I saw this Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia) amongst some turning scrub oak in the Pecos last week. It was another Arizona Sister, way back in 2002, that got me interested in photographing butterflies. For the most part, Arizona Sisters have successfully evaded me ever since that one lucky moment.
Great Spangled Fritillary
I think this is a great spangled fritillary but can’t swear to it. It might be a northwestern fritillary. Speaking of which, I feel the need to remind you, dear reader, that my IDs are far from authoritative; I’m a photographer, not an entomologist.
Two-Tailed Swallowtail
Probably the most perfect two-tailed swallowtail I’ve ever seen in my life, hanging out on yellow sweet clover in Cienega Canyon (Sandia Mountains).
Jemez Horse
It’s really hard to take photos of horses. They either run toward or away from you if they think you might have even the tiniest bit of interest in them. So when I saw two horses in this field, I parked where they couldn’t see me and then walked casually along the other side of the road, never looking at them. When I was right where I wanted to take a photo, I quickly crossed the road to hold my camera over the fence and … they were much faster than I was. Especially the horse you can’t see in this photo, who was behind me. The one you can see was definitely the more shy of the two.
It worked out well anyway. I love the line of the fence (and the fence too — could a fence be more New Mexican?) and I love the buffalo gourd and nightshade flowers in the foreground. So all’s well that ends well. Although the horses might not agree since neither apples nor carrots ever materialized.
Queen Butterfly on Spike Verbena
A butterfly I’ve never seen before — a queen — atop one of my all-time favorite wildflowers, spike verbena.