Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: underwing

On 6 September 2018, it turned out to be a much longer day than I had planned! In the very early hours of the morning, I happened to check the weather forecast just out of interest, and saw that rain is expected on about six of the coming days (if it actually happens). Decided then and there that I had better get out for a drive, just in case. My intention had been to just drive some of the roads east of the city, getting out there via 22X, which is definitely not a drive I like to do. On a previous trip, I had made two mistakes along this complcated highway, and ended up on Stoney Trail going north and, on the return trip, I was in the wrong lane and ended up heading far, far south of the city on the worst major highway. The latter happened again and, like on the previous drive, I ended up going to the Saskatoon Farm. Fortunately, I was in time to get an afternoon meal there and have a wander around the grounds taking photos. I love this place. There were certain things I wanted to go and see again, including a few old barns and sheds. I was also hoping that I might just come across a beautiful hawk or two within camera reach. I even finally got to take photos of a few shorebirds. Throw in a butterfly or two and the odd flower, and I was happy. On this trip, I really wanted to make myself use the Nikon P900 a lot. I always take a few of the same photos with my Panasonic and Canon point-and-shoots, too, for comparison, as I am not yet used to the P900. One of my concerns about the latter is that it seems to blow out the white in an image, from what I have seen in quite a few other people's photos - didn''t seem too bad. My other - and main - concern is focus. I still have not been able to stand in front of a flower/something small at various distances, and zoom in. All I see in the viewfinder is a coloured blur. The other cameras don't do this, and I've been doing it easily for many years. Hope I can sort this out! I guess it's just a case of experimenting.

Not sure if this is a Western White or a Checkered White, or something else. "As the story goes, there once was an Indian medicine man named Joe Pye who used concoctions from a wild plant found growing in the nearby woods to cure typhoid fever. His brew is said to have halted an epidemic that raged in Colonial Massachusetts. Hence this local plant became forever known as joe-pye weed." www.nytimes.com/1993/09/12/nyregion/gardening-how-joe-pye... On 6 September 2018, it turned out to be a much longer day than I had planned! In the very early hours of the morning, I happened to check the weather forecast just out of interest, and saw that rain is expected on about six of the coming days (if it actually happens). Decided then and there that I had better get out for a drive, just in case. My intention had been to just drive some of the roads east of the city, getting out there via 22X, which is definitely not a drive I like to do. On a previous trip, I had made two mistakes along this complcated highway, and ended up on Stoney Trail going north and, on the return trip, I was in the wrong lane and ended up heading far, far south of the city on the worst major highway. The latter happened again and, like on the previous drive, I ended up going to the Saskatoon Farm. Fortunately, I was in time to get an afternoon meal there and have a wander around the grounds taking photos. I love this place. There were certain things I wanted to go and see again, including a few old barns and sheds. I was also hoping that I might just come across a beautiful hawk or two within camera reach. I even finally got to take photos of a few shorebirds. Throw in a butterfly or two and the odd flower, and I was happy. On this trip, I really wanted to make myself use the Nikon P900 a lot, though this one was taken with my old Panasonic FZ200. I always take a few of the same photos with my Panasonic and Canon point-and-shoots, too, as I am not yet used to the P900. One of my concerns about the latter is that it seems to blow out the white in an image, from what I have seen in quite a few other people's photos - didn''t seem too bad. My other - and main - concern is focus. I still have not been able to stand in front of a flower/something small at various distances, and zoom in. All I see in the viewfinder is a coloured blur. The other cameras don't do this, and I've been doing it easily for many years. Hope I can sort this out! I guess it's just a case of experimenting. So far, apart from this major issue, I think I am liking how the P900 takes photos.

Yesterday, 27 June 2017, the sun was shining and, for the first time in quite a while, it wasn't windy, just a very slight breeze. I used to love going to this garden, usually after I had been volunteering in the same part of the city. Since I stopped volunteering (after a volunteer 'career' of 37 years at several places!), I haven't been going. Yesterday, I decided I had better go, or the plants would be in seed before too long. I discovered that the usual gravel road that I take, leading down to the bottom of the Garden, was closed yesterday afternoon - maybe road repairs? Or maybe it was connected to the fact that the nearby Stampede Grounds must be getting ready for the start of Stampede Week here in the city. I was too late for the beautiful Showy Lady's-slippers, and the area where the Snake's Head Fritillary / Fritillaria meleagris used to grow had been dug over, for some improvement reason. However, there were plenty of other species to enjoy and photograph, including this White Admiral butterfly that landed on a Cow Parsnip flower. "The White Admiral is a widespread common to abundant species found across Canada. It is found as far north as the tree line. There are two generations each year, one on the wing from June to August and a later one in September. They are typically encountered sunning themselves on roads and clearings in wooded areas. (Layberry et al, 1998)." From insectsofalberta.com. www.insectsofalberta.com/whiteadmiral_4.htm

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to everyone who celebrates this occasion! Keep a careful eye open for the Trick-or-Treaters who may be out on the streets this evening. Excited kids can easily forget to check for traffic before crossing the street. This was just a plain brown butterfly (on the underside, anyway), but it was perched on one of the large Chinese lanterns that was part of the amazing Illuminasia exhibit throughout the Calgary Zoo. Taken inside the ENMAX Conservatory on 29 September 2015. That day, my alarm clock was set for 6:30 am so that I could go on a birding walk with friends. Unfortunately, I didn't read the e-mail carefully enough, so hadn't seen that the meeting place was not where I thought. Of course, no one else showed up where I was, so I took myself off to the Calgary Zoo instead. I had planned on going there after the walk, anyway. The butterfly exhibit only goes from April to September/October each year. The tropical butterflies and plants are beautiful during these months, thanks to all the hard work of staff and volunteers. I think this has to be my favourite part of the Zoo.

A very sad day today, as I learned that local photographer, Brad Russell, passed away a few days ago. He had a close group of great friends (including John Andersen and Brett Abernethy) and they used to go out together with their cameras, day or night. Stunning photography by all. I only met Brad on one occasion, on a photo shoot with my daughter and her group at Heritage Park. Brad left a lasting impression on me - something great about his personality. My condolences to his family and to each of his friends. This photo was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 21 September 2015. I always have a problem with my lens fogging up in this hot, humid room. The ENMAX Conservatory butterfly house display is coming to an end. The beautiful tropical plants are beginning to fade and the number of butterfly species seems to be down. I noticed this beautiful Owl butterfly resting on a tree trunk. "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America. Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly The staff and volunteers do such a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies for us over the summer. I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. Unfortunately, I missed the whole spring and summer, but luckily was able to get over to the Zoo two or three times very recently.

Update on my daughter: I went to the hospital to visit her for a few hours yesterday (22 August) and was just so thankful to find her sitting up in bed, fully alert and looking well! The IV antibiotics seem to be working, as her pain is subsiding. Hopefully, the rest of her recovery will go smoothly. As you can imagine, I had a few flashbacks to January of this year, when our older daughter was taken off life-support in the same hospital. I am just so very thankful that this very scary situation looks like it will have a happy ending. Thank you to everyone for your very thoughtful well-wishes! One month ago, five of us spent the day botanizing the land belonging to Darryl Teskey, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville (maybe a 40-minute drive from Calgary). This was the first time I had been there and I'm so glad I was invited to go - I would have missed all sorts of things, including a family of Ruffed Grouse and several fungi. These Grouse were the rare rufous-morph, and we startled them when we were walking through the forest in their direction. Usually, you don't see Grouse because they are so well-hidden. When you get fairly close (sometimes very close) to them, they suddenly "explode" from the tangle of shrubs and plants of the forest floor, making ones heart beat fast! We were taken by surprise when we came across a nearby statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. A nice idea, I thought. Our walk took us over grassland and through forest, many places treacherous with so many fallen logs which were often barely visible. I have never, ever seen so many tiny Skipper butterflies - there must have been hundreds or even thousands of these bright orange beauties that were flying or perched on flowers of every colour. Seeing the Wood Nymph butterfly in this photo made a change from all the Skippers. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until we started driving back to Calgary. Quite a lot of black clouds, reminding me of the tornado that passed through Calgary just the day before (22 July 2015). Our purpose, as always, was to find and list everything that we saw - wildflowers, trees, grasses, birds, insects, fungi, etc.. Our leader then compiles an extensive list of our finds and this is later sent to the landowner, along with any photos that we might take. Always a win/win situation, as the landowner then has a much better idea of just what is on his property, and we have a most enjoyable day. This summer, with quite a few botanizing outings like this, plus two 3-day trips to Waterton Lakes National Park, I am so far behind with the photos that I need to edit and e-mail! Most of my Waterton photos are still not posted.

This is not my main photo today - the Savannah Sparrow is. Three days ago, on 31 July 2015, I was out all day, having a great time with friend, Darlene, going west of the city. We first called in at someone's private property to see if there was any sign of the Red-bellied Woodpecker that had been reported. No luck, but we did see many beautiful Evening Grosbeaks and even more Pine Siskins, plus a Hairy Woodpecker and several other birds. Also, we saw a different Grosbeak, either a female or a juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak or Black-headed Grosbeak. After this visit, we drove to an area where I had been told that a Great Gray can be seen sometimes (no luck). A bit further along the gravel road, we stopped and walked a short way along one of the trails at West Bragg Creek. This is where we saw several brightly coloured butterflies - I think this one is a Fritillary sp., but I couldn't find anything like it when I did a Google search last night. Back at the car, we decided to drive along Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66) as far as Maclean Pond, just in time to see an Osprey flying overhead with a large fish in its talons. So few birds to be seen or heard - maybe it was just too hot for them, and by then it was the afternoon, which tends not to be the best time to see birds. We got separated for quite a long time, through miscommunication, probably because when I yelled through the forest "Are you still coming?", it had sounded to Darlene like "I'm coming"! So, she waited for me to reach her and I had assumed that she was following behind me, some distance back. Apparently, both of us called a number of times after that, but we were out of hearing distance. Not a good feeling, each of us concerned about the well-being of the other and each wondering if we were going to have to call in a search party. At 31C, it was feeling mighty hot the whole time, too! When we finally found each other, we knew what we needed after our "ordeal" - an ice-cream, back in Bragg Creek, lol! A great day, Darlene - thanks so much for driving and for all the fun : )

Thought I'd better quickly dig into my archives and find three things that are not winter scenes, owls or wildlife. Much as I love those three, I'm feeling the need for colour and something different. Recently, the main thing I have been seeing and photographing is the tiny, uncommon (in Alberta) Northern Pygmy-owl. I try to spread those photos out a little bit, but you are probably all getting weary of seeing this little guy/gal : ) Make the most of today, as I can't promise that I won't be back to the owl tomorrow or the next day, lol. I rarely get to see a White Admiral butterfly, so was happy to see this one during a late afternoon stroll at the Reader Rock Garden on 4 July 2012. "The White Admiral is a widespread common to abundant species found across Canada. It is found as far north as the tree line. There are two generations each year, one on the wing from June to August and a later one in September. They are typically encountered sunning themselves on roads and clearings in wooded areas. (Layberry et al, 1998)." From insectsofalberta.com. www.insectsofalberta.com/whiteadmiral_4.htm

This photo was taken on my last visit to the Calgary Zoo, on 14 October 2014. By now, the butterfly display may have come to an end, and there will be no butterflies till sometime, I think, in April next year. On my last visit, there were quite a few butterflies, but very few different kinds - and it was only occasionally that one of them would land and stay. This was one of the very few co-operative ones that I was lucky enough to catch. I rather liked the way it was perched near the tip of this beautiful, pink-edged leaf. Tried to find an ID last night, but without luck. Not sure if I've ever seen this kind before - couldn't see one in my Tropical Butterfly album.

These are large, rather fancy butterflies, and I like its striped eyes - but not so much its furry body. Taken on 2 May 2011 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The tropical butterfly season at the Zoo must be just about over by now. The staff and volunteers do such a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies for us over the summer. I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. Unfortunately, I haven't made it over there this year! "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America. Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly

These are large, rather fancy butterflies, and I liked its striped eyes - but not so much its furry body. Taken on 25 September 2012 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The tropical butterfly season is over now. Once again, the staff and volunteers did a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies for us over the summer! I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America. Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly

Well, up close with an Owl butterfly : ) These are large, rather fancy butterflies, and I liked its striped eyes - but not so much its furry body. Taken on 6 October 2012 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The tropical butterfly season is almost over now. Once again, the staff and volunteers did a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies again for us over the summer! I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America. Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly

Photographed May 2nd at the Calgary Zoo. These amazing butterflies are BIG! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly Jim (Garnite), still no bee or eagle photos to send you, but here is an Owl Butterfly to wish you strength and healing : ) We are all thinking of you both!