Monarch on Purple Butterfly Bush

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This Monarch Butterfly shot was taken at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham today.  I was delighted to catch the Monarch on purple Buddleia (i.e., Butterfly Bush).  I really like the contrast between the orange and purple.  Thanks to Ranger Greg for the tip on the best place to find the Monarchs.

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Although I try very hard for clear and crisp details on my butterfly shots, sometimes you just have to appreciate them in motion.  Don't fly away too soon or for too long...

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Monarch on Lantana NC Zoo

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The boys and I enjoyed a wonderful fall day at the NC Zoo yesterday.  Although I took a lot of zoo animal shots, the Monarch Butterflies fluttering about the lantana all over the zoo, were the most captivating.  I took over 200 butterfly shots and over 700 zoo shots total, and this Monarch Butterfly shot is my favorite for clarity and color.  I am so delighted after an entire summer of what felt like the absence of butterflies to be seeing so many and especially Monarchs.

Monarch in the Late Day Light

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I was delighted to see two Monarch Butterflies back on my butterfly bush this afternoon.  Too bad the light was really low again.  I took a bunch of shots and liked this one because the wings were lit up in the sun.  I used Nix Color Efex Pro to bring out some details, lighten it up, and give a bit of artistic flare to it.  I needed to salvage it.

Blood Moon Update

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This was the color of the moon at 7:30PM tonight as it rose into the night sky.  By 8:30PM, it was higher in the sky and back to normal color.

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One more picture of the blood moon with clouds over it.  Spooky!

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On the Way to a Total Lunar Eclipse

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I woke up on my own shortly after 5AM this morning, remembered the eclipse, and set out to take pics.  You can see a more detailed write-up and the rest of my shots in my GeekMom post.

Monarch on Butterfly Bush

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I naturally look over at the huge butterfly bushes in my yard every time I come and go to the garage on foot or in my car.  There are two white and two purple.  Most summers, these bushes are filled with butterflies, but this summer there were very few.  Still, I never gave up looking over in the hope of seeing one and getting some pictures.  Today I was rewarded by seeing a Monarch Butterfly fluttering about.  This is the second day in a row I've seen at least one Monarch in my home town of Fuquay-Varina, NC.  I guess they are migrating home for winter.  It was around 5PM and the sun was setting, so I had to raise the ISO.  This shot doesn't have the crisp feel that yesterday's shot had, but I like the pose and the bokeh and hope you enjoy it too.

My Lucky Day - A Monarch Sighting

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I just cannot tell you how excited I was to spot 3 Monarch Butterflies at The Garden Hut today.  One minute I was taking a few sunflower shots, and the next thing I new, Monarchs were fluttering on the tall, orange flowers nearby.  Honestly, I'm not sure what these flowers are.  They are over my head and resemble a Zinnia.  Whatever they are, the Monarchs seemed to really like them.  I took some shots and then the butterflies flew away.  I walked around for a while browsing, and then as I was leaving, I took some more shots.  As luck would have it, this crisp shot was the last one I took.  It was quite windy, and the butterfly and flower kept being blown out of the frame as I was shooting.  Well, I may not have taken very many butterfly shots this summer, but this shot makes up for it!