New year, new (old) blog?

Hello!

Well it's a full 7 months since I last posted here - in fact I let pretty much all of my social-media-type things go in the latter half of 2014.  Just needed a break I suppose, and a bit of a re-think.  But with the onset of 2015 I'm diving back into the mix, and there are many changes and updates to annouce!

First and foremost, about a month back I published a new website!  The old one was long overdue for an upgrade, and I'm excited to have something new, simple and clean.  You can see it in the same bat-place:

www.kylehorner.com

Secondly, I have taken yet a third reluctant plunge (Facebook and Twitter being long under the belt) into a social medium, and gotten an Instagram account.  Do you Instagram?  If so, you can find me here:

http://instagram.com/khornernature/

Thirdly, I'm excited to be guiding a trip to Florida for Eagle Eye Tours in about a month's time.  If you have some spare cash and nothing to do mid-Feb, you can find the details here:

http://www.eagle-eye.com/florida-birding-tour

And finally, with photography and other activities being slow in the winter, I have been working hard to process as many photos as I can, and finally get my collection up-to-date!  Here's a whole bunch of shiny new edits from the last few months:

Definite Tussock Moth (Orgyia definata)

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Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris)

Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum)

Long-tailed Salamander (Eurycea longicauda)

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)

White-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)


American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)


Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)


Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus)

Mississippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion)

Masked Treefrog (Smilisca phaeota)

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

Fingers crossed for more to come (New Years resolutions being what they will)!

Kyle

Dominican Butterflies and Fall Plans

Hello!

I hope this first day of fall is treating you all well!  I love the changing seasons...and change in general.  I never like to do the same thing for too long!

I haven't been doing much shooting recently, but I have been editing a bit.  I was working back through some old photos from a 2011 trip to the Dominican Republic, and found a folder full of butterflies I'd always intended to identify but never gotten around to.  I managed to nail down most of them, although one remains a mystery (any butterfly aficionados out there fancy a challenge?).  Here they are:

White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae)

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

Zebra (Heliconius charithonae)

And now the stumper....ready for it?

Mangrove or Tropical Buckeye (Junonia genoveva or evarete)

I don't feel so badly about being unable to pin this down, as a) the two species look incredibly similar and b) nobody seems to know which one is which!  BugGuide (which I take to be the be-all-and-end-all on all things bug-related) has this to say:

"There has been a lot of confusion due to the switching back and forth of the usage of the names Junonia genoveva and Junonia evarete, and most of the photographs up to date on BugGuide were switched from current usage due to this confusion, and the resultant fact that many field guides have backwards or confused treatments as well. Hopefully the Lamas treatment will be the final word, and things won't keep switching back and forth!"

Unfortunately the Lamas treatment simply assigns the correct name to the correct butterfly, but doesn't help at all in identifying which is which.  And because you can't trust the name-assignment in any other guide/source, it seems pretty much impossible to get this little bugger to species!  The one that got away I suppose...

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Anyway, on to non-butterfly-related things.  Got a few fun plans for the fall, and I'm hoping they'll push me to spend some time camera-in-hand.  First, I'm headed out to Tadoussac, QC next week with my father in search of these:

Then down to the US of A in October on an annual hunt (but not the shooting type) for these:

I'm pretty excited for both, as I've really been jonesin' for an adventure, even a small one!  Finally, on October 7 I will be giving a talk to the Hamilton Naturalists' Club about these:

The talk is open to the public, so come on out!

I think that's all the news for now - get out there and see some cool fall nature!

Kyle

Sometimes things just work...

Haven't posted on the blog in forever - it's been a busy summer!  I'm way behind (as usual) in photo editing, but figured I'd better put one up here before Blogger closes my account :).

Here's a recent shot that I was really pleased with...not because it's a fantastic photo, but because of the circumstances surrounding it.  The small, brown, forest butterflies (Wood-Nymph, Eyed Brown, Pearly-Eye, etc) are always challenging subjects.  They are fast and flighty, rarely land (and even more rarely in opportune photographic locations) and tend to hang out in dark places.

When hiking recently in Silent Lake Provincial Park I spotted an Eyed Brown landing on a tree nearby, about 8 feet off the ground.  The canopy was very heavy and the day was overcast, so the conditions were really dark.  Using the flash meant that I would likely only get one shot, as the creature would likely take off in response to the burst of light.  So I took a good guess at the exposure, prepared the flash and crept towards the tree.  I leaned against the trunk, pointed the lens straight up, focused and fired.  Sure enough, the butterfly took off and I was left waiting till I got home to see if it worked.

Turned out not too shabby :).

Eyed Brown (Satyrodes eurydice)

Butterfly Study

Back on the editing train today, and I came across a series of photos much like the dragonfly study from several posts ago - a very cooperative subject, interesting background and good lighting.  So, here is study #2.

I had a great year with Painted Ladies last year, a species that I had not previously had much luck with.  They are one of my favourite Ontario butterflies - they seem to have a particularly bright shade of orange, and their underwing pattern is spectacular.  This individual was photographed in the Guelph Arboretum in mid-August.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Jonesin' to get out and do some shooting - hopefully this weekend!

Kyle

Long Lost Photos

Sorting and editing photos is perhaps the most tedious task there is, and as I photographer I find that unfortunate.  I have been having some difficulty getting motivated on that front recently, and really haven't touched a photo all winter.  The "to sort" pile has been building as always (albeit slowly because of the winter season) and finally I got so tired of it that I actually did some work!

Rather than start with photos from last fall, I figured I'd start recent and work back.  I didn't take a lot of photos on my recent trip to Florida (it was dominated by conference activities) but I did manage a few.  Here are 3 randoms:

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

Mangrove Skipper (Phocides pigmalion)

That's all for now, hopefully my momentum keeps up!

Kyle

Miscellaneous Bugs

Delved into the growing sort pile today for a handful of miscellaneous bugs from the summer.  Without much ado, here they are:

First, one of my favourite (but one of the most common) spiders of southern Ontario.  Perhaps also the most aptly named:

Black-and-yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)

Turns out this post is going to have an unintended 'black and yellow' theme.  This beetle is doing his best to mimic a wasp (not terribly convincing I'd say).  Not sure of the exact species on this one:

Long-horned Beetle (Family: Cerambycidae)

Lastly, one of the first butterflies seen in the spring, and one of the last seen in the fall - the black-and-yellowish:

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Ok, so it's more brown and off-white, but what can you do.  Hopefully more soon, as the pile is getting scary!

Kyle

Bugs and Butterflies

Here are two miscellaneous shots from the sort pile.  Both involve some cool creature interaction!

First, two milkweed bugs in love (so to speak)

Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii)

Second, some puddling swallowtails.  This spectacular behaviour in butterflies allows them to acquire salts and minerals that they cannot get in their nectar diet.  (incidentally, this photo also includes bug sex - look towards the back!)

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)

That's all for now!
Kyle

Ignatius Butterflies

Had the day off today, and headed out to the Ignatius property north of Guelph in the hopes of adding a few butterflies to my library.  I was in luck, and managed to snag 4 species that I hadn't shot before!  The farmed area of the property offers some opportunities at species not always seen in the rest of the city.  Here are a few of the shots:

To start, one of my very favourite butterfly species - a Buckeye.  This is primarily a southern species, and Guelph is getting towards the northern extent of their range.  Look at those eyespots!

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

The next species is one that I almost never see in the area.  Maybe I'm not looking hard enough!

Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)

I have seen a bit of an influx of Painted Ladies recently so I was really hoping to nail one down.  No American Ladies at the moment, but I'm checking!

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

The last two species are both small butterflies that I see often, but that I often pass by and never think to settle down and photograph.

Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)

Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)

That's all for now - go out and see some butterflies!

Kyle

Arboretum fun

Took a stroll at the Guelph Arboretum the other day (one of my favourite local spots) and had some luck with a few unexpected species.  The first was a nesting snapper - definitely a new series of photographs for me.  Very cool!

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Although my primary goal for the day was dragonflies, the butterflies ended up being more cooperative.  Lots of species around - here are three.

Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)

Northern Crescent (Phycoides cocyta)

White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)

After the Arb I moved over for a stroll along the Eramosa River, and my eagle-eyed friend Jenn spotted this awesome crab spider with prey.  Thanks for the stellar spot and plant wrangling!

Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)

That's all for now!
Kyle

Workshops!

Hello!

I am excited to announce a series of new workshops that I will be offering in conjunction with Natura Tours Inc.!  They cover birds, butterflies and dragonflies, and run from summer 2012 through winter 2013.  You can see them on my Workshops page, or directly on Natura's website.  Be sure to take a look and see if any of them interest you!

Got an exciting weekend planned and will hopefully have some photos to show for it soon!  Also I have not forgotten about Africa photos, but have been temporarily stalled :(.

Cheers!
Kyle

Still Alive in MG!!

Hello!

I have finally returned to the internet after a month-long absence (how did I survive??).  Last full day in Madagascar, flying to South Africa tomorrow.  Internet access in SA should be slightly more frequent than it has been here (none), but probably not significantly.  I will try to update when I can.

In the meantime, prepare for the longest post ever.  To make up for my absence, I have prepped a bunch of photos (quickly, and on a tiny computer, so I hope they're ok!).  I haven't had time to research the IDs yet, so apologize where they are lacking or incorrect!

We've managed about a half-a-dozen snakes in MG, mostly small and terrestrial.  Apparently the Malagasy name of this species means "many snakes in one hole."  Garter Snake anyone? (thanks to Bryna for excellent snake-wrangling!).

Lateral Water Snake (Bibilava lateralis)

Frog diversity here is stunning, and there are more frog species than birds!

Greater Madagascan Green Treefrog (Boophis luteus)

We've seen about a dozen chameleon species in the country, some very big and some very small!

Thiel's Pygmy Chameleon (Brookesia thieli)

Short-horned Chameleon (Calumma brevicorne)

One of my favourite bird species here:

Collared Nightjar (Caprimulgus enarratus)

Another cham!

Jewel Chameleon (Furcifer lateralis)

Truly one of the most bizarre (and among stiff competition) species that MG has to offer:

Giraffe-necked Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa)

More frogs...

Betsileo Reed Frog (Heterixalus betsileo)

Largest lemur in the world!

Indri (Indri indri)

Sneaky kingfisher photo...

Madagascar Kingfisher (Alcedo vintsioides)

One of the most sought-after frogs in the country!

Baron's Mantella (Mantella baroni)

Total guess on the ID here, but it certainly appears to be a Nephila spider to me.  Check out the male (fully grown) on her back.  Careful little fella!  (not a joke - she would be quite happy to eat him before or after mating).

Giant Orb-Weaver (Nephila sp?)

Frequently shared breakfast with our little friend Larry (well, until we realized that Larry was actually Larries...).  Day-Geckos eat fruit and nectar, so a little jam or honey was not to be passed up.  Apparently chocolate cake is just as good.  (sad to note that although Day-Geckos enjoy chocolate cake, they do not posses a mechanism to ingest it effectively - Larry basically pressed his tongue against it for a while and hoped it would absorb).

Lined Day-Gecko (Phelsuma lineata)

One of my most-wanted Madagascar creatures!

Pill Millipede (Family: Arthrosphaeridae)

Tons of great butterflies, no way to identify them...

Butterfly (Species Unknown)

Craziest thing ever!  Total length about 3 inches.  Start researching turbellarians, prepare to be dumbfounded.

Turbellarian Flatworm (Species Unknown)

Lots of crazy phasmids!

Stick Insect (Species Unknown)

All credit goes to Bryna for this amazing find!  Note the epic common, and latin, names!

Satanic Leaftail Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)

A member of one of the endemic bird families - found this lady on a pendulous nest in the middle of a trail!

Velvet Asity (Philepitta castanea)

That is all for now!  Will try to update when possible from SA!

Kyle