Butterfly Macro Photography

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly" ~Richard Buckminster Fuller

I am continuing with the butterfly pictures because I know soon they will be gone.  With all the rain we have had, it is hard to get out and take pictures, but we did have a little break today that rewarded me with this picture. 

Well the trees have started revealing their fall colors in Maine so I am heading back to the trail this week.  I well be away from the computer for awhile, but I am have some blog post I have already created scheduled to post while I am gone. I do not know how many I will have time to create before I leave, but I will do what I can. 

Humor for the day - The more you study the more you know, the more you know the more you forget, the more you forget the less you know, so why study?

Azalea along the Appalachian Trail

"When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a flower with the other." ~Chinese Proverb

Photo taken in early May along the Appalachian Trail.  

Humor for the day - The best way to garden is to put on a wide-brimmed straw hat and some old clothes. And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig. - Texas Bix Bender

Osprey - The Sea Hawk

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” - Henry Van Dyke

Keeping on my beach theme for a few days, I wanted to share with you a few photos I managed to capture while kayaking through the outer banks.   The osprey is unique in that it is the only hawk that hunts on water.  The scientific name: Pandion Haliatus, “Sea Hawk”. An osprey’s narrow, six-foot wing-span, awesome eye sight (they can spot a fish from hundreds of feet in the air) and razor sharp claws provide them with expert fishing equipment.

The osprey has a lifespan of 20-25 years and will reach 2.5 to 4 lbs as an adult.  They are also unique in that they allow smaller songbirds to nest under them to help alert of danger.  

Humor of the day - Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really upset.

She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!"

The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.

Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house.  She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.  Bob has been missing since Friday.

Flowers at the Ice Cream Man's House

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you". ~Nathaniel Hawthorne"

Strange Butterfly Facts
1.  Butterflies can not fly if their core body temperature is below 86 degrees.
2.  Butterflies can reach speeds of 12 mph,  some moths can reach speeds of 25 mph.
3.  Butterflies range in size from 1/8 inch to almost 12 inches.
4.  There are about 24,000 species of butterflies and about 140,000 species of moths.
5.  Butterflies can not hear, but they can sense vibrations.
6.. Butterflies can see red, blue, and green.

Humor for the day - Three small kids were bragging about how tough they were. “I’m so tough”, said the first little boy, “that I can wear out a pair of shoes in a week.” The second little boy said, “I’m so tough, I can wear out a pair of jeans in a day.” “That’s nothing”, said the third child. “When my parents take me to see my Grandma and Grandpa, I can wear them out in an hour."

Kayaking through the Outer Banks - Cape Lookout

"Those who would find solitude must not be afraid to stand alone." -- William Deresiewicz

This is the first year in a long time that I have not been able to make it to the beach.  So on this rainy day, I thought I would go back through my archives and post a few pictures I took last year kayaking through the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I reached the coast on Friday Night, but I had about a 4 mile paddle out to Shackleford Banks so I decided to get a hotel for the night and head out first thing the next morning.   It was a great day to be paddling other than the fact that the tide was against me.  I reached the island and right away I saw one of the wild horses.   Shackleford Banks is home to about 100 wild horses.  About 400 years ago when settlers were heading to America, some would wreck in the shallow shoals of the Outer Banks.  The horses were often thrown over to try and lessen the weight and fortunately, some were able to swim ashore and survive the arid climate.  Shackleford Banks is about 9 miles long and tends to be the preferred island of the horses in the area.   The National Park Service tries to not manage the herd other than making sure the population stays a little over 100 horses, at which point they will put a few horses up for adoption.

Kayaking through the tidal channels was a pure pleasure.  I enjoyed floating around a corner and having the horses and birds around the next bend, neither of which giving you much attention.   The was is so shallow that boats can not get into the channels so it felt like I had the area all to myself.  

Todays Humor - Three old men are sittin' in their kayaks fishing a cove on a quiet Sunday morning when a funeral procession drives by. One of the old men takes off his hat & puts it over his heart. The procession winds its way around the cove and disappears over a hill. The old man puts his hat back on and continues fishing. One of the other old timers says "Geeze Ed, that was a thoughtful thing to do." Ed replies "It was the least I could do after 49 years of marriage." -Unknown Author