Tag: Appalachian Wildlife

Painted Ladies

Color Photography, West Virginia
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Painted Lady On Dogbane 1” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

As I stood on the edge of yard outside of the office building the butterflies continued to playfully feed on the bloom of the Indian Hemp. Across my my right shoulder one of more colorful ones fluttered by to land on the small white flowers. When it landed it folded it’s wings to show the silvery patterns on underside of the rear set. It was a painted lady.

These small colorful butterflies are found in both the old and new world. In the old world they migrate between Europe and Africa. The experts seem to debate on which populations actually cross the ocean but at least some do.

Back in North America the painted ladies stay mostly in the United States and Southern Canada with one population mapped in Mexico.

It’s been observed by some scientists that the population seems to boom during periods of heavy rain. I’m guessing that might have something to do with the rain and warm weather causing the plants to have growth spurts which means more flowers and thus more food for the butterflies.

Last night I mentioned that the Great Spangled Fritillary was host specific to violets and laid it’s eggs where there would be violets for the catipiller to feed on but Painted Ladies are not as choosey. They host on over one hundred species of plants.

The males, ( still called painted ladies) are territorial and will actually have aerial duels with rivals. They pick a roost and return to it after fight.

The last little bit of trivia for tonight’s post is that painted ladies see in the ultraviolet ranges but probably cannot tell the difference between red and green. Which incidentally is something that they have in common with honeybees.

Painted Lady On Dogbane 2

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The Great Spangled Fritillary

Color Photography, wildlife
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled Spangled “Fritillary And Indian Hemp” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

When I stepped out the door of the office I was greeted by the fluttering of wings. The patch of Indian Hemp was full of butterflies. In fact there was several varieties. I saw little wood nymphs, painted ladies, yellow and black Swallowtail butterflies as well as small blues. I’ll be posting pictures of some of them later but tonight it’s the Great Spangled Fritillary.

Butterflies and moths are host specific. They require certain plants to complete their lifecycles. For the Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly the host plants are native violets. Which means that if you want this type of butterfly then you’ll want to encourage native violets for the catipiller. During the summer months the female Fritillary lays her eggs on the violets but after they hatch they remain dormant until Spring. Only then will they begin to feed on the violet leaves. The catipiller will molt six times before it gets it’s wings! And what beautiful wings they’re going to be! I’m not really certain but I believe that the feature image shows a male. In researching the article I learned that the females are more brown than the male. Either way it’s a beautiful species.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

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Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form. The YouTube link below takes you one of my slideshows.

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

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I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

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Things Are Just Ducky #6 Tilley’s Time In The Sun

Color Photography, wildlife
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Boone Hen” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Tilley settled down on her favorite roost on the banks of the beautiful Kanawha River. The water lapped gently against the stone as the clouds parted and sun came out to greet her. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of the mint growing by the river. After a long morning of foraging she was ready for a break. She didn’t really need much to relax. Just a quiet spot on the river and the warm sun. A Swallowtail butterfly floated by on the breeze and caught her attention as it sailed into the mint and began to feed. Tilley turned her head slightly and became mesmerized by the way it fluttered it’s wings grooming each flower as it searched for nectar. When the butterfly finished and fluttered off again Tilley settled in and began watching the river. The sunbeam was like a warm hug as it lingered on her rock. It wasn’t long before she would succumb to the state of relaxation and fell into the perfect nap.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

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https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

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Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form. The YouTube link below takes you one of my slideshows.

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

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I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

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Things Are Just Ducky #5

Color Photography, wildlife
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Duck Bathing On The Kanawha River” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

George the mallard has been scavenging the park all morning. He’d had quite a bit of luck finding scraps left behind by the humans. Humans are always dropping their food in the water or on the ground. They didn’t really seem to mind when he waddled up and claimed what they dropped. Sometimes they even shared with him.

As he was making his way across the parking lot of the park he spotted a large male human straddling a motorcycle. Parts of the motorcycle were so shiny that he could see his own face in them. George carefully approached the big man from behind pausing for a moment to practice his “hungry face” in the reflection of big shiny pipe near the back of the bike. He tried to make his cheeks hollow and his eyes sad. Then he circled around wide and stood in front of the man. The biker wore black leather and was covering his eyes with dark glasses. In his hands was a crinkly bag full of something crunchy. George’s mouth began to water with anticipation of whatever the large human was enjoying. “Excuse me sir, might I have a taste of the crunchy stuff in your bag?” He asked politely. But all the human understood was a series of low quacking sounds. The human took another big bite out of the bag. Once more George made a polite inquiry and started walking in circles to get the biker’s attention. The big man smiled. “My friend, are you sure that this what you want?” He asked. George responded with excitement and was quacking like crazy. The big biker gave George a doubtful look but even though he looked big and scary he had a soft spot in his heart for wildlife. He dropped a single reddish colored chip in front of George. The chip never hit the ground. George swooped in like a falcon on the hunt and started to grind the chip in his bill. But something was wrong. George’s tongue began to burn and his eyes watered for real. It wasn’t an ordinary chip. It was a flaming hot red pepper pork rind! George took off like a rocket and dove head first into the water. He opened his bill as wide as he could shaking his face under the water. He felt like he had drank half of river before the spice relented. As George relaxed and began to recover Ralph paddled up to him. Once he saw that his friend was going to be okay Ralph gave George two pieces of advice. Be careful what you wish for and beggars can’t be choosers. After a long while George began working the crowd at the park again. It’s just part of being a duck and he couldn’t be a successful duck without the resources of the local humans. However, was never as greedy as to accept what was given without first making sure that it was something that he actually wanted. And his friend the biker began to make sure that he had a small pouch of rolled oats to share with the ducks from that day on. In fact, every Saturday without fail his Harley Davidson rolled up to edge of water and waited for George to show up.

* If you like to feed ducks at your local park please don’t give them bread because it can make them sick. Oats, cracked corn and regular bird seed are all acceptable. After writing this I did a quick search. It seems that hot peppers are regularly given to chickens but a few sources said that ducks won’t touch anything with peppers in it. Things Are Just Ducky is of course fictional and intended to be pure entertainment.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

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If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form. The YouTube link below takes you one of my slideshows.

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Father’s Day 2019

Color Photography
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Dad’s Got Your Back ” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I’ve actually been holding onto this image since Valentine’s Day. The dominant buck in this area has been playing hide and seek with my lens most of year. It’s also fairly unusual for the Buck to be seen in the company of his offspring so when I spotted them all at the edge of the parking lot I knew that I needed to get a shot. What I didn’t expect was for them to offer a cool pose. If you viewing the image from a phone or tablet you may not be able to tell that the deer on the left is a button buck. It’s antlers are just barely out and are in the form of knobs on top of his head. In an effort to make them face the camera I whistled. The two bucks immediately positioned themselves back to back ready to fend off whatever just made the noise they heard. As the shutter snapped the thought of dad having your back came to me and I knew that I had my Father’s Day post.

I’ve never been a father myself but I have been a son. I grew up with a father who made countless sacrifices for his sons. Even when the paycheck was humble and we lived in a single wide trailer dad seemed to have a great joy in making sure that my brother and I had the most popular toys. I remember in particular the Batman that came from the store and the accessories that he made himself to go with them. I still have a toy “Bat-copter” that dad cut out with a jigsaw from a leftover scrap of lumber. It’s still one of my most cherished toys today. ( even if it is a bit dusty from storage)

The “Bat-copter” is still one of my most cherished toys. Made by my dad in 1971 and decorated with a crayon by me.

There was a lot of roughed out wooden toys. Today I also have some fine accent furniture that dad made for my wife and I. Dad’s woodworking skills greatly improved over the years but that first helicopter was better than anything that was store bought because of the love that went into it.

As I got older and became involved with sports dad was always there. The only game that he ever missed he missed because of a funeral.

There was never a problem that I couldn’t talk about with my dad. Even today dad is there ready to help me think things through. He doesn’t have to give the solution outright. Instead he asks the questions that lead to the solutions.

Most of all, I have greatly benefited from the prayers of a Godly father. I haven’t always played it safe. I have actually cheated death on a regular basis and no doubt that the prayers of a Godly father had something to do with that. Dad had my back even when I didn’t know it.

There was also times when dad was physically with me and I didn’t know it. I was allowed to go play in the middle of woods and explore the deep trails near my home. I didn’t know that dad was tracking me the whole time. He just hung back enough to let me think that I was alone. He was allowing me to build skills while still providing a safety net.

Dad has still got my back today. I know that no matter what I can go to my father’s house and get what I need. In my dad I have found a buddy, a companion, a strong arm of support and a brother in Christ.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form. The YouTube link below takes you one of my slideshows.

https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤