LORQUIN'S ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY in our garden, described as 'pugnacious', even fighting off birds in protecting it's territory! Wow!
GARDEN SPIDER EXTRACTING WEB MATERIAL FROM IT'S LOVER ABDOMEN
GARDEN SPIDER BUILDING ITS WEB
ROBERT WAS PHOTOGRAPHING THE AJO LILY (IT'S A VERY RARE BLOOMER IN THE DESERT) WHEN THE SPHYNX MOTH SUDDENLY LANDED ON THE LILY AND APPEARED IN HIS CAMERA VIEWFINDER! WHAT A KICK!
SPHINX MOTH PROBING A BLOSSOM
WHITE-LINED SPHINX MOTH
EVENTUALLY EVERYTHING YOU GET TO SEE IN YOUR GARDEN SEEMS BEAUTIFUL IN ITS OWN WAY . . . TRUE EVEN OF THE GARDEN S-L-U-G . . .
GIANT GARDEN-SLUGS MATING
CLOSE-UP OF GIANT GARDEN-SLUGS MATING
SHORT-HORNED GRASSHOPPER
GIANT SWALLOWTAIL SHOWING HINDWING 'TAILS'
A NEON SKIMMER, BRIGHT, BEAUTIFUL AND SO APTLY NAMED
MATING DRAGONFLIES - PERHAPS "NEON" DRAGONFLIES . . .
A DELICATE BLUE DARNER
WE SPENT QUITE A FEW HOURS WORKING TO CAPTURE THE MANY DRAGONFLIES ZIPPING AROUND US IN ERRATIC FLIGHT BESIDE A POND - HERE'S ONE OF THEM . . . A BLUE DARNER DRAGONFLY
BLACK AND WHITE DRAGONFLY
DRAGONFLY, SKIMMER? The only thing we know for sure is that the leaves were starting to turn color . . . WHICH dragonfly do you believe this one is?
ORANGETIP BUTTERFLY
ANOLE, QUIET BUT SO COLORFUL WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT CLOSELY
FLY ON A WOOD FROG'S EYE ONE OF THE LEOPARD FROGS BUT NO IDEA WHICH FLY THAT IS . . .
SPOTTED LADYBIRD BEETLE THAT WE SPOTTED (HA!) WHILE WANDERING IN A WEEDY FIELD
A VERY LARGE (AND VERY NOISY) SWARM OF BEES IN THE DESERT. WE DIDN'T SPEND LONG AT THIS SPOT! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SWARM IN FLIGHT SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER HOME?
VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY
A COMMA BUTTERFLY - uhhh, right? LOOKS LIKE A COMMA TO ME . . . WHAT DO YOU THINK?
THE LOVELY PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL. HAD TO PHOTOGRAPH THIS OVERHEAD - NOT EASY. IT WAS SO PRETTY, THOUGH!
PERCHED FRITILLARY, JUST A NICE COMBO OF COLORS
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY. THE NAME SAYS IT ALL, DOESN'T IT?
SOUTHERN DOGFACE BUTTERFLY. SILLY NAME FOR SUCH A PRETTY CREATURE.
ZEBRA HELACONIAN LONG-WING BUTTERFLY. THIS WAS DOWN IN FLORIDA - SO EXOTIC!
Mating Flies
UNWELCOME VISITOR IN OUR GARDEN - A NORWAY RAT!
Perhaps a 'Neon' Dragonfly?
THE DRAGONFLY CAME TO REST FOR A MOMENT ON ONE OF LOVELY FUCHSIAS ON THE SIDE DECK.
SWALLOWTAIL ON OUR RHODENDRON
DRAGONFLY ON LAVENDER BLOSSOM
A LITTLE CRAB SPIDER APPEARED ON THE BOTTOM OF ONE OF OUR HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS . . .
IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THE CRAB SPIDER NABBED A MOTH USING ITS LONG, STRONG FRONT LEGS AND IMMOBILIZED IT WITH A BITE INJECTING A LETHAL DOSE OF VENOM
