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Saturday, July 21, 2018

New oasis butterfly species

And I just barely got one quick shot of it. I would have been so distressed to not have gotten so much as this one shot.


There were a couple of birders at the oasis this morning and I led them into the arroyo to show them where I had seen an Elf Owl roosting once, hoping they might locate one. As we approached the soapberry thicket I immediately saw this Zebra Heliconian, then lost sight of it. Their sharp eyes followed it and pointed it out. Every time I got my camera aimed at it, it took off. Finally, it stayed perched a whole five seconds and I got this one and only shot. I wanted a better one, without the stick in front, but not to be. 

A short time later the birders were back sitting in the hummingbird viewing area when it showed up for a few seconds at the blooming acanthus. That was it. I had checked the soapberries for butterflies earlier today, and have gone back several times since. No luck. At 106° I quit looking.

Next is a very cooperative female Black Setwing


I tried to close the MF assist on my Lumix today and it seems to me that when I press the shutter button halfway it locks in the focus and messes me up further. Gotta research more.

10 PM: I was getting ready for bed and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth when I spied this scorpion in the sink. Now I'm wondering if that's what stung me some weeks ago that was so painful. I've never been bitten by a black one unless it was that time. I hadn't ever seen a black one in the house until tonight so couldn't figure out what had stung me. I had heard the black ones hurt worse. The little bark scorpions that I've been stung by many times don't bother me, so I knew it hadn't been one of them. I'm surprised to have this one in the house since I sprayed the house after that incident. I don't know what species this is.



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