IMGP1113, originally uploaded by GvilleRick.

In the last week or so I have seen an occasional Monarch Butterfly around the yard. I’ve tried a time or two to get a photo but they would fly off before I could get close. Today I saw a couple fly by and got my camera. After a few minutes standing near the butterfly bush I saw six or eight flying around the bush and got a few shots after they became used to me being there.

dragonfly6, originally uploaded by GvilleRick.

I have tried for several days to get a photo of a dragonfly but they never seemed to land and moved too quickly to get a decent shot. Today I saw a couple in the front yard. I almost got a shot of one resting on a rail. Finally I saw one land on the japanese maple. I was able to get a few shots with my 70-300 lens. He would fly off but then return.

I went in to switch lenses and he even stayed on the leaf while I set my flash down in different locations. This shot was taken with the on camera flash and an off-camera flash set up below on the ground.

As always, I have several other shots on my Flickr page. Click on the photo above to go there.

IMGP5389, originally uploaded by GvilleRick.

I’ve seen these insects hovering in our butterfly bush lately. It is an odd creature resembling a bumblebee but it feeds like a hummingbird. I shot this photo using my DA* 50-135 with a fast shutter speed so I could see the wings (which are a blur when watching them live.) I also have photos of a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on my Flickr page.

IMGP5124, originally uploaded by GvilleRick.

I saw this guy this evening on our butterfly bush in the front yard. While the Tiger Swallowtail that I photographed in the back yard was quite content to sit still and allow me to take multiple shots, this one was easily spooked and flew off and returned several times. I was able to get a few shots befire he flew away.

Butterfly 7, originally uploaded by GvilleRick.

Sometimes being lucky and having the camera handy can result in getting a photo. I got home this afternoon after going to the school to get a photo and had my camera when I went to check on the clothes on the line. This Tiger Swallowtail was moving from flower to flower in the backyard. I took a few shots with the lens I had on the camera and then went in and got a longer lens to get this shot. The butterfly was not too concerned with me being there and even stayed on the flower when I reached out and moved it around. Other shots are on my Flickr page.

HDR Image 2 cropped, originally uploaded by GvilleRick.

I love taking photos of insects, birds, and other animals. I caught this bumblebee on a flower this afternoon at the Falls Park. The original image was nice but I played with the picture some by cropping it and running it through software to create a simple HDR (High Definition Range) image. The colors and narrow focus make this image stand out for me.