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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Butterflies, Dragonflies, and Such

 

IMG_2355 Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

 

 

 

Dragon Fly_IMG_1_5143  

Dragonfly On The End Of A Tree Branch

 

 

 

IMG_1923 Little Red Bug 

Little Red Bug By The Pond

 

 

 

 IMG_5423 Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee Coming In For The Landing

 

 

 

Spider&Redbug_IMG_3284 copy

Adur Terrestrial Beetle & Spider Living Next Door

 

 

 

IMG_0010 Orange Butterfly

Orange Butterfly

 

 

 

IMG_6128 Hummingbird Moth

Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

 

 

 

IMG_6139 (2) Hummingbird Moth

These little critters come back to the same flowers

every summer, or so it seems.

 

There is a group of daytime flying moths referred to as Hummingbird moths. These moths are members of the Sphinx or Hawk moth family. Included in this unique group are the White lined Sphinx, the Snowberry Clearwing, the Slender Clearwing and the Hummingbird moth. The term clearwing means exactly that......their wings are primarily a clear membrane like bees, wasps or flies. Only the out edge portion of their wings are covered with scales.

There are three predominant members in this group being the Snowberry, the Slender and the Hummingbird Clearwings. Of the three, the Hummingbird Clearwing is the largest having a body length of 3 to 3.5 cm and a wingspan of 5 cm. These moths feed on low Blueberry, Snowberry, Honeysuckle, Dogbane and Hawthorn. Flight action is similar to that of a Hummingbird in that they have the ability to hover and while feeding extend their proboscis for the purpose of gathering nectar. This further confuses novices as the uncoiled proboscis gives the impression of a beak. Definitely an intriguing sight for the unfamiliar, particularly when observed for the first time.

     ……………………………………

I added a description here to the last entry as it is something I don’t see very often. I just discovered the Hummingbird Moth a couple of years ago near Gananoque ,Ont. near the Ivy lee bridge which crosses over to New York State, from Ontario, Canada.

Jodi, known as Nature Nut has a hummingbird moth similar to the one I have captured here a couple of weeks ago, but hers are a different kind I think. Those of you who know her, check it out if you haven’t yet seen them. She has some excellent photos of them as well as many other fabulous photos. She is an excellent photographer and has a wonderful Nature Photography Web site. You won’t be disappointed.

If anyone knows the name of the red bugs or the orange butterfly, please let me know so I can added it to the title.

These are a few random photos I took with my 90mm, macro lens . The most recent being the Hummingbird Moths, which I took a couple of weeks ago when hubby and I were in Gananoque for the day.

Have a wonderful week ahead and enjoy the last few weeks of summer.

xx’s Dianne (dsphotocats) :)

 

 

 

17 comments:

  1. You and that macro lens are getting along just great.

    Love the miniature world.

    thx

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  2. Thanyou John,I would be lost without it. It helps me see things a whole lot different. I am amazed at what I see and very thankful. It is like wearing a pair of glasses. I see things I never would have seen without them. :)

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  3. Great pics Dianne, my favorite is the little red bug, but I wouldn't know what it's called either.
    Have a nice week :)

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  4. Dianne your pictures are wonderful<
    Hope all is well with you
    Take care
    Sue

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  5. hi dianne, great pics, hope you have a wonderful week too, hugs - nita

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  6. The pictures are magnificent Dianne.
    I hope you have a lovely week too.

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  7. I love the hummingbird moth..never saw one on my life nor a picture of one. Never knew they existed. I have seen the regular clear wings which fill me with awe.

    I love my macro lens too. I have become hooked on doing macros I'm afraid.

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  8. Tanks for the entomology lesson and the wonderful shots, Dianne!

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  9. Beautiful Photos Dianne you never disapoint !!! The first one is my favorite although the moths are pretty and interestin Have a Great Week Dianne ....Carol

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  10. Thank you all so very much for your visits and comments.
    Carole you are doing a great job with your macro work or should I say play... and your photography.
    Keep clicking everyone and have a great week.
    Hugs and Smiles
    Dianne :)

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  11. Diane...I absolutely love these pics...my favorite is the lady bug...never seen one like that, it seems kind of flat. BTW the little red bug is a Adur Terrestrial Beetle. Had to look up the rest of the name...lol Your blog is so peaceful loving it sooo much!!! grace to you, shell

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  12. Thank you Shell for looking that up for me, and for taking the time to stop by.... and leaving your comments. Nice seeing and hearing from you :)

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  13. A lovely set of macros Dianne. I particularly like the Orange flutter, whatever its called. FAB.

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  14. Hi Dianne! How in the world can you be so steady and get so close! The picts show EVERYTHING! I feel as if I have new super eyes! I would never be able to see so close and learn, truly awesome Dianne Lisa Joe and Carole your picts and how you teach me! take care Dianne =].

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  15. I enjoyed looking at these pix with Bells. I actually gasped a few times at how you captured these beautiful creatures!

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  16. Diane your bugs and other are so beautiful. We occasionally get those hummingbird moths also but they are all an ugly gray. But some are huge. I just love all the photos. You made the bug world look so colorful and interesting. Thanks for sharing. Hugs Carrie

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