G's Blog

August September 2025

Rainy but a good day for warblers. All through the kitchen window.

I'm told this is a Tennessee warbler.

Tenn.

Nashville

Nashville & Tennessee

Experts confirm the upper of the pair (white eye-ring) is a Nashville warbler and its buddy is a Tennessee warbler. What are the chances?! I don't think I've ever seen a Nashville before.
Sept 22

Video & still views from two cameras.

Drying his wings.

I had to go out for an hour or so after taking the flower photo. When I came home and was pulling in the driveway I saw him flying towards me, I jumped out of the car and he was gone. What are the odds of that?

A two minute time-lapse of today's main event.

Chrysalis/pupa changes. Sept 20

Chrysalis definitely darker now (day 16).

Moon and Venus with Earthshine (from my porch ramp)

House-shine

Moon and Venus and Regulus, lower right. Had I waited I wouldn't have had to drive anywhere for these shots. Taken with Canon SX60 Powershot between 6 and 6:30am in Paris Twp., Ohio.
Sept 19

Some pictures from open mic at Cafe 14. Sept 18

My lone chrysalis pupated 14 days ago and is still quite green. If he doesn't start to darken soon I'll be worrying (OK I'm already worried). Experts say not to worry, it's just the cooler nights dragging things out a little. Someone else said "If you look closely, you can see the color of the monarch wings just starting to appear. Think of it as dark, green stripes and light green, where the orange should be and perhaps you can see it." Sept 17

After missing some I got lucky driving home last night and caught odometer 64146 (with 66 temperature). Didn't stop to photograph, they don't do well at night anyway. I have an argument for paying attention to such minutiae: good practice for when a significant one rolls over, like 66666!

Another FB memory from same day 2019. Two out, two to go. I've been worrying my current lone chrysalis is taking too long but I just read they can take 10 to 15 days so there's still hope. The countdown started Sept 3.

Sept 16

Whoops, forgot yesterday's anniversary (the big four-oh). But I'm not in the doghouse, she forgot too! Photo from 9 years ago at Outer Banks.

I'll get confirmation but sure looks like another Tennessee Warbler to me.
Sept 15

I took this hummingbird photo in poor light. Today I stumbled on to an effect I'd not tried before and quite like the result. She's still around this evening BTW.

Milkweed seeds trapped by a spider's thread. Rose of Sharon in background.

Mourning Dove basking in the sun. I think we got into the eighties.

Milkweed pod doing its thing

My chrysalis is still quite green, here's a FB nine-years-ago memory where one is starting to show the colours.

Sept 14

I thought I'd seen the last of these guys then this one showed up today. Who knows maybe she's just passing through (rather than a local who didn't leave yet). Checking out the same wild lettuce pictured earlier.

Bird Splat Angel reimagined

Male Goldfinch feasting on seeds of "Lactuca species, wild lettuce". That plant is seven feet tall and there's a nine foot one nearby.

Leaves of said plant.
Sept 13

Unretouched, on recycling dumpster.

A five-year-ago FB memory, young Coopers hawk (trail-cam). Sept 12

Tufted Titmouse doesn't usually favour the camera but this one did.

Female Cardinal

I'm saying immature Magnolia warbler until someone says otherwise.

Same Magnolia showing wing bars.

Merlin IDs this as Tennessee Warbler.

Same Tennessee with lovely purple Ironweed

I cheated on this one a little bit.

It's two-for-the-price-of-one day. Two female Hummingbird composites of two shots each, split seconds apart. All through the kitchen window.

Sept 10

This underwing shot confirms my ID. Here's a page showing how to tell between Black and Spicebush swallowtails.

Perhaps the biggest Black Swallowtail I've seen in a long time, a female I think. Sept 8

Wishing the safest of travels to my friends on the move this week. Some are driving and some are flying, like this little fellow who appears to have departed sometime since yesterday. I think his mate is still around but soon she'll be gone too. Sept 7

Six year FB memory, playing 6th Avenue Heartache with Nick Shutey at 1888 Tavern.

It's always fun to catch birds passing food. Sometimes between mates or prospective mates, or as in this case between an adult and a youngster. What surprised me was the fledgling appearing to check Pop's tail for edibility.
Sept 5

Cremaster and button

I'm officially no longer hands off as of today, I relocated my first wild Monarch chrysalis to a protected enclosure (still outdoors though). Here's a close-up of the velcro-like cremaster secured to the "button" of silk stuck to the vinyl siding. Also another view revealing the sex if you know what to look for, which was embarrassingly hard to image. I spent quite a while messing with light angles hoping to bring out the relevant detail. Experts agree it's a boy BTW. I was asked for specifics on the sex indicator. This page explains it for Monarch butterflies as well as the chrysalis. Sept 4

I feel so lucky that this cat picked such a visible spot and did the magic when I was ready to watch and film. This is a combined image with the first 3 images (left to right) spanning about 3 minutes. After about 30 minutes we see the far right shape. Of interest in the 3rd image is the unattached cremaster, the little black stem which is about to stick velcro-style to the button before the discarded skin drops away. In the video (which is slightly sped up) that happens around the 1:33 mark.

Sept 3

Taken yesterday but other than being flipped around it's the same as this morning.

Sometimes wishes do come true. This Monarch caterpillar made his way at least 9 feet from the nearest Milkweed plant. I hoped he was going to pupate (turn into a chrysalis) at that spot so I could keep an eye and possibly witness the butterfly emergence (in about 10 days). I've never before found a Monarch chrysalis in the wild, if all goes well now I will. This hanging "J" position precedes the pupa/chrysalis stage.

Sept 2

Facebook memory: 3 years ago today doing exactly the same, fussing with guitars. Kind of a seasonal thing for me since it's hard to find indoor space to work when the weather isn't friendly.

Sept 1

Monday, September 1, 2025

September