Butterflies & Horn Toad #25 !
I'm still mentally skipping, doing cartwheels and grinning big. The butterflies, hundreds of them, all came to my yard this year.
Several years ago a humungous group of butterflies called question marks and commas (seriously), came to enjoy all the fermenting peaches dropped from my tree.
They flew in long lines together, in cirlces like they were holding hands. It was a butterfly dance.
This butterfly party has everyone! Buckeyes (which are usually rare) by the dozens, painted ladies, red admirals, hairstreaks, commas, swallowtails. I am deliriously happy to host these beauties.
Below are some Ylee friendly WU pics. The rest are coming from Flickr cause it's faster.
With that I will segue in to my thoughts on photo editing programs. Recently the corporate giant Google devoured the best on-line photo editor ever created called Piknik. Not to worry, the brilliant folks that created it have started a new site called PicMonkey.
I used PicMonkey to edit these WU photos. It only took a few minutes per photo to upload to PicMonkey, change my exposures, saturation and sharpness. They didn't need much, but it made the photos better. Then I save it back to my computer. The original is untouched.
For the photo of the painted lady with all the blue sky behind her, I used the "clone tool". Clone tool copies something, in this case the blue sky, and covers something else with it. There were powerlines in the photo so the clone tool covered them with blue sky.
PicMonkey is a great easy to use program. I also have Photoshop Elements 10. It is a slightly less expensive version of the famous Photoshop. Not as many bells and whistles. I had to buy two different "how-to" books to start understanding this program. It is much slower than PicMonkey to do the same simple edits. It uses lots of computer memory and hangs up requiring shut down and re-start. (I have 6GB ram, a fast fancy processor and high dollar graphic card). I feel for what I need in a photo editor, this program is not for me.
If you have not tried PicMonkey here is the link; Link
Reader Comments
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Thanks for sharing them.
I did laugh at your "advert" for PicMonkey... I have been doing exactly the same with my photos in Flickr.
There is a group in Flickr especially for PicMonkey and there are some great 'tutorials' on how to do masks and layers!
I took this original photo and removed the background and added a texture.
Blue on Blue
I saw on Briar's blog you guys are shopping for a new truck! Nothing more fun(and potentially frustrating) than buying a new vehicle, so just remember the salespeople are there to kiss your hind end, lol! Don't let them pressure you!
I like Tundras, myself! :)
Hi Rob, thanks for coming by and looking. Am really stoked how good these shots came out. There were so many butterflys (I was out there about 2+ hours and took 193 pictures...digital cameras are great). The hard part was picking favorites afterwards.
Hi Sandi, there are six bushes and hundreds of butterflys. Tried backing up to get that type of shot but they blended in to the shrubs. Glad you like the shot of many different types on one flower stem.
Yes I am banging the PicMonkey drum. That is what a photo editor should be like ;-) Thanks for the Flickr link. Blues photo is some really neat editing. He is such a handsome cat.
Hi Ylee, yes I kind of like Tundras too. They have a sporty yet tough look to them. The decision was made last night. It's a 2009 Chevy Quad Cab Silvarado work truck edition that came with a 12 month bumper to bumper warranty and two years of oil changes from the dealer.
Now it's off to take Roxie to get her bordatella booster so she can play with the other dogs at the dog park.
Good luck on getting Roxie his shots! Will you have to put him in the carrier? I know he doesn't like it!
Have fun!
And if you happen to take more photos, I'd love to see them.
Also, the butterflies seem much smaller this year. Maybe it's because I didn't see any last year, but I swear they shrank. That is fine by me as long as they keep coming back.
Hi Ylee, here is the new truck. It's a half ton 09 Silverado with V8 vortex engine. I think it is the biggest truck on our block right now.
And a shot of Roxie when I woke her up to take the picture.
Okay, so you can't see them at the moment, but sooner or later will put it in the WU area.
It's back to the batcave in the morning.
LOL That's prompted by BC's post a little while back, of course :)
I can't get over the variety and beauty of all those butterflies. They must have made a special trip to see you after all the effort you put in to attract them :)
Take care!
I saw your note somewhere about thunder audio - must have been at Karen's. Have you ever seen the wonderful collection of such things on youtube? Here's one such that I keep in my files for when I just need a little rain!
Nice truck, too! But I have to confess my favorite photo is the one of Roxie. She is such a sweetie!
Thank you for posting the beautiful butterfly on my blog. I see butterflies as beautiful flying flowers!
Have a wonderful Friday GG.
Ah, of course - it is a mobile swimming pool!!! lol
Hope the week in the batcave is going OK :)
Over here, the "open back" is called a truck bed. The utility of the bed cannot be underestimated. From hauling gravel to loading a refrigerator to moving large pieces of furniture, you can get a lot more stuff in an open truck bed, without having the expense of having to rent a van(which can't haul gravel, either).
At the front of the bed are small slots in the bottom where water can drain. No swimming pools here! :)
Hi Ylee, the plan today is to do all the outdoor chores at work before the sky opens up.
***Everyone all together think; No Hail!****
Hi Prose, You will like PicMonkey for doing the quick touch ups. Your right about the collage editor though. That is the one good PSE feature. Will be collaborating with niece this weekend to make something for her Quinceanera.
Hi Karen, thanks. Sounds like you had some great nature over head at your house with all the thunder symphony going on.
Hi SP, That is sooo cute. Now I'm imagining pink flamingo prisoners staked to the ground with knitted ponchos in unflattering colors ;)
Hi Shore, everyday as I learn about that camera I am happier and happier with the purchase. The good news about the truck is that now Roxie's travel kennel fits and she can go to the dogpark when my car isn't home.
The little critter sheds something fierce so she can't get on the car seats. Btw, started listening to the video and had to shut it off because I was starting to get sleepy. (It's 5am and time for work).
Okay, past my blog time. Have to go make money to support the birds and butterflys.
Looks like you'll have beautiful weather for meteor watching late Saturday and early Sunday.
Got one more linky for you, gg, but this one's brief and won't send you off hopping, I don't think. Remember you told me about Bronies? Well, they're here, too!
Oh, no, you know what? I do have one more thing for you, though you probably already saw it (if you haven't, it starts a little slow but is worth watching). For the love of arcade games :)
Happy caving :)
Happy Earth Day from the middle of England:)
We have an old ranch truck and I can't see us ever being without a truck!! Your new truck is quite handsome! When we had nine dogs, we get them all in the back of the pick up and off to town we'd go. They were quite the sight!!! DOGS LOVE TRUCKS!
Right now the Evening Grossbeak is on the thistle sock, he looks so big on it compared to the little goldfinches!
I planted my veggie garden today, got that done before it got to warm. I think the rest of the day is for relaxing, I am really tired from work this last week. Unloading trees off of trucks is getting harder every year!!!!
Am waiting for a friend who wants help picking plants to landscape a clients house.
Plant Shopping? No problem.
Ylee, it worked, there was no hail.
Hi LC, it was beautiful meteor weather. Saw two about 11pm before bed. Got up briefly at 3am. Was tired and Roxie was being hyper-vigilant..coyote or cat so we all went back to bed before she got to barking and waking the whole neigborhood.
Hi Sp, had the niece and nephew over. Showed them the Bronie link. Which lead to them showing us all the other new internet stuff, the meme page and troll face being a favorite. So of course being the good/bad aunt that I am I showed them "Corn Dog" from the 90's.
Link
They get worse from there. hehehehe.
Really loved the "Cains Arcade" actually got a bit "oh that's so sweet teary eyed" on that one.
Here's Cains Arcade from SP
It's about ten minutes long, but really cool.
Hi Sandi, Happy Earth Day to you to. I watered the garden and fed the birds...then found...wait for the news flash in the next comments section!!!
Hi Calpoppy, thanks. Isn't PicMonkey fun. Just a crop here, a tich more saturation there and a tich more sharpness; voila! The new truck is great. We could probably put Roxie in the back and let her run laps. lol.
The Grosbeak has to be so cool. Would make my day every time it came to the finch sock. We each have different but abundant blessings in our worlds.
Have not seen one since I was a kid, and really have been looking too. Thought they were extinct.
Picture taken by "Rootie Kazootie" Flickr.
Anyhow, this was really a cool creature to find in MY yard.
Here is a smile picture!!!
I must say, I prefer an invasion of butterflies to having a horned toad.
Wishing you a very nice Tuesday.
Hi Azgrandma, how cool you are getting these too. I really thought they were extinct in N. Texas because no one I know has seen one since they were kids as well.
For photo editing PicMonkey has really made me happy. Will really be happy if they develop a "Slide Show" program too.
Spent ALL day Sunday with niece trying to put together a slide show for her birthday (Quinceanera) on my Photo Shop Elements 10. It looks good, but dang, it took long.
Calpoppy, that picture is a total grin. Amazing photography too.
The one thing that worries me about the horned toad is that they eat Harvester ants, termites and beetles. Now I have to go spee-lunking under the house to look for termite tubes.
Have seen some non-fire ants around though. We have been treating fire ant mounds as they pop up for about the length of our walks with Roxie on the back hill area over the years. This may be allowing the beneficial ants, lizards etc to live around here.
Hi Prose, Today is everyones Tues, but for Gams and I it is "Sunday" before work. It has been so amazing having all the butterflies this year. Was very much afraid last years drought and heat did away with our flying flowers.
Have definitely been rewarded for keeping my yard bird and butterfly friendly. Roxie sends puppy hugs to Koko.
I don't remember Corn Dog, but I'm glad you all had hopping fun with that link despite my prediction.
One title of an article about Caine's arcade said something like "It makes grown men cry" so, yeah, it isn't just you :)
Have a pleasant work week!
It is wild and wet here today, so I am going to do some baking - it is baking weather!
I think I might make a stew for my dinner, possibly with some dumplings!! It is winter out there!
Hope things in the bat-cave go well this week:)
I agree it's always time to BBQ. I posted a picture here a couple of years ago where I was BBQng Bison steaks at -20. lol
Enjoy the day.
Hope you keep cool today!
So Hi Sp, Corn Dog also used to be a screen saver for Windows 95? If you paid you would get different cartoons periodically.
Sandi, I do love baking weather...then again I love baking. Best I live where it is mostly warm. There is such a thing as too much cake ;)
Hi Plapman, Mmmmmm Bison steak. Nothing finer for a carnivore. At -20 below, now that's some grillin.
Hi Ylee, You are always working. We have some OT coming up. Want to cover those shifts? You'll feel right at home lol.
Those wildlife sightings always are wonderful. A couple of week ago I went out in the very early morning and bumped into a big, fat possum. I'm not sure, but I think the possum said "howdy". ;)
Hope you're keeping cool!
They can be found in arid and semiarid habitats in open areas with sparse plant cover. Because horned lizards dig for hibernation, nesting and insulation purposes, they commonly are found in loose sand or loamy soils.
You may have created a prime nesting site for your little friend with your recent garden work. Way to go, GG!
I never had Windows 95 so maybe that's why I didn't see Corn Dog. I was going to get it but watched a friend installing about half of it one day (before I got bored and wandered off), sat around waiting for him while he was on the phone with tech support (for two hours - then we went on the hike without him - he spent days on the phone) on another day, and decided 3.1 was still just fine for me ;)
I really should stop yarn bombing your blog - I am trying - but this is new and in keeping with the nerd knitters idea and you should see. If I were capable I'd offer to make one for you, if you wanted it! Alas, I am not capable, LOL
Fun story about it, anyway.
where does my fifteen minutes of blogging time in the morning go?
Hi Shore, Ylee, Briarcraft, Sp :-)
The toad with the giggly name has prompted me into learning to tell which ant from what so the wrong mounds are not treated. We get some serious fire ant mounds if not vigilantly taken care of.
Am also seriously thinking of pulling up some more turf, laying pea gravel down and planting native grass that the red ants like to encourage the little dinosaurs to flourish.
It is probably just as well your Sherpa has to work!!
Enjoy yourself - have fun, but don't spend a fortune!!
lol
The Bonsai (shopping) Convention was very fun. Went back this morning for the end of convention sale prices and picked up some great plants and pottery.
The niece called to say grandma was going to drop her off to finish the making the photo slide show.... Typical teenager did not call a day or two ahead of time.
She's lucky we just got home when she called.
So yes Sandi, I did put my shopping sherpa to work :)
Hi Ylee, seeing as we are talking about manufacturing, needing a job reference could go both ways. Hope not until both of us win the lotto or are ready to retire.
Hi BC, Well better threatened than extinct. I hope I can find a way to keep the little critter happy enough to start a family.
Hi Shore, that's a good link. One of the hardest things for people with "sudden" devasting illness is a change in how we feel about our bodies. It is like someone stole my physical self and replaced it with a defective and pain wracked model. Like the author, it is always preferable to have someone ask where the hair went etc.
I've found that the part where my hair is coming back like a buzz cut and I no longer look ill to be the hardest part. Being called "sir" with a slight snicker.
The discrimination that comes with looking visably different in the bible belt from these "good christians". That is worse than the cancer.
This is a "short" week? so you should still be out and about enjoying the Spring:)
Photo by Proserpina
HAPPY MAY DAY
HAPPY MAY
Yep those vampires are known to me. I have a scar on my arm where they bite. I'm sure if the polce checked it they'd think I was a druggy.:)
Great shots of the butterflies. I'll have to have a look at the picMonkey app.
Enjoy the day.
The last photo I captured of a dog and a bunny was pretty gruesome. My previous dog, Buck, had caught a wild bunny. Buck weighed in at 105 lbs. and was 29 inches at the shoulder.
I think Abbey thought the bunny was Kramer who is pretty much the same color. Kramer and Abbey have learned to share their home and get along great.
Enjoy your day.
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