In A Field of Clover (and elsewhere)
In a small field of clover partially surround by corn, partially surrounded by mowed grass, I found many – as in possibly hundreds – of butterflies flitting about from one clover blossom to another. Their delicate action was so inviting that I spent minutes photographing a few species that I could approach at close range.
Black Swallowtail Butterfly:
Black Swallowtail Butterfly – Image 582428 (©Kip Ladage)
Black Swallowtail Butterfly – Image 582460 (©Kip Ladage)
Black Swallowtail Butterfly – Image 582479 (©Kip Ladage)
Black Swallowtail Butterfly – Image 582498 (©Kip Ladage)
Painted Lady Butterfly:
Painted Lady Butterfly on Clover – Image 582515 (©Kip Ladage)
Silver-spotted Skipper Butterfly:
Silver-spotted Skipper Butterfly – Image 582546 (©Kip Ladage)
Silver-spotted Skipper Butterfly – Image 582538 (©Kip Ladage)
Feeding on the butterflies, at least occasionally based on wings observed on the ground below the webs, were many garden spiders scattered among the clover. I photographed two of the largest of the spiders.
Garden Spider:
Garden Spider on Web – Image 582568 (©Kip Ladage)
Garden Spider on Web – Image 582579 (©Kip Ladage)
Garden Spider on Web – Image 582588 (©Kip Ladage)
Elsewhere I photographed other things that interested me.
At our cabin I noticed a half-dozen or more crawdads hunting near our shoreline. Until I saw these, I had never noticed the rainbow of colors of their shells.
Crawdad in Wapsipinicon River:
Crawdad in Wapsipinicon River – Image 582404 (©Kip Ladage)
This afternoon I attempted to motor a boat up the Cedar River to collect buoys. My mission was aborted due to low levels that caused the outboard prop to hit rocks. Instead of damaging the motor, I floated back to the dock to wait until the river goes up again. As I passed under a bridge, I noticed this impressive graffiti that has stood the test of time – at least several years.
Old Bass Graffiti on Bridge Pier:
Old Fish Graffiti on Bridge Pier – Image 582598 (©Kip Ladage)
Finally, I am going to share a couple of pictures recorded late last night as the moon was rising. The first picture features the moon rising with a decorative street light in the foreground. The second shows just the moon alone.
Rising Full Moon and Street Light – Image 582422 (©Kip Ladage)
Full Moon – Image 582426 (©Kip Ladage)
