Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Branson
Hanging Tapestry
An owl eye butterfly rests on a branch, displaying the intricate patterns and eye-like spots on its wings. To me, is a beautiful artwork of pattern and color – like a detailed tapestry. This is one of the many varieties of butterflies cultivated and displayed at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri.
You can get a better, more detailed look at this creature by clicking on the photo. (The pattern in the eyes is pretty of cool!)
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Death Warmed Over
A turkey vulture is perched and poised, with outstretched wings, to dry in the sun after a dip in a nearby creek at Stockstill Park in Branson, Missouri.
I had just seen a dozen or so of these vultures in and around the rocky creek bed. My efforts to photograph them near the water didn’t go well due to the distance and the bright sunlight, making them seem more like dark silhouettes. And, of course, as soon as they spotted me, they flew off.
A little further on our hike I tried to approach the creek from a different direction, where the light might be better. As I made my way through the woods I came upon this and another vulture, holding their wings wide with their backs to the sun, to dry off from being in the water. If you look closely, you can see this one is still quite wet.
They held their pose and position long enough for me to get close enough to get a good shot.
You can get a better view of this big bird by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
A vibrant green tuliptree flower with a rich yellow center is in full bloom, surrounded by large, lobed leaves. Some sort of insect is nestled in the flower’s petals, possibly collecting nectar or pollen.
Also shown in this photo is one of the tuliptree’s cone-like seed clusters that sit upright on the branches. The tuliptree is one of the largest native trees in North America. It is a member of the magnolia family and has distinct tulip shaped flowers. The golden-yellow fall color of the tuliptree makes this an excellent choice for large landscapes.
I found this tuliptree in bloom while strolling the grounds at College of the Ozarks, just south of Branson, Missouri.
Getting this shot was not an easy task. The blooms are up in a tree, well above my head and reach. To get this image, I employed a monopod. I extended it the full length, set the camera’s timer and guessed at the focal distance. Then, after pressing the shutter button to activate the timer, I hoisted the camera above the bloom and waited for the “click” sound. Then I’d lower it to eye level and look at the result. It took about six or seven attempts to get the correct framing and sharpness.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Clearly Defined
A black and white Idea Leuconoe butterfly is perched delicately on a leaf. The intricate patterns on its wings are sharply detailed. This butterfly species is also referred to as the paper kite butterfly, rice paper butterfly and large tree nymph.
This is another photos taken at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri.
You can see the great detail in the wings and body of this butterfly by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
The Pause that Refreshes
This is one of the many waterfalls at Top of the Rock in Ridgeway, Missouri. (Near the Branson area.) The water flows over multiple rock ledges before it plunges into this pool, creating a very appealing and natural scene.
On a recent trip to the area we made our first visit to Top of the Rock. It is a resort area where they have a paved path through the woods and waterfalls and even a cave. You rent a golf cart and ride the course at your leisure. Very beautiful and quite enjoyable with lots of photo opportunities. This is a vertical panorama – combining three individual images to capture the full scene.
You can view a larger version of this photo by clicking on the image.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Purple Veined Moth Orchid
This is a beautiful example of the Moth Orchid. The photo captures the delicate beauty of the orchids, contrasting with the subtle pattern on the butterfly’s wings.
This is one of the images I captured at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO. This was clicked in October of 2023.
You can view a larger version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Not Inclined to Share
This squirrel struck an unusual pose while snacking on a nut. He had just uncovered this nut from some hiding place in the vicinity. When I approached hi to ask for a nibble, he ran to the tree to eat in front of me.
I saw his squirrel on the grounds of College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout in southwest Missouri. We were in the Branson area and when we are we always try to make a trip to the college. We had and excellent lunch at the Keeter Center this time.
I have another image of a squirrel reclining in an odd way. Take a look at this one: https://popsdigital.com/pops-photos/planking/
You can click on the image to have a larger version of this image open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Yellow-legged Honeycreeper
The vibrant Yellow-legged Honeycreeper is a delight to the eyes with it’s striking plumage. This one is a resident of the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri.
I’d been to the Butterfly Palace several times in the past but never noticed the birds. As you can imagine, I’m always looking into the viewfinder at butterflies and rarely would look up. In the butterfly room their lighting is relatively dim (making good photography a challenge). The birds are small and quiet and there’s plenty of foliage for them to be hidden by.
The birds at the Butterfly Palace are tropical species that won’t eat butterflies but are more inclined to eat fruit. In fact, I first saw one at a feeding station with fruit.
The Yellow-legged Honeycreeper, also known as the Cyanerpes Caeruleus, is found in various parts of South America as well as southern Mexico.
To get a better view of this blue beauty, click on the photo and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
War Bonnet
The attention-grabbing, bold color and contrast on this small butterfly’s wings are clearly a work of God’s design and creativity.
Last month, during a trip to the Branson, Missouri area I spent a couple of hours at the Butterfly Palace. They have a variety of winged creatures flitting around their man-made tropical environment. When in the area, I try to make my way there because I’m always sure to get some worthwhile images.
The detail in this butterfly’s wings is amazing. You can get a better view by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Strange Life Form
Butterflies are such beautiful creatures with the colors and patterns of their wings. However, up close, they have the face only an alien mother could love. This photo is a stark reminder – though whimsical in flight and beautiful from a distance, they are still flying insects.
I believe this is a Blue Morpho butterfly. If you could see it with its wings open, you would see a spectacular, iridescent blue color. The Blue Morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world with wing spans from five to eight inches. Blue morphos live in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia.
On this photographic trip to the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri I tried, unsuccessfully, to capture one of them with their wings open. You can view their beautiful blue in a photo I captured on a previous trip here: Common Blue Morpho
This is one you may want to view in larger size to see more of the detail. (Or not…if bugs aren’t your thing.) To do so, simply click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.