Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Winging It...

Lots of winged beauties in our yard of late.  Butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds. My neighbors, I'm sure, think I'm strange out in the heat of the day, camera in hand, chasing after a glittering and flashy object darting through thin air, waiting for it to land somewhere.  What can I say?  I'm fascinated by the winged mobility the Divine Designer gave these sometimes theatrical, sometimes flamboyant creatures.


Let the games begin....anyone who has ever provided sugar water for hummers knows how territorial they are....  It usually comes as a surprise.  Not what you would expect from such a diminutive, elegant bird.


Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are widespread in the eastern half of the U.S.  Where we live in North Texas, we get both the Ruby-throat and the Black-chinned.  Unfortunately the Ruby-throats seem to have chased away all the Black-chinned who normally nest nearby.   



This shows an immature male with just the beginnings of his brilliantly-colored throat feathers.




As they hover over nectar, their wings, almost invisible in this photo, can beat at 50 up to 200 times per second.  They can fly backwards and upside down.




Truly exotic, tiny creatures...yet they can be as feisty as all get out.


The one who stakes his claim on the feeder first will spend most of his time chasing away others. 


Large numbers of Ruby-throats fly the 11-18 hours across the Gulf from the Yucatan during  migration. It was once believed impossible due to their size.  



Hummingbirds are uniquely and remarkably Divine-Designed....




A hummer favorite.




Dragonfly wings are exquisite and ethereal, glistening in the sunshine.







The common Zinnia: A butterfly and hummingbird flower of choice.





I was sooooo pleased to discover this Viceroy butterfly in our backyard.  It is not common in our area and can easily be mistaken for a Monarch.



The wingspan of this Pearl Crescent measure only a little over an inch.  Easy to miss.



An absolute thing of beauty, the Giant Swallowtail.  Never ceases to amaze.






Well, the Bumblebee has wings too so he found a place in this post....




AT THE END OF THE DAY...









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