Monthly Archives: July 2020

Back To The Future For Little Metalmark Butterflies

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Filed under Metalmark, Shellman Bluff, GA

Little Metalmark butterfly, photographed by Jeff Zablow at Shellman Bluff, GA

Is this the best of my images of Little Metalmark butterflies? Maybe. I’m maybe too hard on myself here, for photographing them, as we did here on Shellman Bluff, on the Georgia coast, is beyond difficult.

Why Jeff, why are these gems of a butterfly difficult to capture on an image? They elude your serious efforts to shoot them because: 1) They are about 1/3 the size of the nail on your pinky (1/4?) 2) They fly about 4 inches above the ground 3) The flowers they nectar on are about 4 inches above the ground 4) They rarely stay in place, moving over the flowerheads, forcing you to refocus, refocus, refocus, . . . . . . . . . 5) The air of their habitat is very hot and super saturated with moisture, causing the sweat to cover you (me) 6) You must get your body down, way down to shoot them, and they move, necessitating that you rise and again reposition yourself.

That said, I was determined to shoot these Gems of Shellman Bluff. Determined. This one survives being pitched into the trashcan, and it begins to show the beauty of their metallic lines, when they reflect the sun’s rays.

What’s this all leading to? We return to Shellman Bluff in August, and if we find these Little Metalmark Butterflies, and if the weather cooperates, and if they are a fresh flight and if . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Me? I can’t wait. Of course Jekyll Island, Sapelo Island, Little St. Simons Island, they all are the Siren’s Song for this Jeff.

Jeff

Georgia: My Alamo . . . and the Satyr

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Filed under Big Bend, WMA, FL, Satyr

Georgia Satyr Butterfly 3 photographed by Jeff Zablow at Big Bend Wildlife Management Area, Florida

I moved to Georgia in July 2017. Eatonton was to be my home there for a little more than 2 years. Established a fine natives Georgia butterfly garden in downtown Eatonton, just 2 blocks for the County Courthouse. We had much JOY! in that garden, with visits from Great Purple Hairstreaks, Zebra Longwings, Giant Swallowtails, Palamedes Swallowtails and Monarchs. lots of Monarchs.

My whole life, from way back in Brooklyn when we had a postage stamp-size back garden, I’d dreamed of have a luxurious garden, with butterflies and wildlife, lots of wildlife. I achieve that goal, briefly, in Sheffield, Massachusetts, on those 35 acres in the sylvan Berkshire Mountains, but treachery forced the sale of that rich wildlife private refuge.

Georgia enabled me to fulfill. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Success remained the driving force for me. Eatonton led us to reexamine, and Macon, Georgia beckoned. Now at home here in Macon, our backyard large and growing (just added today = Lobelia, Agastache, Bronze Fennel, Black & Blue Salvia & Coneflower), Georgia is all I had hope it would be, my Alamo, so to speak, my last stand. G-d has seen to it that I survived to this point, even overcoming the treachery of enemies note above, and Oh How I Hope G-d means for me to flourish this .68 acres, create an Oasis for Wildlife, and maybe, just maybe show it to those of you, whom I can get to visit us.

All the while you’ve been sampling this, you’ve been glancing at this affirmation of my affection for Georgia, my long sought after, finally achieved image of a Georgia Satyr butterfly, disregarding that I found it in nearby Big Bend Wildlife Management Area, across the Georgia border, in the Florida Panhandle (northwestern Florida).

My second trip to score a good Georgia image, and for me, affirmation, that despite what most say, I am a Georgian. A survivor of my own Alamo, I am. Thank Y-u.

Jeff

Teasel Meet-Up

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Filed under Raccoon Creek State Park, PA, Skipper

Silverspotted skipper butterflies photographed by Jeffrey Zablow at Raccoon Creek S.P., PA

We saw many Silver Spotted Skippers yesterday, as we went ‘shopping’ for perrenials at Nikki’s Dig and Design Nursery in rural Lizella, just east of Macon, Georgia. Nikki’s nursery featured thousands of perrenials, almost all nurtured and grown by her and her staff. Strong, healthy and robust plants that would do a fine job of bringing butterflies to your garden. I kept thinking yesterday, that YOU would find much that you are looking for, these last months, right there on Causey Road.

What’d we buy? Bronze Fennel. Turtlehead, Cardinal Flower, an Agasatache, Coneflowers, Blue Lobelia, Black and Blue Salvia and an Orchid (a houseplant). She had mature plants in the nursery beds that you would Love, and that would bring exquisite butterflies to you.

These 2 Silver-Spotted Skippers are where they want to be, perched on blooms (Teasel) that pump out tasty nectar, both compelled to fulfill their responsibility to produce a new, vital generation. They were at Raccoon Creek State Park in southwestern Pennsylvania. Living in Georgia now, I miss that state park, where I’d seen Goatweed Leafwing, Leonard’s Skipper, White-M Hairstreaks, Meadow Fritillaries, Compton’Tortoiseshell, Hickory and Banded Hairstreaks, Northern Pearly-Eye Butterflies and  . . . .

Jeff

Variegated Fritillary At Nikki’s Lizella Nursery

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Filed under Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD, Fritillary, Locations for Butterflies

Variegated fritillary butterfly photographed at Black Water National Wildlife Refuge, MD

Went to Lizella, Georgia today, for our first visit to Nikki Taylor’s Dig and Design Nursery. After our 30 minute drive from North Macon, we pulled into her acres, and what did we find? Nikki has thousands, yes thousands of healthy, robust perennials for sale, all fairly priced. The selection was what you’re looking for: coneflowers, turtlehead, salivas (many), cardinal flower, agastaches, bronze fennel (to host Black Swallowtails), milkweeds, lantana (she has a variety that was swamped with butterflies, she agreed to make some of that beautiful lantana for us next year!) and more, much more. It’s the Best when a nursery owner is knowledgeable, schooled in her work, and generous with her time and pleased to answer your questions and more.

In flew a Variegated Fritillary ( Euptoieta claudia), it landing on a robust coneflower. I’ve not seen a Variegated this 2020 year, and it brought a big smile, for when they are fresh, as this one was, they are very, very easy on the eyes!

This Variegated fritillary butterfly was met at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. You’ll see 100 Gulf Fritillaries for every one Variegated you’ll be lucky to see, so seeing one? Vundebar!

Jeff

A Very Strange Insect from the HolyLand’s Mt. Hermon

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Filed under Mt. Hermon, Israel, Other Insects

Mantid photographed by Jeff Zablow at Mountain State Park, Georgia

I’d read of them before, but had only seen such once in the United States. A mantid that lacked wings, and moved about on the ground only. A mantid not capable of short flights.

Where did I see this? On the peak of Mt. Hermon. Too bad YOU were not with me. You too would have stared and stared at this insect, like me, wondering aloud, why hadn’t G-d finished H-s work on this critter? It just looks like there was more to be added, but just no time to do so.

This mountaintop at the northeastern corner of the HolyLand/Israel is mostly closed nowadays, kept closed by the IDF (Israel Army (Israel Defense Forces)). It’s those more than 50,000 Iranian soldiers, they masquerading as Syrian soldiers, down at the northern base of Hermon, that must be watched, carefully watched.

Today Yaron Mishan shared pics of his fieldwork there, on Facebook, on the top of the mountain. Mama Mia! how I wish I could have joined him and the several others, seeking among the rarest butterflies in the world.

Jeff