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I finally made it to the Tropical Butterfly House at Pacific Science Center (PSC); it opened in 1998. I guess one reason I put off visiting for so long is because, as previously noted, I have ambivalent feelings about animals in captivity. My curiosity about the Butterfly House overcame any reservations I had, especially after […]

I recently encountered this dragonfly in The Boyfriend’s back yard. Based on my extensive research (two Wikipedia articles and a Google image search), I think it might be a male Azure Hawker. I say “might” because I’m not clear if Azure Hawkers are found only in Scotland, or if Scotland is the only place in […]

The Japanese Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum, 1075 Lake Washington Blvd. E., Seattle. Fair warning: These photos didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked. I was using The Boyfriend (TB)’s camera, and I’m not familiar with it, so maybe some of the settings were incorrect. Also, the pictures were taken late […]

Photos taken at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in beautiful Ballard (Seattle, WA): Elsewhere in Ballard:

And now, for your viewing pleasure (OK, really for my pleasure): A hovering hummingbird. [thumb:1652:l][thumb:1651:l][thumb:1650:l][thumb:1649:l]

Hummingbirds aren’t the only birds that come to my deck. I also receive occasional* visits from at least three gorgeous, bright-blue birds. They look like this: [thumb:1648:l][thumb:1647:l] I think they’re Western scrub jays. Or Aphelocoma californica as they’re known in Wikipedia. In describing the appearance of these birds, the Wikipedia article (as retrieved on 12/23/08) […]

It’s snowing in the Seattle area today, and this poor hummingbird has not migrated to a warmer climate. First shot is a close-up of the bird; second shot shows the snow, with the bird at the top left. [thumb:1646:l][thumb:1645:l]

I love having a hummingbird feeder on my deck. At least 3 hummers dine at Steve’s Hummingbird Café. I frequently try to photograph them … and fail to get good pictures. However, one hummer obliged me a few days ago by hanging out on my windchime hanger/hummingbird perch* for several minutes and remaining fairly still. […]

[thumb:1644:l][thumb:1643:l][thumb:1642:l] Hummingbird on my deck.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 15 Roy St., Queen Anne neighborhood (Seattle): [thumb:1639:l][thumb:1635:l][thumb:1636:l][thumb:1637:l][thumb:1638:l][thumb:1640:l] St. Paul’s Centennial Garden Labyrinth: [thumb:1624:l][thumb:1623:l][thumb:1625:l][thumb:1628:l][thumb:1629:l][thumb:1626:l][thumb:1630:l][thumb:1631:l][thumb:1632:l][thumb:1633:l][thumb:1634:l]