Howard Marsh is one of our newer Toledo Metroparks, having opened about three years ago. It immediately became a birder hotspot, but it's also a great place to watch the sun set. It's a 30-minute drive from my house, but I've been over there several times recently hoping to capture a beautiful sunset photo. The sunsets have been less-than-stunning the past few days, but tonight I did a slight tweak in Photoshop to get this result.
Tags: Howard Marsh sunset
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The pennant family of dragonflies are some of the most photogenic, mostly because of their habit of resting on vegetation like this. The name 'pennants' probably came from the idea that they resemble flags flying from their perches, like this very interesting equisetum (horsetail aka scouring rush) that grows in abundance at my local park.
Tags: insect odonata dragonfly Ohio
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Butterflies are finally out in larger numbers, after many of us worried about them this year with the cold & wet spring followed by extreme heat. This female tiger swallowtail was nectaring on liatris in a prairie at one of our Metroparks here in Toledo.
Tags: Secor Metropark insect butterfly lepidoptera Ohio Toledo
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I watched this giant swallowtail feeding on mountain mint and rattlesnake master at a local Metropark yesterday. Such a graceful flier, and I was happy to see it using native plants on the prairie! I couldn't get a clear shot, so I experimented with this circular crop style. I like it. #NativePlants
Tags: Secor Metropark insect butterfly lepidoptera Toledo Ohio
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There's a Nature Conservancy property near me that has lots of violets each spring. And because violets are the host plant for the Meadow Fritillary butterfly, there are lots of them in the summer. Today I found this one nectaring on one of my favorite native plants, blue vervain (Verbena hastata). I love the color contrasts between the butterfly and the flowers, as well as the nice background bokeh. I haven't been too happy with my photography lately, so this one gives me a lot of pleasure. :)
Tags: Salamander Flats insect butterfly lepidoptera flickr
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