Flying Artwork

Today's post is just a little eye candy from two shots I took yesterday. In the top photo you see a classic Checkerspot butterfly on a blanket flower. I remember as a child being told that orange and red don't go together. I guess no one told this guy - thank heavens!

Second up is a Nessus Sphinx moth. Even though these guys are nocturnal by nature, this fellow decided to take a short break in full sunlight on the side of the house.
The "normal" sphinx moth we see here is the White-Lined. This Nessus is a little far west of his usual range so we were especially delighted to see him!

I will be teaching a photography workshop in Lander, Wyoming on Saturday. Can't wait!

Raven Aerobics!

I have been traveling for a couple weeks - way too long to be away from home! 

While I was on the road, the raven baby fledged. Unlike last year's youngster, this guy has not gone far. He seems to be hungry all the time and he spends quite a few hours each day performing for us. I suspect he is practicing his moves for future situations. 

I have called this post Raven Aerobics because in this sequence he really looks like he is trying to lead a yoga or pilates class!

Everybody stretch high!

 Now try to touch your left toe with your right wing.

Everybody up on their toes and reach for the sky!

 The pose above is one of my favorites. He is stretching his wing forward while reaching the opposite leg backward.

And the graceful finale!

Garden

Because of a lack of water we have pretty much given up on any sort of vegetable garden. We do have a small flower garden in the back yard that has mostly native wildflowers and some dry climate vegetation. This time of year we get some amazing colors and an abundance of bees.

The hole in the rock on the right is actually a honey bee hive! It has been active for a number of years and we are astonished each spring when we see them back!

Grebe

 A few days ago I had a chance to watch a grebe feeding in the Green River. A couple of the fascinating features of these birds are their wonderful red eyes and the flat top hairdo!

 He swam out into the sun and turned to face me, giving a better view of his "do"!

What a show-off!

Rainbow's End

This rainbow was incredibly bright considering the sky was not that dark. It sure looks like the pot of gold should be right behind Tower Rock!

Ouch!

Tis the week for cactus blooms!

There are two varieties of the prickly plants that grow in this area. The first, shown above, is much less common and this is the first time I have been able to actually capture one in bloom. These are Pincushion Cacti. As with most things, it is pretty easy to see how they got their name. 

 Much more common is the Prickly Pear. It is hard to believe such a stand-offish plant can have these beautiful, delicate flowers, but here they are.

Although very similar, there is some variation in the color of the flowers as you can see in these three photos. The first shot shows the most typical.

Raven Update

 With the recent winter weather followed by a day or two of strong winds, I thought I should go check on the raven babies yesterday.

There were a couple surprises. First was the fact that the three are now one. Two years does not a study make, but I am starting to think that ravens are like bald eagles: they have two or three young and then let them fight for food until only the strongest survives. It seems a cruel way to enter this world but I have to assume it has a genetic benefit over time.

The other surprise was the size of the remaining baby - he has grown significantly since last I saw him. He almost looks like a full grown raven now and I suspect it won't be long before he fledges.

I looked at last year's record and see the baby left the nest on June 22.

In this third photo the baby has his eyes "closed".