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There are few things as beautiful as a newly emerged butterfly.  The perfect mirrored symmetry of the wings, the stained glass-like partitions filled with colour and often showing exquisite patterns, and the insect's remarkable head with antennae and curled proboscis all testify to something wonderful.  Rarely do we take a moment to truly appreciate the wonder of it all as we take them for granted; after all, who hasn't seen a butterfly? The thing that I find most amazing is the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly.  Although the larvae have their own kind of beauty, they rarely equal the majesty of the adults.  In order for a caterpillar to metamorphose into a butterfly, the insect basically has to dissolve within the pupal chrysalis and reassemble into something totally foreign.  The Transformers have nothing on these guys. The actual process is nothing short of miraculous.  The larva's final moult produces a type of epidermis called a chrysalis, ...

Pygmy nuthatch with ant at Kaloya Park, Winfield. It must have been a family brood that I saw the other day while visiting Kaloya Regional Park.  As I walked along a well-worn path, I came upon a group of small birds quickly flitting from branch to branch in the branches of conifer trees.  The peeping sounds seemed infectious as the group weaved through myriad branches searching for food.  Photographing them proved challenging as remaining still f was not one of their strong characteristics. I encountered the same group on different days within the confines of the peninsula.  It was a pleasure to watch the little balls of fluff meandering through the canopy.  They rarely came down to eye level with me, instead staying high up in the branches.  I had to patiently watch and look for an opportunity to photograph one of them when the angle, light, lack of obstructions, and camera focus all came together.  I took 27 photos over the two encounters and got a ...

The willow flycatcher gets its name because of its fondness for associating with shrub-like plants that exist in the understory of larger trees.  Although I associate the term willow with those huge, broad deciduous trees that may grow up to 50 feet (100 feet for the white willow), there is also the common pussy willow that grows between 2 to 25 feet tall.  In fact, there are over 400 species of willow, and many of them are shrubs rather than giant trees. Willow flycatchers prefer the open areas around the edges of woodlands, often near bodies of water, and areas of brush.  As flycatchers, they are primarily carnivorous in nature, eating insects on the wing or those that can be gleaned from vegetation while hovering.  I photographed this one along the edge of a lake perching in an area of shrubs.  You can see from the angle that I was at eye level with it, although I was shooting from a mildly elevated position. I have photographed half a dozen species of flycat...

Finches of all sorts are characterized by having thick, strong beaks capable of shelling and removing the contents of just about any seed you'd care to mention.  This is no less true of the American goldfinch, and while not as robust as its larger cousins the grosbeaks, they enjoy a steady diet of seeds. I came across a field of salsify (those large, dandelion-like flowers and seedheads) being accosted by a small flock of goldfinch.  They were flitting from one bulbous flower or seedhead (that are apparently called blowballs or clocks - that's a first for me) to another.  Of the lot, this one was closest to me and I took a series of photos; I liked this one the best. It is interesting that they know exactly where to go to get food.  No seeds were visible on this young yet-to-flower bloom, but the bird tore into it with abandon.  In fact, it didn't mind my presence at all.  I am thankful for that as it is difficult to get a good photo of any organism uncomfo...

I became fascinated with tiger beetles when I was a boy in Ontario.  We lived on a military base with a vast sandy training area.  You could find them on hot summer days racing across the surface, and if you chased one, it would take to the wing and fly away.  They never flew very far, but approaching one never paid off because of their excellent vision. These adult beetles are fast runners and capable flyers.  They can often be found in sandy areas; you can tell that the above photo was taken on sand.  Beaches are a common habitat for them, which is exactly where I photographed the one above. I have never seen their larvae.  From the research I did, I understand that they live in burrows and ambush any potential prey that happens to be within reach.  They have very odd dorsal hooks mid-body that secure the creature to their vertical tunnel; the pair of recurved spines prevent the larva from being pulled out, either by the prey or by a would-be predato...

  At first glance, the Canadian and pale tiger butterflies above look to be the same species.  A third butterfly (below), the western tiger swallowtail, is similar in many ways to both of the above species.  The three species live in British Columbia and their ranges overlap to some degree.  It is in those places that the species may interbreed producing hybrids. There is an interesting post on the website E-Fauna BC  that discusses the hybridization; I have included the paragraph below. All the tiger swallowtails (subgenus  Pterourus ) hybridize in the wild to some extent. In southern BC there is a broad zone of hybridization between Canadian Tiger Swallowtails and Western Tiger Swallowtails from Manning Provincial Park east to Creston. In the areas where their ranges overlap, Western Tiger Swallowtails prefer low-elevation deciduous forest habitats whereas Canadian Tiger Swallowtails prefer higher-elevation boreal forest habitats. Hybridization between Pa...

Behold, the eight-spotted skimmer.  A largish dragonfly with the scientific name Libellula forensis .  But imagine, if you will, that it was no ordinary dragonfly, but rather a fire-breathing dragonfly.  After all, we think of dragons as being mythical fire-breathing entities, so why not with this insect?  Imagine how amazing that would be. The first thing would be to domesticate them and train them to only breathe fire upon command.  They would lay in wait upon a household perch, preferably outdoors, waiting for a rogue insect to come into its territory.  Then, in an instant, it would spring into action and come up behind its prey, much as a fighter pilot would pursue an enemy from behind.  Then, instead of firing guns or missiles, a bright ball of flame would be emitted from its mouth, causing its quarry to disintegrate upon contact. From the safety of your house or patio, you would witness small bursts of light, not so different from fireflies, but ...