Photo Challenge # 20 ~ Colors of Nature

This weeks photo challenge was "Colors of Nature"

Specifically Foliage

(Leaves, Flowers and Branches)

Like everyone else so far, I had problems deciding which photo I liked best but below are the ones I decided to post...

Prickly Pear Cactus

Due to everyone who left comments I put the Cactus as my choice for the challenge, lol...Nice thing about it being your blog you can change things around...

My favorite! But then they all are, lol...

The plumbago above was Fred's pick.

Cockle Burrs

I learned something new today when I looked the above wildflower up in my reference books. It is called False Annual Broomweed and it is all over the pasture. But I read it is an eye irritant to livestock and humans. So now I know why Julie's eyes have been tearing up, interesting. I always thought it was a type of baby's breath but it isn't and in the old'en days the settlers used to cut it and put it together to use it as a broom, hence the name "Broomweed".

Walk in the Pasture ~ Misc. Photos

This afternoon I decided to take a 15 minute walk out into the pasture to see what photos I could find for the photo challenge this week...These are misc. photos I took that didn't apply to the challenge but I thought they were nice or interesting...

Southern Snout Butterfly...it's a bit blurry but I wanted to share it!

This is a Julie butterfly...LOL...Not sure how she can stand to eat that brown crunchy stuff but she does...and I honestly don't believe she's underfed!

Crunch, Crunch, Munch, Munch...Mmmmm!

Just to give you a look at how dry and crunchy we are!

I also found another Golden-rod spider...not quiet as big as the one I took a photo of the other day but still pretty neat...I just love how they blend in so well on the flowers...

More Butterflies and Bugs...

I was talking on the phone this morning to a friend when I went outside and noticed the wild mums in the yard were just covered with butterflies again...Yea!! Thank goodness she is a good friend :o) and understood that I had to hang up and grab the camera...LOL...It's a good thing too as in about 20 minutes the wind picked up and my photo shoot was over with...Below are a few of the better photos I took...

Checkered Skipper on wild mum bloom....too sweet!

Thread-waisted Wasp...I had never seen one before today!

A skipper but not sure what type...very tiny though...

I'm pretty sure this is a "Goldenrod spider" but don't quote me on that...It was funny as I was walking amongst the mums looking for butterflies I spotted this mum that had this funny growth and looked like an orchid or lily and I thought what the hay? So I stopped and backed up and found it was a spider, really cool...This one was new to me too! These spiders like to hang out on yellow flowers or white flowers and are known to change colors to match the flower in order to catch their prey...bye bye butterflies...

This is from the Duskywing family but because the wings are so tattered it is really hard to identify it....

I caught a buckeye with his wings open today, Yeah...aren't they beautiful? Of course it's wings are pretty torn up but love the design...Looks like eyes so predators will be confused and won't eat it...

A closer view and different angle of the Giant Swallowtail and this ones wings were in good shape too...It stayed in the mums the whole time I was out there and fluttered right up to me several times...Awesome!!

That is my take on the butterflies today...Hope you enjoyed it!

Digital layout - Some people come into our lives...

(Kit by Dnadryad. You can go to her site here.)

(Maple leaf and pinecone are from PNG graphics)

A digital layout I did this past week of my Step-Father John.

Butterflies & Bees

It's that time of year...The annual migration of butterflies. The skipper butterflies have been migrating by the thousands for a few weeks now, but mixed in with them are others and today the wind died down enough for me to try for some decent photos...

Because we are in a drought on and off most of this year I have let the wild mums grow in the yard...I don't have grass anymore but I do have a yard full of wild mums...The butterflies love this and I do too as it makes for perfect photo opportunities, lol...Fred tells me to mow the darn weeds down but he is a MAN and doesn't understand, lol...

Giant Swallowtail

Bee...his little rear was loaded with Pollen but I couldn't get him to pose...Bees are very hard to photograph as they just don't stop moving...

This little guy is the reason I went and grabbed the camera in the first place...His colors were beautiful...he is a Buckeye butterfly...I really tried for a better shot of him but he wasn't cooperating either...to busy eating!

I feel for the butterflies this time of year as their wings are in terrible shape and they have such a long ways to go but they don't give up...

Out of all the photos I took this afternoon (37 total) this one is my favorite...I love the traces of rose on it's wings!

It is called a Dogface butterfly!

I was using the Canon 28-105mm lens, I just know someone is going to ask me, lol...

Another photo of the Giant Swallowtail...I had so many photos it was really hard to pick just a few!! Sorry if I am boring you, lol...

This guy is from the Sulphur family...I was not able to find him in the book...

Bees Bees everywhere...winter is coming!

This little tiny guy or gal is from the Skipper family.

And yet another bee....

Checkered Skipper...

There were more butterflies out and about but I was on a time limit...15 minutes, lol...

Maybe tomorrow I will try for more, we'll see how the wind is blowing.

Thank you for stopping by...

Digital Layout ~ TPWD Expo 2008 ~ Michael in the Helicopter

Feistuff_crazy_beautiful kit from O'scraps

Elegant WordArt

Why I really wanted to go to the TPWD Expo

Yes I wanted to go to spend quality family time with my son and husband...I wanted Michael to have fun and try new things...but I also had alternative motives...to watch the Birds of Prey show given by John Karger. This man does a fantastic presentation about birds of Prey/Raptors. I love seeing the birds. I have always loved watching birds of prey in the wild and trying to get decent photos...But here is my chance to get really great photos up close and personal...

Below are a few of my better photos from the day...

John calls this a Bay Hawk, I know it as a Harris Hawk.

Another portrait of the Harris Hawk.


This little one is a Merlin. After the Bird of Prey show they bring the birds to an area where they can sit out on perches and be observed by the public...to me a perfect photo Op...This little Merlin is a sporting bird and is used in Falconry.

Falconry is the sport of hunting with falcons and the art of training falcons to hunt with humans. It began long ago in Asia. In the Middle Ages, Crusaders learned falconry and brought it back to Europe, where kings and lords often maintained falconers who hunted for game with hawks and eagles as well as falcons. Falconry is still practiced in the United States and throughout the world. In the United States, it is a highly regulated sport. You must apprentice under a licensed falconer and earn your own license. Only licensed individuals are legally permitted to keep raptors in captivity

Here is another candid shot of the Harris Hawk.

The Merlin after being misted down with water.

And what would birds of prey be with out a Big-Horned Owl...which I hear all over the property at night and I have seen a few during the day but they are shy solitary birds and I have been unable to photograph one in the wild.

If you would like to learn more about the Birds of Prey and John Karger who travels all over the U.S. please click here to go to the website.