There have been quite a few white-lined sphinx hummingbird moths on my lilac bush just after dark.

I found this very large wolf spider in my basement yesterday morning. I believe it’s taken up residence under the dryer. It’s a beauty !! Hopefully, I’ll get some more photos of Smiley.

Another spider from my basement. I was going to post another ice photo, but I just could’nt do it…

The Avery Pyramids were constructed in 1939 by Axel Peterson, editor of the Avery Boomer newspaper. They are located in Hickory Grove cemetery in Monroe county, Iowa.

A mean looking katydid in my yard.

The catbirds are always pestering me when I’m out with the camera. I’ll pick a shady spot to hold still for a while and I usually don’t have to wait long for the harassment to begin.

I got some fantastic photos of the Avery Pyramids in July. Some great bird & butterfly photos as well. I had a hard time choosing which ones to include here.

A Fiery Skipper on a Mexican Sunflower.

Life isn’t all nectar & sunshine for little butterflies. Quite a few garden spiders set up housekeeping in the row of zinnias I planted along the edge of my garden.

I spent several evenings earning the trust of this young bunny, who usually did’nt leave the cover of the tall weeds until after sunset.

Spider update: I saw the wolf spider in the corner of my basement and a dozen babies were running loose. When I came back with the camera, she was nowhere in sight, but several babies were still there. As you can see from the earlier photo, it’s getting crowded on mom’s back.

I found this wolf spider & her brood in my basement this morning.

A praying mantis captures a katydid on my front fence.

A night shot of a strange looking black grasshopper.

A praying mantis on my front fence, basking in the morning sun.

A Locust Treehopper (Thelia bimaculata) on a Black Locust tree in my yard. (That’s a thorn in the background.)

ISO 800
1/250
f/16
300 mm

Canon EOS-20D
Sigma 150 2.8 EX Macro + Sigma 2X TC
Sigma EM-140 DG Macro Flash

These cicadas were in my yard a couple of nights ago. As numerous as they are, I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen a pair mating.

Parasitic wasp eggs on a Catalpa worm. This catalpa tree was full of them and there were about 20 hanging like this with eggs on them.

This was the most googled image on my old site so I thought I would post it again.

A Monarch perches on an aphid infested milkweed plant.

A fly basks in the last rays of the setting sun.

One of my favorites from last summer.