Victoria's Nature Videos

14/07/2025

30/06/2025

Playing around with my Sony mirrorless camera, and shooting in manual focus (tough for me because of bad eyes). But today I wanted to try to get some macro shots so I added two extension rings on to my 55-210 lens. This is just a simple Indian Blanket flower from the local Ocean State Job Lot store. I used my tripod and had the camera operated by my I-phone (so no motion blur). I kinda like the outcome! I may head over to some garden tomorrow to see what else I can find! Best viewed full screen. Enjoy!

29/06/2025

Had a special "Nature Moment" yesterday. A Hummingbird Moth! A type I never saw before! It had 2 bright yellow bands on it's body. So I looked it up in Google. Here is the info. Enjoy!
The hummingbird moth with two yellow stripes is likely the Nessus Sphinx moth (Amphion floridensis). These moths are known for their dark brown bodies with two distinct yellow bands across the abdomen. They are often mistaken for hummingbirds due to their size, hovering flight, and ability to feed on nectar from flowers.
Key characteristics of the Nessus Sphinx moth:
· Two yellow bands:
The most distinguishing feature is the presence of two bright yellow bands on the otherwise dark brown abdomen, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
· Opaque wings:
Unlike some other hummingbird moths, the Nessus Sphinx has opaque wings, not clear ones.
· Daytime and dusk flyer:
They are known to feed on flowers during the day and at dusk.
· North American distribution:
They can be found throughout much of North America, according to Butterflies and Moths of North America.
· Related to hummingbirds:
Like other hummingbird moths, they are called such due to their hovering flight pattern and ability to extract nectar from flowers with their long tongues

22/02/2025

Common Grackle are so handsome. Check out those subtle colors. First time I was able to get a descent photo of one. Grackles help control pests by eating insects like mosquitoes, ants, and black flies. Wish I had a pet one! Best viewed full screen. Enjoy!

30/10/2024

What a surprising sunset tonight! Did you see it??? Just gorgeous!

23/10/2024

It's really starting to look like Fall around here! Love this season!!!

06/08/2024

GO GREEN - IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING OUTDOORS
Week 1 starting August 6 - Pollinators and Bugs
I am obsessed with my two flowering Sempervivian succulents.But the both are going thru "Death Bloom". They wilt and die after flowering and then producing seeds and pups. They are called mono carpic succulents. But back to this weeks topic, they are attracting pollinators! So .... have you ever had one of these beauties??? Enjoy!

28/07/2024

I love observing Nature! Yesterday I saw a tiny butterfly on my Coreopsis flower. So of course I grabbed my cameras to try to get a good shot. This butterfly looked a little different at the tail end. At first I thought maybe it was a pair mating, but observing it closer, that did not make sense. So I videotaped it and took a few shots with my I-phone. (Sorry for the poor photo). Later I looked it up in my butterfly books to try to figure out what type of butterfly it is. Looks like a Gray Hairstreak! They are only about 1" in length. In further exploration on the internet I found this: "This back-and-forth movement makes the wings look like anntennae, apparently to fool predators into attacking a less vital part of their body." So that's what you see at the tail end! The "tail" at the tail end is what you see moving around very weirdly! How cool is that! Don't you love Nature??? A gift and knowledge given freely! Enjoy!!!

25/07/2024

I am so in love with this flowering succulent! Everyday is a new bud that opens. And a few more visitors!

10/07/2024

I have so much fun watching the birds come and eat the cracked corn I put out each morning. It's fun to watch the "pecking order". The bullies are the Red-bellied Woodpeckers. But this little Mourning Dove had enough and stood up to this male woodpecker!

05/07/2024

Wow! More flowers have opened today on one of my succulents! So very pretty! More to come!! Enjoy!

03/07/2024

So I got interested in collecting succulents last summer. I now have a bright sunny deck that they seem to be enjoying. This morning one of them had its flowers starting to open! What a beauty!