Friday Photography - Two days in the life of a Monarch
Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/29/2021 - 5:43pm
A couple minutes after emerging from the chrysalis.
Two days earlier
The evening before
Just after emerging the next morning with the first sunlight.
Sadly I had to leave before its first flight.
Don’t ask me how many hours I spent in front of the chrysalis before delivery, but every second was worth it.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Comments
Thanks for hosting Janis
Very cool shots!!
All I have is this little guy from last year.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Thanks Bollox
Does your little guy have a name?
This one's called Herbert.
[video:https://youtu.be/6RPHTnosE6g]
Cheers!
It was a fast little thing
but I caught a whisper of 'Henry' as it passed by.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
I caught,
a similar whisper. A whisper it is, until it's a rustle.
nice pic BR
That is an immature or female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, in case you were wondering. I think most winter in Central America, but a very few along the gulf coast at feeders.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thanks dystopian
All I know is, they're very hard to photograph.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
I'll flutter by for a butterfly
Official State Butterfly of Florida
Florida designated the zebra longwing butterfly (Heliconius charitonius) as the official state butterfly in 1996.
We caught these at Wakulla Springs a few years ago...
We're seeing fewer and fewer butterflies each year. Take care!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Thank you Lookout
Thank you for the Swallowtail among the green tails of the plant.
Beautiful - from orange to yellow to coppery, with the light.
Stay well.
nice Zebra LO
Nice Zebra pix LO. I love the shape of the longwings. There are a few flavors of them findable in southmost Texas, but only the Zebra is ever numerous, the others are scarce to rare.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
another longwing
Here's a Julia Longwing, I love that longwing shape, seems exotic and tropical. These are scarce in southmost Texas.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
That's cool
Great butterfly...had to look it up cause I've never seen one.
The Julia Longwing Butterfly, a Brazilian transplant to FL and TX that thrives in humidity and heat. (Although the map includes AL)
https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identificati...
Excellent shot!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Saw one in my yard this morning. Always look for
this diary and comments. Never disappointed. Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
My what a perfectly
My what a perfectly
elegant little
essay
you
have
written
Rivers are horses - and kayaks are their saddles
Thank you River Rover, for your
perfectly elegant little poem in response. It's a pleasure to hear your thoughts.
Dang, your headline had me thinking coronation and guillotine.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Hi el
I thought someone would wonder at ‘Monarch’. It makes sense that it’s you, who ironically sees both probabilities ; ).
wishful thinking EL
that is called wishful thinking EL.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
; )))
Thanks for Friday Photos tonight, Janis.
What a great opportunity getting to watch the Monarch hatch, Janis. Thanks for letting us join in.
Some of the shore birds at La Jolla Cove. These are all first time finds for me so the ID may not be correct.
Royal Turns
Pacific Golden Plover
Black Turnstone
Whimbrel
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
Hi Social, and thank you.
My sentiments exactly!
The photo of the Terns is stunning. The contrast of focuses and of softness and sharpness is wonderful.
Thank you, Janis.
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
Motion Seconded
Wonderful shot SP.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Thank you, BR
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
awesome pics SP!
GREAT photos SP! Fantastic shots! I love those Black Turnstones, a Pacific coast endemic. The Ruddy Turnstone is spectacularly fancy in breeding plumage. I hate to say it, but I am not all in on the plover being a Pacific Golden-Plover. They are a tough ID though when not in breeding plumages. I think it is a worn first winter Black-bellied Plover. IMHO, the bill is too big and heavy for one of the Golden-Plovers, the head proportionately too large (Golden-plovers look small headed), and the neck is short and thick (Golden-Plovers neck is long and thin), the tarsus is too short (Golden-Plover is longer legged), and the overall gist is of a squat pudgy pot-bellied bird (as in Black-bellied), not the trimmer sleek shape of a Golden. If you have a pic of the underwing they are easy, big black wing-pits on Black-bellied, unmarked on Goldens. GREAT pix anyway, that is what matters!
Fantastic photos!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thank you, dystopian.
I just looked at the Cornell Labs website and agree with you it's a Black-bellied Plover. It seems to be out of it's area, according to the distribution map they're not found along the southern ca. coast.
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
Black-bellied vs Golden-Plover
sometimes their range maps aren't all perfect... Black-bellied do winter along the socal coast in fair numbers. Maybe ebird, or the Audubon Soc. Christmas Bird Count page would have better maps? Golden-Plover are annual but very scarce in socal in winter. The Naval Weapons Sta. in Seal Beach is the most reliable place for more than one. They like grass fields, sod farms (a few are regular in fall at the sod farms off Dairy Mart in the TJRV as we birders call it), and drier areas at edge of wetland. Black-bellied gets out there in the mud where one never sees Golden-Plovers. They have really different in behavior, and calls, but in winter plumage, they can be a tough ID. Those Golden-Plover in breeding plumage are stunning.
Your pics are fantastic... which sure makes ID easier! You should see some of the blurred bird photos I have sent record committees.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
I concur in all the non-terns. I don't disagree, but simply
don't have enough experience with either the elegant or the royal and they're a bear to distinguish in non-breeding plumage. E bird, however, certainly favors Royals, and especially in December through Feb or March.
be well and have a good one
Edit - on review, I defer to Dysto on the Golden Plover, another I've only seen a very few of.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
yeah, Royal
Yes, you are correct E.L. Those are Royal Tern. The Elegant bill can get that orange in breeding season, but they are more yellow in winter. Elegant are as you indicate, also exceedingly scarce in winter in socal. Like accidental almost. Royal is the 'regular in small numbers in winter' of those two. Elegants bill is also much longer, and much thinner,
so shaped quite differently in detail, nowhere near as deep and stout as these, which are nearing Caspian Tern stoutness.
Terns are tough, they took me a long time to learn. And those summers in the ternery.
There was a great one at Plymouth Beach Mass. I spent a summer in, with Roseate and Arctic, besides regular types. And the Bolsa Chica Org. Co. ternery is spectacular. It did not exist in my youth birding it weekly. But since the 1980's there have been over 10 thousand Elegants, with some Royal, Caspian, Forseter's, and Black Skimmers nesting there. The odd Sandwich and Sooty Tern have been seen visiting it due to the activity attracting them. Have pix of both of those there myself, but most of my bird stuff is on unscanned slides.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
mornin' Dysto. In Hayward we just get Forter's,
Caspians, Arctic and some skimmers. The few Royal/Elegant that I've seen have been elsewhere, usually quasi-distant and accompanied by head scratching.
ne well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Splendid
metamorphosis on film, janis, thank you.
Life, vivid, focused and in living color.
Hope you are well down-under. Cheers for your kind words of sat.
Be safe and take good care.
Welcome to NBC, ; )
Thanks smiley.
great Monarch shots!
GREAT Monarch shots Janis! A wonderful series! Absolutely fantastic! Beautiful.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thank you dystopian
for your appreciation and understanding. To quote you quoting ...
Thank you everyone
It is a pleasure to share this experience with you wonderful people. I look forward to checking in later to see what else was shared.
The beauty and wonder of life
How incredible for you to have witnessed that. And especially a monarch that are becoming more rare these days.
A Sam update. She is 14 weeks old and growing like the proverbial weed. Seriously I can’t believe how big she is already. She definitely doesn’t fit underneath my chin anymore. She loves our walks and sticks with me very well. She is calming down nicely after she learned a few words like sit, down, no, and OUCH! That hurt. And tell her congratulations on being potty trained. Yay! She got the #2 outside quickly, but it’s easier just to squat then go all the way outside. Speaking of outside. She loves to play outside by herself and she has more toys out there than inside. And they got wet then frozen so when she brings them inside.... she also loves to bring in sticks. Big ones. I’ll hear lots of noise and bumps and then she brings me a 2 foot stick. I can’t imagine how she figured out how to bring it through the dawg door. Without further ado...
First tummy rub.
You should see the floors here. The vacuum is getting lots of work.
Exploring her world.
Awe...
Bunch of geese flew over my house. There were a lot of them in 5 groups and boy were they noisy.
And if you like ospreys and pelicans take a look here for some great photos. There’s one where an osprey just caught a fish and is taking off while a pelican is coming for the fish. About 5 photos down I think.
Glad you're having fun with Sam, Snoop
Good stuff!
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
So, she's toddler already
Lucky you, to have such an engaging companion. Enjoy snoopy, and thanks for the photos and update.
Thanks!
She really is a lot of fun. And smart. I know I keep saying that, but I’m really amazed at how smart she is. You can see her brain working.
I swear she goes outside and grows an inch. Long legs and lean body. But I haven’t seen a lot of skinny labs as adults. Now if she would understand that I’m in the clothes she wants to bite. Especially the socks. And she poked out the car window today for the first time just like all dawgs like to do. The smiles she gets.
nice pup SD
and neat geese pictures... their calls are a 'call of the wild' to me. Like cranes or coyotes.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thanks
I love hearing them flying over and off to wherever they are going. They were headed NW towards the lake. I got to get out there for photos.
Monarch in flight
If I hadn't have missed the top of the wings this would have been a neat Monarch shot...
the way they bounce around in flight, they are fast and hard to shoot with my bridge-camera level equipment.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Nice shot, dystopian.
Even with the best equipment, getting a shot of a butterfly in flight is a challenge.
I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.
Top or not,
It definitely looks like a determined flight. The antenna are amazing.
Awesome shot
Anyone have any interest in drone photography? I am thinking of getting into it and wondering if anyone else wants to do it. I think it’d be damn cool to do.
Drone photography is fascinating
https://www.artifactuprising.com/drone-photography
And...you could do drone photography of..
Monarchs!
Here's the vid: the narration is a bit precious, but the video itself is pretty amazing.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWOySU_hAz0]
Amazing video.
I am partial to monarchs and doing my small part by planting milkweed on my property.
I enjoyed all the images a videos posted.
Thanks to janis b for getting it going.
Well, I've been wanting to post but I'm always so late.
Here is something we of inquiring minds have really wanted to know:
Wombats have cubed poo
Being in France we really miss lots of familiar wildlife, especially birds: Hummers, geese and the sound of migration; Swainson's Thrush; Varied Thrush and so much more.
Janis thank you for the Monarch. Living in the Pacific NW, I never saw one. Mr. Meta, from the Mid West saw them as a youth and could just pick them up. I wonder if they are still there.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
Who would knew
Wombats doo cubes?
An amazing adaptation.
It's how they communicate
apparently.
question everything
very cool DM
at http://xeno-canto I think it is you can look up and listen to Swainson's Thrush and Varied Thrush. Thrushes are the best singers. Humm and whistle at the same time in minor keys to do a fair Varied Thrush imitation. One of the prettiest birds in America, and what a voice. And that upward climbing spiraling scale of a Swainson's Thrush is equally spectacular. Getting so high and thin it disappears. What a song. My birder friends have said 'go to the Carmargue' if you get to France. If close for you maybe???
The Western Monarchs are in full blown collapse. The California winter grounds along the coast only recorded a couple thousand this winter. The Eastern Monarch that mostly migrate to Mexico for the winter are in bad shape, but so far holding their own.
have a good one!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
We are five hours by car and given getting to stations and
such, probably about the same with TGV. The actual train is about 2 hours. We would have to know someplace ok to stay. We are pretty much on Lockdown. This time they closed big box stores and kept small shops open with rules. People are pretty good about counting the number of people at a time in a store, handing out numbered cards as you enter.
We have Salt and Rice from the Camargue all the time. Would love to see the ponies.
I keep thinking if we could get four breeding pairs of Anna Hummingbirds here, they would thrive. All the conditions are right for them. The concept of 'native' anything is an unusual idea here as all sorts of things are not. Neolithic and later than last Ice Age sites are good ways to see what flora and fauna were here then. Otherwise, every group that came through brought their stuff.
ETA: Lost Lake SE side of Mt. Hood in the forested corner of the board walk at dusk, has the most marvelous group of Swainson's Thrush. They make that locator chip sound for about a half hour at sundown, then when it's getting dim they start to sing. Absolute magic. Thank you.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
I have been raising monarchs for over 20 years now.
Never get tired of watching the transformation process.
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin