Friday, July 4, 2014

Another thing that scares the bejammers out of me


I planted a garden of flowers for the butterflies and bees and humming birds.


And you know I'll never recall their names


Opps, stella de oro lilies and bee balm.


Nice purple


Probably a daisy


It is the 4th of July
This swallowtail is my first butterfly




Not much more to say about this, except Godspeed!

I watched it fly away, over the edge of the wall,
And met the chipmunk, eye to eye.

I didn't blink,
I didn't break eye contact,
While I zoomed the lens to 180 mm,
Tapped the shutter, listened for the "focus" sound,
Grabbed a quick peek.

Got off three quick ones, silently cursing my unsteady hand.


I held his eye while I changed from screen to view finder.
And raised the camera.
He was gone, between my nose and my eye.

But one shot was decent enough.
I got it!

P.S.--lots of hummers.

21 comments:

  1. Great shot....it's not easy to get those chipmunks to pose.

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  2. You did great with the butterfly and chipmunk!

    betty

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  3. It is not easy to get a good picture of a chipmunk, congratulations! I had a chipmunk who was cutting flower buds for fun but I have not seen him in about 2 weeks. We also have a nice big milksnake in the area....I treat him with respect, knowing that he specializes in mice.

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  4. Hummers? And a chipmunk? And butterfly? As well as the incredible flowers? Love, love, love your garden.

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  5. Lovely series, Joanne, and the chipmunk is delightful!

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  6. Your chipmunk reminded me of Spike... my daughter's cat that lived with us for 6 years. The most taciturn, benign cat you'd ever want to have... cleaned out the chipmunk population... one by one... in his time with us. Love your photos... love your garden!

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  7. I can't say either bees, butterflies or chipmunks 'scare the bejezzus out of me', but I remember a cousin caught a chipmunk in his hand once, it bit him three time going up his arm and leaping off his shoulder. He may still be a but phobic about the rodents now, dunno.

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    1. I haven't seen any honey bees or butterflies, except that poor fellow who probably had a run in with a bird. Something isn't right in the insect world, I think.
      But I do like chipmunks.

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  8. Very decent. Now I'll never post my blurry chippy.

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  9. Great Chipmunk photo!!
    The flowers your Swallowtail is on are Zinnias.

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  10. Great photo Joanne ! I loved to see the Hummingbirds when were on holiday in Antigua !

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  11. Hari Om
    I adore your plantings....and that shot of the chipmunk is wonderful; I take the same approach of just keep firing that shutter - something will hit the middle!!! I trust that many more swallowtails will grace your garden before the summer is out... YAM xx

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  12. nice shots! congrats!

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  13. I used to find chipmunks adorable, couldn't ever understand why they creeped out my mother-in-law. Then last year my aging cat stopped all hunting and the chipmunks completely destroyed all the hosta plants in the garden. Now, not so much of a fan, although your picture is calendar-worthy.
    By the way, I think your two purple plants are liatrice and astilbe.

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  14. I think we have a chipmunk den in the back yard. They like to sun themselves on a retaining wall, but zip down a hold next to it when they sense danger

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  15. I saw chipmunks in Colorado, but we don't have them here in Texas... at least not around us. It's a great pic. Also love the Swallowtail. They are so pretty. The Black Swallowtails are my favorite.

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  16. Oh that chipmunk is a cheeky one; the look in his eye gives it away! I agree, there's something going on in the insect world..

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  17. I've seen so few butterflies this year. No bees either to speak of.

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  18. They are all just flowers to me.
    Merle...............

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  19. That swallowtail appears to be missing a chunk of its wing. Did it fly OK?
    I did see a few butterflies on a short hike today. Unfortunately for me something (horsefly?) took a bite of my elbow. I can still feel it hours later.

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