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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Juniper Hairstreak on Mountain Mint

The main reason I planted mountain mint in the garden was too attract hairstreaks. Today in the sweltering heat I found one of my favorite hairstreaks in the mountain mint patch a Juniper Hairstreak. The patch was covered in bumble bees and wasps, no honey bees anywhere, must be something better out there for them. I also have Apple Mint going strong with bumble bees and wasps, no honey bees.


This photo was painstakingly taken with my Canon G11, you have to get the light on the hairstreak just righ,t or in this bright sun it the hairstreak comes out dark with none of the cool details. This one is super fresh, they dull up and loose most of the red in a short period of time.
Last even when I got home is was 101 degrees (39c) and the bees had quite the beard going. Look inside the hive barely any space for bees to come and go.

I know they are getting water somewhere. The hive is next to the pond, no active drinking going on there. We have a water feature by the driveway, a few bees have been seen there, but none lately. The pond down the hill and through the woods I have seen bees but none when I rescued the goat in the heat. They do however come and drink when we are watering the garden, a few at a time. I can no longer keep the sugar feeder filled they empty in in hours now.

Today they have said the temps might reach 104, it has never been hotter than 105 here according the the weather mans records on the triangle area.

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful creature, well captured.

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  2. Your patience paid off, it is a beautiful photo of a beautiful butterfly. I have a G10 and am wondering what setting you used.

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  3. sounds like we're all having fun. Visited my son in San Antonio. I've never seen it that brown before.

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  4. Anonymous10:02 PM

    I enjoyed your photo of the hairstreak. It is a butterfly I am not familiar with and it is very pretty. I can not imagine 104°. We were 96° today. I looked at your last post about freeing your neighbor's goat. You are a good person for that, but I would have said something to my neighbor if this had happened. My neighbor's dog got stuck in the chain link fence and was found dead the next day. That was a sight I will never forget.

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  5. The butterfly is just beautiful. 104? and I am complaining at 95. Hope the heat breaks soon.

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  6. You DO know how to photograph butterflies!!
    I've seen a butterfly lately I thought was a "Snout" butterfly, but I was wrong. Now I don't know what I've been seeing and it bugs me! Hope I can catch a photo soon! :-)

    So your bees are not getting water anywhere else... does that mean they don't want to expend the energy flying around on these hot days?

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  7. Beautiful butterfly. I'll have to check the Mt. Mint for those.

    Yesterday I saw Honeybees drinking from the puddle next to the water trough. It has been so miserably hot.

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  8. Great photo, as always. Bees are really amazing creatures. Hope they fare well in the heat....this is such harsh weather.
    Think there is mountain mint growing down the street. Don't want to venture into the grasses and into the chiggers. Will bring my camera next time I take the dogs for a walk.

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  9. Gorgeous photo of the hairstreak Randy! I know that must have been hard to achieve. I love your honeybee beard. Gosh, I hope it cools off soon for you all!

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  10. What an incredible photo of the butterfly!! I have both slender leafed and broad leafed mountain mint and the pollinators love them.

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