Lucky Streak Trifecta
(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.)
Naturalists and photographers, even amateur “enthusiasts” such as the two of us, know that being outdoors early is the key to success in seeking our subjects. Birds – well – even children know “the early bird gets the worm“. Blooms are more likely to be fully open as the early rays of the sun glisten on dew drops among soft petals. Bugs typically follow the peak blooming of the flowers for access to that sweet nectar.
Yep. All of the above is what motivates us to spring from our comfortable beds and rush out the door while it’s still dark. The “Golden Hour” awaits.
So, there we were at one of our favorite patches – in the middle of the afternoon.
No, we didn’t oversleep (although that has been known to happen). It was just one of those “Hey, feel like a short ride before supper?” sort of moments. “Sure!“. —>Is there any question why I love her? (That would be – “nope“.)
Our expectations of encountering much to observe with that sun so high in the sky were not keen. But the mere anticipation of “getting out of the house” and looking at lakes and fields and trees had us excited nonetheless. One of my favorite quotes is “a short visit to the natural world is better than no visit“. Okay, I just made that up, but it should be a famous quote.
Wrong time of day. Not much time to spend. Low volume of wildlife activity.
What a wonderful time!
A messy mass of weedy stems. Closer inspection reveals a multitude of bright white and yellow blossoms. Prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus). Not really sure if it’s a bane to the fleas, but those flowers certainly made us feel better.
A fungus among us.
Our activities did not go unnoticed. I know that birds don’t express emotions but the look from this Eastern Towhee sure seems like one I’ve seen from some humans who would prefer to be left alone thank you very much.
Jam, jelly, preserves. Berries shall soon replace those dense clusters of white flowers. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis). I heard stories that Grandma kept a bottle of elderberry wine on the top of the tall tri-corner cabinet in her kitchen right next to the old wood-burning stove and could be reached by standing on a chair and stretching my 8-year old arm as far as — or, at least that’s what I thought maybe I heard ……
Common in pastures as they follow browsing cattle which cause insects to move out of their way and “gulp“, Cattle Egret appreciate the food-finding service provided by their bovine namesakes. Handsome in flight, too.
We came across a patch of White Sweetclover (Melilotus albus) dotted with colorful Lantana (non-native but with its extensive commercial landscaping use, has become common in many natural areas). The section of clover was about 20 feet wide. I stood in one spot for several minutes happily watching about a dozen hairstreak butterflies sip from the small blooms. A bonus, a nice-looking moth larva. Interestingly, the butterflies never visited the Lantana. Three different species of hairstreak in one spot. What a great day!
Once again, we prove that even a short unplanned visit to the Natural World can provide immense enjoyment. The Golden Hour is quite special, no doubt. Being out there – at any hour – is always “lucky“.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Our Natural Places 
That is one great shot of the hawk in flight! The unplanned visits can be the best but we are thrilled to know you will be meeting us in Skiathos in September.
Your itinerary is as follows. Book two weeks at The Princess Hotel Aghia Paraskevi ,the last two weeks in the month before October which marks the end of the Skiathos year. The beachside Princess, an appropriate venue for Gini’s treat, is but a stone’s throw from The Ostria Hotel Aghia Paraskevi, a little more downmarket where British paupers stay. Fly from Orlando to Athens (13 hrs), stay overnight, and the very next day take the Skytrain for the 40 minute flight to Skiathos Airport JSI where you will be met by Sue and I and transferred at no cost to your suite at The Princess.
You have the advantage in having looked carefully at photographs of Mr and Mrs Slade and recognised them as the quintessential Englishman and an English rose. Unfortunately, as you have both preferred to not reveal yourselves we will have to rely upon other markers. I suggest that two identical MAGA baseball caps transiting through the terminal building will suffice.
By the way. Sue has a secret place where she keeps Gordon! The gin that is.
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That hawk was very kind. He perched on a pole while I adjusted camera settings and flew across my field of view instead of the normal “see my red tail feathers” shot I usually end up with.
You have obviously put a lot of work into our trip planning and your efforts are greatly appreciated. I have sent the Missus out to wander the streets in search of a j-o-b to obtain enough pennies for the adventure.
Once she has the funds in hand, you will recoginize us wandering wide-eyed through the terminal, yes, of course with MAGA caps firmly in place, wearing our matching “I’d Rather Be Birding” fashionable Tee-shirts and hauling too much luggage, typically American-style.
Gotta go. Gini just came in the door and is not smiling. We may need to delay the Skiathos get-away a few more days.
Cheers to you, Sue and Gordon.
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Great colors. That towhee must have learned that stare from a grackle; it clearly wanted you to go away.
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But, he kept yelling at me to “drink-your-teaaaaa”, so I thought I’d drop in for a cuppa.
I was apparently mistaken.
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I’m no gambler (at least when it comes to sports and casinos), but I know that ‘trifecta’ is considered a good thing, and sure enough: you had a very good day enjoying two trifectas: the hairstreaks, and overcoming the complications of wrong time, not much time, and less wildlife activity.
I really enjoyed the photo of the fleabane: one flower sharply focused, the other seemingly making an attempt to avoid being photographed. I was even more tickled that it took only a glance for me to spot the salt marsh moth larva. Those hairstreaks are another matter, especially since I rarely find one that’s stationary enough to reveal its details. The red-banded is especially lovely.
I don’t think I’ve ever tasted elderberries in any form, or seen them, for that matter. The trees grow all over central and east Texas, so I may have seen the flowers in spring and assumed they were something else.
When I was growing up, rhubarb and dandelion were the common homemade wines, with an occasional blackberry thrown in for good measure. There’s a winery across the bay that produces a variety of fruit wines, but I just checked and there’s no elderberry. Here’s a fun fact: after that place was destroyed during hurricane Ike, the ditches around Oak Island were full of bottles of wine that had been washed here and there. They couldn’t be sold at retail, but some of us recovered a lot of them, relabeled them as “Ike Wine,” and gave them as gifts or sold them, giving the profits back to the winery.
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My parents were teetotalers but the mere fact that Grandma Jones had something hidden out of reach motivated my young self to retrieve it. Mistake. Retribution was swift and painful.
Your Ike Wine story is great!
It took me awhile to sort out the i.d.’s of the hairstreaks. Subtle differences between several species, not to mention between male and female, proved daunting. Fun stuff. No, seriously.
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Sometimes you see different stuff going at a different time. That towhee is a great catch!
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Thanks, Dina. We had heard Towhees in several different spots and finally found this one staring at us.
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Always nice to have your expectations exceeded. Beautiful photos. Love the Hairstreak butterflies. Beautiful colors!
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Nature consistently surpasses our hopes. I reckon it’s why we keep visiting her so often.
The butterflies are a challenge (for me) to photograph well in addition to attempt identification. I know – if it was easy ——-
Thanks for the visit, Peter.
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Now, I really, really want to see a Hairstreak in the wild. Such delicate patterns, and vibrant colors, really wonderful. Hope your story of grandma’s elderberry wine ended well 🙂 I’m glad you made it out, even mid-day. Heat and humidity be danged, the out of doors can be a miracle-worker.
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So many little butterflies was almost overwhelming. In a very good way!
We shall not discuss the endings of most of my adventures exploring my Grandparents’ farm. Two words: Chinaberry. Switch.
Outdoors cures (or at least postopones) many of our ills.
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I love your new quote about a short visit to the natural world. I just told a friend yesterday that I was going to drive my Jeep to the forest and sit and look at a tree! I have to GET OUT! I have cabin fever. I know I can walk in this heat but I may just have a snack and look out at the beauty of the preserve. You are so right…there’s always something to see and you feel so refreshed when you get back home. I’m so happy that you are together enjoying the great outdoors. I keep you both in my prayers. Sweet hugs, Diane
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It is really good to hear from you, Diane! Thank you for visiting and dropping off so many very kind words. We savor each and every one.
Yep. It’s hot. But our Florida blood demands we keep getting out there.
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I’m glad your expectations were exceeded! I don’t often venture into nature outside the morning hours but whenever I do, I tell myself to do it more often. There is always something going on.
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Thank you, Tanja.
As you point out, we are constantly amazed at what we find. Often in unexpected places at unexpected times.
Take good care.
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Love those Hairstreaks!
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What a coinkydink!
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We can imagine the stalk of the main fleabane daisy continuing its sinuous way up above the flower head.
An elderly friend once told us how she used to enjoy elderberry pancakes. Call it a tale of two elders.
Seems like there are an awful lot of greyish~brownish hairstreak species that look pretty similar.
Estigmene acrea makes it to central Texas as well as over by you.
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For me, it would be hard to go wrong with just about any sort of berry and pancakes.
I am continually challenged with identifying many species of life forms. Those little brown flutterbys can be almost frustrating. Thank goodness for the experts of the world wide web.
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