Relative of the King
by terranovabay
A Great Egret alights on a shrubbery at the Stick Marsh.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Ardea alba, Great Egret, Stick Marsh
Category Archives: Nature
Carrion Eater
by terranovabay
A Turkey Vulture takes a break from preening with one of its own feathers unintentionally left over in its beak.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Cathartes aura, Turkey Vulture
Shadows of White
by terranovabay
A Snowy Egret approaches.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Egretta thula, Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret with Power Lines
by terranovabay
Power lines are dimly visible in the background as a Cattle Egret wings by.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Bubulcus ibis, Cattle Egret
Portrait of an Atala Butterfly
by terranovabay
A newly emerged Atala butterfly rests on a Coontie plant before heading out into the world.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Red Alert 2
by terranovabay
Like its caterpillar form, the adult Atala is also potentially toxic and warns would be predators of this fact by it bright orange abdomen and red wing markings.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Blue Highlights
by terranovabay
A newly emerged Atala butterfly by the husk of its chrysalis. The Atala is waiting for its once compacted wings to firm up to support flight.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Emergence
by terranovabay
An Atala butterfly begins to emerge from its chrysalis attached to a leaf of the Coontie plant. The Coontie plant is all things to the Atala. A place to lay its eggs, a grocery store for the caterpillars to consume its leaves, a quiet place to form a chrysalis to carry out metamorphosis. Then a place to return to later in life to lay eggs to start the process all over again.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Red Alert!
by terranovabay
The Atala caterpillar warns potential predators of its toxicity by its garish red and yellow coloration. The Coontie plant, the Atala’s larval host plant, is toxic but the Atala thrives on its leaves and uses its deadly attributes to its own advantage for survival.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, larval host plant
Ascending Again
by terranovabay
Detail of a Great Egret in flight over the Stick Marsh.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Ardea alba, Great Egret, Stick Marsh
