Painted Lady Butterflies in December

Butterflies in place of snowflakes for Northern Nevada!

What can be more amazing in early December than seeing an influx of Painted Lady butterflies fluttering around my yard?  So far the temperatures for Northwestern Nevada have been mild and averaging around 60 °f (15.55 c) during the day and not dropping much below the freezing point at night. 

I would assume that all these Vanessa cardui butterflies are on migration and seeking warmer climates for winter. 

There is not much nectar available for them at this time of year, other than some flowering rosemary and orange colored mallows.  

They seem very attracted to my Arborvitae shrub that is facing south and gets sun most of the day. 

Butterflies not only feed on nectar but also on tree sap, dung, pollen and rotting fruit.  They receive minerals and especially sodium that is vital to reproduction from wet areas on leaves, plants and the ground.  I try and provide shallow, wet areas on the patio rocks and ground when I notice butterflies in the area.   

This winter, I will not disturb any leaves that have fallen to the ground just in case they might have butterfly eggs.  A female butterfly will lay her eggs on milkweed, mallow or any leaf that will serve as a food source for the caterpillar.  Come spring, it will be interesting to note if I find any of the small bristled caterpillars that will accent my yard as Painted Lady butterflies.

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Costa's Hummingbird

New Hummingbird Resident to Walker Lake, Nevada

The Costa's Hummingbirds have added a new and colorful accent to my garden landscape over the spring and summer of 2013. 

 I noticed one or two of the brilliant hummers coming to my feeders over the last few years, however this year the Costa's appear to outnumber the Broad-tailed hummingbirds which are here every summer. 

Costa's are a desert hummingbird which migrate from south of the U.S. boarder in winter to spend the breeding season in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of California and Arizona.  So why is this tiny hummingbird that measures from 3-3½ inches (7.6–8.9 cm) in length so far north in the Great Basin Desert, I am most curious.  However I have been informed that the migration routes of many birds are changing due to weather patterns. 

The colorful Costa's male has green upper parts and displays a vivid violet crown with a gorget (throat patch) that extends out from both sides of his throat. 

The immature Costa's and adult females have a white throat with gray-buff on upper-parts, and may even show a few violet feathers.

Costa's feed on flower nectar and the small insects that are found on flower petals.  Like most hummingbirds, they are also attracted to sugar water in feeders.  

I suspect that the Costa’s have managed to raise a new “charm” of hummers, which are keeping me on the run to re-fill their feeders with nectar water.   Well, what a small price for so much lively entertainment.

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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The Bullock's Oriole

A Summer Visitor to Walker Lake 

Summer is beginning to wind down and as the days get shorter, I’m seeing less of the brightly colored birds that have taken up residence in my backyard. Of all the birds that summer in my area, I enjoy the Bullock’s Orioles the most, watching them scurry around the plants searching for insects, fruit and nectar.

Orioles, like hummingbirds will drink from feeders with sugar water and I have several oriole feeders placed around the yard. The oriole feeders are usually orange, with bigger holes, ¼ inch diameter, and come with larger perches.  A hummingbird feeder can be adapted for orioles by enlarging the holes.

Around the middle of April, the Bullock’s orioles begin to show up from their summer migration. The mature males are easy to spot with their bright orange plumage accented against black, with the white wing patches.

The females and first year-males are more difficult to identify because they have similar colors; gray-brown on the upper areas, with dull yellow on the underparts. The only noticeable difference on the male is the eye-lines and black on the throat.

Over the years from bird watching in my yard, I began to notice a pattern where the orioles were in the yard at dusk, but gone the following morning. I did some inquiring on the Internet and found to my surprise that orioles and songbirds migrate at night. Studies have found that when birds are in the nest, they spend a large portion of their time at night looking out at the stars. It is believed that by watching the stars in the nest, birds develop the ability to recognize star patterns and their movement in the night sky. Furthermore, it is theorized that birds use the North Star for navigation. During spring migration, orioles and other type birds fly to the north, or to the North Star, and in fall they fly away from it, heading south to Mexico. On cloudy or foggy nights, it is believed that birds fly above the clouds and can actually detect the earth’s magnetism through a built-in compass.

With summer drawing to a close, my yard has become quiet and still and I feel sadness as I miss the flurry of activity from my summer visitors. I bid them safe travels on their journey south and will look forward to their return next spring.

For more information, please visit the following links:

Songbird Migration:

http://www.sewanee.edu/biology/courses/Bio201/Songbird.html

Migratory Bird Center
Smithsonian National Zoological Park:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/fact_sheets/default.cfm?fxsht=9

The Bullock's Oriole:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullock's_Oriole

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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