I find Skippers hard to identify, and the Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon) is no exception. I submitted this photograph to BAMONA for confirmation that it was in fact a Zabulon, and they confirmed it for me.
Author Archives: Matthew
Bronze Copper
This is the best picture I’ve made of this small butterfly from the Lycaenidae family.
Pileated Problem
It’s a struggle for the Pileated Woodpecker to hold onto the suet feeder, and also maneuver his bill to reach the suety-goodness inside! That’s what happens when you are a woodpecker, and nearly the size of a crow.
Agrilus cyanescens
This invasive wood boring beetle is not considered noxious: although it can infest some landscape shrubs, it does not cause widespread death or destruction to our Northeast Ohio ecosystem.
Backyard Insect Roundup
After a rather overcast morning filled with yardwork, the sun came out in the afternoon so I grabbed my camera and looked for something to photograph. Birds were scarce, but insects were plentiful, with several species I had not seen before.
Painted Daisy
Tanacetum Coccineum a.k.a. the Painted Daisy, is native to Asia but looks great in our backyard.
New Life Birds
An outing to Chippewa Inlet Trail produced several new “life birds” for North America, which is rewarding and also a bit of a challenge now that I’m at 176 unique species. (At least, a challenge as long as I’m only birding in Ohio.) There was a group of shorebirds on a mud flat, and at …
Atlantic Camus
My plant-lore is not nearly as developed as my bird-lore or butterfly-lore. This wildflower was seen at Schoepfle Garden along the banks of the Vermilion River, and I had no idea what it was. So I put some observational skills to work and did a web search for “light blue spring wildflower with six petals …
The Song in Songbird
The Bobolink is not the most beautiful bird to look at. But he makes up for it with his wonderful song. There were two Bobolinks singing to each other in Bath Nature Preserve this morning, and I made a recording which you can listen to below.
Promise Kept
On my previous visit to Kopf Family Reservation, I noticed a lot of Mallards along Gable Creek. So when I made the sales-pitch to my wife to join me on this birding trip, I told her “You should come, there will be lots of ducklings, I promise!” Well, that’s a lot to live up too. …