The World Through Our Lens
Sometimes the pace of life can be just so daunting that it is near impossible to simply slow up and smell the flowers. Well, one spring, as we prepared to smell the Lilac blossoms, this magical Hummingbird Clearwing Moth appeared out of nowhere and stole the show. Read more
On a late summer afternoon, on his way to a local farmer’s market, Bob made a brief stop at North Reesor Pond in Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His intention was to look for shorebirds, but with none presenting, he began to scour the reeds and bushes for insects. That is when he happened upon this most unusual caterpillar, a Cecropia Moth Larva. Read more
With the covid-19 virus still spreading and pandemic restrictions curtailing our activities, Bob and I found ourselves taking frequent walks in nature but staying close to home. On one such outing, we came upon a pair of Cecropia Moths mating in Rouge National Urban Park. Read more
The morning following our arrival in Tuscany at first looked like it would be dreary and wet. A light sprinkle of rain dampened the patio stones as we ate breakfast, but by the time we finished our fruit and cereal, warm September sunshine cast shadows of the tall trees surrounding our farmhouse, so we set off to explore the vineyard. Butterflies and moths were everywhere in our dooryard, on the wildflowers and clinging to bushes and vines. Read more
Our sighting of this stunning Snowberry Clearwing moth in Ontario, Canada had us making a mad dash to the house to grab our cameras to photograph this stunning insect as it flitted from flower to flower. Read more
If ever you have seen a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, you were probably mesmerized as we were by the sheer look of its see-through wings and the way it hovers like a hummingbird. Read more
How would you like to come face to face with this fierce-looking caterpillar if you were about knee high to a grasshopper? It was about 4 inches long (10 cm), around 1/2 inch in diameter (1 cm), and surprisingly quick at navigating through the tangle of grass. This is the larva of a Modest Sphinx Moth (Pachysphinx modesta) that we saw in the community of Oxtongue Lake, Ontario, near the end of August. Read more
After a full day of activity at Grand Canyon National Park, we were returning late to our room at Maswik Lodge when a flicker of movement drew my eye towards the stunning night-blooming Moonflowers. We were not the only ones attracted by the glowing white flowers. Numerous Tomato Hornworm Moths, also known as Five-spotted Hawkmoths, were circling for a landing. Read more