.  You can also see a “string” from this Chrysalis as well.

I ended up destroying (if they weren’t dead already) all the Caterpillars and Chrysalis from these images (tossed in a ziploc baggie, thrown in the freezer).

Closeup Of Monarch Chrysalis Parasite

Giant Egret Armand Bayou

This was one of the few pictures I was able to get of a bird.  It’s a Giant Egret.

Giant Egret Armand Bayou

Baby Alligator At Armand Bayou

Here’s a cute little baby Alligator.  It was in a cage inside the nature center.

Baby Alligator

Turtles And Butterflies, Oh My

Although we didn’t see many birds at Armand Bayou, we did see quite a few Turtles (Red Eared Sliders) and Giant Swallowtail Butterflies.

If you click on this picture and view it full size, you’ll see there’s a little Blue Dragonfly on one of the plants growing out of the pond.  I didn’t notice that until I downloaded the pictures.  The Turtle in this picture is a Red Eared Slider.

Turtles And Dragonfly

Giant Swallowtail At Armand Bayou

Weekend At Armand Bayou

We finally decided on a little excursion for the weekend and decided on Armand Bayou Nature Center.  It was rated a 3 (the highest rating) from the book “Finding Birds On The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.”

Leecy and I would give it a 1, just on our experience.  Perhaps it was too hot or something, but we hardly saw anything, birds or otherwise.  I’m not saying I wouldn’t go back, I’m just saying it wasn’t that great (in terms of photography) during our visit.  The birds we did see (or hear) are most of the same ones I already have in my backyard.  I guess the good news is that I really have learned to identify certain birds based on their sound, even if I cannot see them.

Anyway, I did take a view pictures.  So, I’ll share what I have.

Weekend Bird Shooting, Any Suggestions?

So I’m going though my latest book, Finding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, and I am having a difficult time deciding.  Here’s what I have.

1. Candy Abshier Wildlife Management Area –
2. Anahuanc National Wildlife Refuge –
3. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, East Bay Tract-
4. Houston Audubon Society Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary
5. Houston Audubon Society Eubanks Woods Bird Sanctuary, Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden and Claybottom Pond
6. Houston Audubon Socoety Boy Scout Woods Bird Sanctuary
7. Rollover Pass
8. Houston Audubon Society Bolivar Shorebird Sanctuary
9. Texas City Dike
10. Armound Bayou Nature Center
11. Houston Arboretum and Memorial Park
12. Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge
13. Brazos Bend State Park
14. Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary
15. San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

The above 15 are the highest rated out of the 125 places in the book.  Can anyone make any comments if you have been to one of these places and how well you liked or didn’t like it?

Late Summer Monarch Caterpillars

Look what we gathered up today (and yesterday as well)!  Our first batch of Monarch Caterpillars suddenly appeared.  It’s still a little early for the big migration (I think that should be around October), but we apparently have some Monarchs who are laying eggs.

Today I was reading some posts in one of the Butterfly listservs and they were commenting how there appear to be significantly less Butterflies than usual.  To be quite honest, I’m not sure if I have noticed a difference or not yet.  I’m certainly paying more attention to the Butterflies compared to previous years, but I’m not sure how this year compares to previous years.

Late Summer Monarch Caterpillars

Ruby Throated Hummingbirds Up Close

I hope y’all aren’t sick of Ruby Throated Hummingbird pictures.  I’m actually having a lot of fun taking pictures of these guys. Tonight’s pictures are the closest I’ve ever been able to get to them, so if you click on the actual picture, you should be able to see quite a bit of detail

Here’s that dominant male who was staring down at one of the feeders.

Male Hummingbird Staring Down

I “think” this is a young male Ruby Throat.

Closeup Hummingbird On Rope

Ordered The New Canon EOS 7D

I just couldn’t resist.  I pre-ordered the newly announced Canon EOS 7D.  It won’t be shipping until the end of September and I may not have ordered soon enough for it not to go on backorder before it is released.  We shall see.  If you’re interested in the specs and a preview check out DPReview.com.

Leecy has already told me my old camera has to go up for sale once I receive this one.  So, if anyone may be interested if this actually goes through, let me know.

Hummingbird On Rope

The Hummingbirds were really active this evening.  There are at least 2 males guarding the feeders.

One of the males was extremely bold, and it was just inches away from landing on the feeder that Leecy was holding in her hand.

Anyway, this is a picture of the bold male.

Hummingbird On Rope

Hummingbird On Penta

Here’s a Ruby Throated Hummingbird getting nectar from a red Penta.

Hummingbird On Penta

Ruby Posing And Drinking

Here’s some more Ruby Throated Hummingbirds for your entertainment.

Here’s a very striking pose.

After a nice pose, it’s time for a drink.

Young Ruby Throated Hummers In Flight

A couple pictures showing young Ruby Throated Hummingbirds in flight.  One is a young male but I’m not sure about the other.

Young Male Ruby In Flight

Here’s another

Drinking While Flying

Ruby Throated Keeping Watch

When the Hummers aren’t sipping sugar water, they appear to spend their time keeping watch over the feeders and looking for females.

Here’s a young male keeping watch over the feeders.

Young Male Hummer Keeping Watch