I have no idea what type of butterfly this is as I only managed to take a picture with it’s wings closed, despite it being taken at a butterfly farm! I have looked through the pages of options and nothing fits so far. There will be more to come, but this is one of my favourite pictures, in fact I think they all are 😉
(c) K Wicks
Not a bad start to what turned out to be a sunny day Christmas Day. Cold, but sunny.
(c) K Wicks
This is a small magpie moth. I have been taking pictures of insects for ages but didn’t always find the time to name them. Now have found a bit of time to go back through and find old pics to try and identify them. This one is from 2015.
(c) K Wicks
Close ups of orange Gazania’s taken with my Nikon D5500.
(c) K Wicks
Out on one of our walks in Spain, we stumbled across these orchids up in the hills. I was so excited to find not just one wild orchid type, but three! I have found a few wild orchids in the UK while out walking the dogs but never with a camera in hand. Spain however is vastly different, wildlife and insects literally just lying around. Sometimes I figured it was just too hot to do anything, for them included. Which was great for photo opportunities (hence the abundance of photos I have from spending just two years there). But these were a real treat to see.
(c) K Wicks
Inspired by a post I saw yesterday, I have dug out my photo of the only time I have seen a nuthatch here in the UK. Having trees close by meant we had plenty of wildlife in this small patch of garden, but was only a temporary rented property again so we weren’t there very long. I also spook birds quite easily as well, so usually have to spend some time waiting for them, this time I was lucky having put food out for the squirrels and other birds.
(c) K Wicks
This was a stunning sunset, like the sky was on fire and it got more lovely as it went, ending in almost lenticular clouds. These pictures are unedited, it is as it was through the Nikon D5500. Think I have some new painting ideas here 🙂
(c) K Wicks
An October morning in Spain a few years ago saw a rather lovely moon setting.
(c) K Wicks
Here is the next installment of mantis for you, the pale brown sandy coloured European mantis. This was the one we saw the most of, despite it blending in so well. Once you get used to spotting them my eyes would pick them out. Even seeing them when they weren’t actually there, lots of sticks and grasses got mistaken for one at first. All photos taken with my Nikon D5500.
They are very delicate and graceful, wonderful to watch.
They also have rather large wings tucked in neatly behind them, which completely freaked me out the first time one flew as I didn’t know. However much I like photographing nature, I still jump out of my skin when one of them does something unexpected.
And even weirder than I first thought, their eyes turn purple at night. Very cool.
(c) K Wicks
El Torcal de Antequera is a nature reserve in the Sierra del Torcal mountain range in Andalusia, Spain. We went for a day out there while in Spain and was certainly not disappointed. The geology was great, being a karstic landscape made of limestone and the views spectacular. You are so high up you actually looked out over the clouds.
It was incredible to see and is impressive.
(c) K Wicks
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