Today we have a collection of photos from several readers. All of their captions and IDs are indented, and you can click on the photos to enlarge them.
First, three from Martin Riddle:
I take lots of nature photos around the campus of Brooksby Village, a retirement community in Peabody,Ma.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris):
Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum). [JAC: this is a great example of convergent evolution when taken together with hummingbirds]
American Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis):
From Norm Gilinsky:
This is perhaps more of a conversation starter than an actual wildlife photo, but we found this seemingly unique sunflower in a field of sunflowers. This one is from a farm in Woodinville, Washington. It’s a cultivar of the Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus).
What’s up with that? It’s a well-formed flower within the main flower. Since sunflowers are in the Asteraceae (Formerly the Compositae), it’s a composite within a composite. Strange and interesting:
From Simon Badderley:
Lin was walking down Democracy Street in our village when she saw this on the step of a derelict house in the middle of Ano Korakiana, Corfu.It’s a Giant Peacock Moth (Saturnia pyri), the largest moth in Europe, having a wingspan close to five and a half inches (140mm). It’s often thought to be a bat when flying at night. This is the female without the male’s feather-like antennae. The adult moth does not feed, but the caterpillar feeds on various deciduous trees including fruit trees and is regarded as a nuisance by fruit tree owners. These moths are active from March to late June. This one was almost inert, willing to be touched.
From Bryan Lepore:
A photo of a green burgundy stink bug. Wikipedia says it’s “Banasa dimidiata, the green burgundy stink bug, is a species of stink bug in the family Pentatomidae.” Photo details: Taken in mid-Massachusetts: Middlesex county, July, 2024 – i.e. just a couple weeks ago. Mid-day, sunny, dry… on the recycle bin lid. iPhone 13 mini; enhanced photo:
And a lovely mountain from Larry Zelenak:
Not a wildlife photo, but maybe you can use it anyway, perhaps in a new series of best views from commercial plane flights. This is Mt. Rainier on the morning of July 9 from an Alaska Airlines flight from SEA to RDU, taken with an older iPhone.
Great set – the hummingbird set is gorgeous and elegant, and then a final exhilarating view – wow!
I think the mimicry of the moth is to look like a snake – but there are two snakes… hmmm..
A nice set! I’ve seen flowers do that before — have petals where male and female reproductive bits should be. I don’t know why these turn up now and again.
Amazing photos. Thanks for sharing them.
Lovely photos, all. The giant moth is spectacular! May she lay many eggs.
Enjoyed them all, delightful to have such variety.
Very nice. Thanks.
Thanks everyone, an enjoyable varied set. I didn’t know AA had flights to RDU…