Trees and Flowers
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Sipping Nectar From A Lanceleaf Figwort
Just a short post today with a photo of a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird getting nectar from an unknown wildflower, or at least it is unknown to me.
Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly Resting On Black Twinberry Honeysuckle
I'm confident in my North American bird ID abilities but when it comes to Fritillary butterfly species ID in the Wasatch Mountains I feel stymied a lot of the time.
Wild Roses in Bloom in Northern Utah
The wild roses, like many of the other wildflowers, don't bloom for long so I am happy that I took the time to photograph individual blossoms and the top of one of the rose bushes this year
Dame’s Rocket – Invasive Biennial From Eurasia
What I didn't know at the time that I photographed the flowering Dame's Rocket was that it is a prohibited plant in Utah.
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Defending His Chokecherry Perch
It was interesting to watch and photograph this little Broad-tailed Hummingbird defend his favorite perch from the intruders I barely saw but could hear as they flew in and he flew out to chase them away.
Dew Drops And Blooming Mountain Bluebells
Last week I saw several clumps of blooming Mountain Bluebells that were dripping with dew drops from rains that fell overnight and I felt that I had to stop and take photos of them. I know they don't bloom for long.
Adult Green-tailed Towhee Perched In A Golden Currant Bush
I truly wish that I had been able to photograph this adult Green-tailed Towhee in this Golden Currant bush while is was in full bloom because that would have been gorgeous with all the tiny yellow flowers.
Flowering Serviceberries – More Blooming Bird Food
Like the chokecherries I wrote about yesterday it seems that because of our wetter than normal spring the serviceberries are also doing very well so there should be plentiful fruit for the birds to feast on before they migrate this fall.
Flowering Chokecherry Trees – AKA Blooming Bird Food
Because of our wetter than normal spring it seems that the chokecherries are doing well, extremely well. Many of the chokecherry branches are bending low because of the weight of the blossoms.
Red Admiral Butterflies And Wax Currants In Bloom
While I photographed male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds a few days ago in the West Desert I also took a few moments to photograph some of the butterflies nectaring on the blooms of the Wax Currant bush which included Red Admiral butterflies.
Wildflower Season Has Started In Northern Utah – Lewis’s Flax
Everywhere I go in the lower elevations of northern Utah I can see wildflowers blooming now.
Male Red-tailed Hawk With Yellow Wildflowers
What is better than photographing a male Red-tailed Hawk? Photographing the hawk with blooming wildflowers, in this case Gray's Biscuitroot.
Utah’s West Desert In Bloom
Native or introduced these purple wildflowers were a joy for me to see and photograph in the West Desert of Utah.
Cutest Bee Flies in the World on Rabbitbrush & Curlycup Gumweed
I photographed some of the cutest, fuzzy Bee Flies in the world this week nectaring on Rabbitbrush and Curlycup Gumweed in the Stansbury Mountains of the West Desert.
Western Branded Skipper Butterflies And Rabbitbrush
I saw plenty of Western Branded Skipper butterflies nectaring on blooming rabbitbrush in both the canyons I explored yesterday morning and I can't resist, nor do I want to, photographing wildflowers and butterflies.
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant Plus a Bee in Flight
On Sunday I was up in Box Elder County looking for birds but I also felt I had to stop and take some images of Rocky Mountain Bee Plants that were blooming along side the road.
Lazuli Buntings In Serviceberry Trees – Fattening Up Before Migration
Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to photograph male, female and immature Lazuli Buntings as they have been gorging on the fruits of Serviceberry trees to fatten up before their migration.
Orange-crowned Warbler Feeding On Utah Serviceberry Berries
The Orange-crowned Warbler gave me quite a few different poses and I was happy to take photos of her and the Utah Serviceberry shrub while she moved around.
Monarch Butterflies and Rocky Mountain Bee Plants in Northern Utah
Last year I found plenty of Monarch Butterflies on the Rocky Mountain Bee Plants on Antelope Island and they were a delight to photograph as they fluttered around going from flower to flower sipping nectar from the delicate blossoms.
Blue Elderberry – Native Food Source For Birds, Wildlife And People Too
Another non-bird post this morning about Blue Elderberry shrubs which are a native food source for birds, wildlife and people too. I've photograph this particular Blue Elderberry up in a Wasatch Mountain canyon for several years.
Female Great Spangled Fritillary Nectaring on Musk Thistle in the Wasatch Mountains
Last week while I was up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains I spotted a female Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly nectaring on a Musk Thistle so I felt I had to take photos of she sipped the nectar of the flower.
Least Chipmunk Eating Utah Serviceberry Berries
I'm always happy to photograph the other things I see while I am out photographing birds and that includes cute critters like this Least Chipmunk nibbling on the fruits of the Utah Serviceberry shrub.
Blooming Common Mullein In The Wasatch Mountains
As a child I remember plucking the leaves of Common Mullein just to touch them because the leaves were as soft as well worn flannel, their yellow flowers didn't interest me much but the soft leaves sure did.
Male American Goldfinch Feasting On Musk Thistle Seeds
A flash of yellow, black and white on a purple flower immediately drew my eyes to a male American Goldfinch feasting on the seeds of a Musk Thistle so I stopped, turned my Jeep off and proceeded to photograph the bird.
Gray Catbirds with Black Twinberry Honeysuckle Berries
I'm going to keep trying to obtain better photos of the Gray Catbirds with the Black Twinberry berries and perhaps before long the catbirds will bring their young to feast on these berries too!
Aspen Eyes – Where Trees Appear To Gaze At The World Around Them
I love seeing the Aspen eyes of the forest upon me and I find myself happy to photograph them whenever I can.
Blooming Showy Milkweed at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Showy Milkweeds are an important source of nectar for butterflies, especially Monarch Butterflies who not only use them as a nectar source but also use them for laying their eggs on and as a larval host.
Gray Catbird Plus Blooming Hound’s Tongue Photos
I enjoyed my time yesterday morning photographing the Gray Catbird and the Hound's Tongue in bloom but I really wish I had been as happy with my catbird photos as I am the wildflower images.
Mountain Goldenbanner In The Wasatch Mountains – Yellow Wildflowers
Three days ago there was some Mountain Goldenbanner blooming next to a creek in the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains and I simply had to take some photos of these bright yellow wildflowers.
Green-tailed Towhee Perched On A Blooming Utah Serviceberry
I spent some time up in the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains yesterday photographing the birds I found including this handsome Green-tailed Towhee perched on a blooming Utah Serviceberry.