Birds, butterflies, and an iguana

We took a drive through the Ding Refuge this morning and just saw a few birds. Then, we took a quick walk through the Bailey Tract and only saw a couple birds there. I’m not sure if we were too early or too late this morning! We did see a couple of Great Blue Herons, though, which is always a nice treat.

A cormorant in the top of a tree caught my eye, since we usually see them in the water or on the bank with their wings out to dry.

This guy was in my back yard a few days ago. The photo isn’t great, but I’m fascinated with all the patterns and colors on this green iguana. His head is sort of tan, then he goes to green spots, then to light green and black stripes, to darker green and black stripes, and last to brown and black stripes on the end of his tail. He has orange spikes on his back and orange on his legs. He definitely blends into the background.

He wasn’t amused with me stalking him!

A neighbor down the street from us has worked hard to give butterflies the perfect conditions to thrive. She provides the caterpillars with the plants they need, as well as plants for the butterflies after they emerge from the cocoon. She even moves the chrysalis if the caterpillar builds it in a space too tight to be able to open its wings when the butterfly comes out. She will hang the chrysalis somewhere safe, using dental floss to secure it.

The moth below was a mystery to us until she identified it as a Tersa Sphinx. It looks like a piece of wood and blends into the plants.

And from a different angle.

The chrysalises were fascinating. They look as if they have little shiny lights on the sides. If you click on the photos to enlarge them, you can see the wings of the butterflies, especially on the darker chrysalis. The darker one is close to releasing a beautiful monarch butterfly. There were so many chrysalises hanging everywhere on her deck.