Winged Wonders

It's been a good summer for butterflies.  Every year I catch a few on camera, flitting amongst the wildflowers.  But this summer season it seemed these winged wonders were everywhere - on every trail, in every wildflower patch.

Checkerspot butterfly

I'm no scientist, but I suspect our unusually hot and dry early summer weather might of had something to do with this year's butterfly population explosion.

Possible Summer Azure butterfly

My first encounter with butterfly-palooza came on a hike in early July.  We'd suffered through a heat wave the entire first week of the month.  Since I don't do well in hot weather, my hiking activities came to a screeching halt.  But after cowering indoors for over a week, I could stand it no longer.  When the temps finally dropped down to 90 degrees, I decided to hike anyway.  So I decided to do a quick trip up nearby Hardy Ridge.  The trail was mostly shaded and I remembered it had a pretty good wildflower bloom in July.

A Fritillary

Well.....Hardy Ridge usually had a good wildflower bloom.  While toiling up its trail I discovered, much to my dismay, that the recent hot weather had dried up most of the flowers.  There were still a few hardy blossoms about, but not the showy wildflowers in large quantities like I'd hoped.

Another Fritillary

However, as the temperatures rose I discovered another source of beauty - butterflies.  Dozens and dozens of butterflies began flitting about the flowers that were still blooming.

Parnassius clodius

Butterflies are tricky subjects.  About the time you point the camera and get things in focus, they always take off.  It's like the butterflies have sixth sense.  However, I've learned that when photographing butterflies, a zoom lens is your friend.  The more distance you can put between yourself and these winged beauties, the better your chances of not disturbing them.  Like any wildlife, if your subject isn't distracted by your presence, you stand a better chance of capturing a good image. 

A very beautiful butterfly!

I put this advice to work that afternoon on Hardy Ridge.  And I was able to capture a bunch of great images of a wide varieties of butterflies.  Large and small, colorful or not (but mostly the colorful types!) I was extremely happy with my photos that day.  Although the hike was hot, dusty, and not a lot of fun, seeing these lovely winged insects at work provided a huge bright spot that cancelled out some of the difficulties.

Cabbage butterfly

Since I'm no butterfly expert, I have to thank a couple of my Facebook friends for providing identifications for the butterfly images I captured.  

Swallowtail butterfly

The very next day, I went on another hike with my friends Debbie and Barry.  They wanted to check out Lookout Mountain, on the east side of Mt. Hood.  They'd heard it was a good place to see butterflies.  Fresh off my Hardy Ridge experience, I was totally ready for more.

Another checkerspot

And it was another successful day.  First thing I spotted a lovely swallowtail butterfly resting on some penstemon blooms right at the trailhead!

Not sure what this gray one is

And the day just got better.  I got more butterfly photos along the trail.  When we reached Lookout Mountain's summit, there were a couple hundred brightly-colored winged beauties floating between the wildflowers.  The only problem?  None of them landed for very long, if at all.  So even though there were lots of butterflies, I didn't get many photos from the place of highest concentration.

Fritillary 

However on our return trip, my friends and I had stopped in the woods for a quick break.  A lovely blue butterfly began hovering around me.  Then it landed on one of my hands.  The butterfly sat there on my hand for several minutes.  I couldn't believe it!  Although I wanted to take a photo, there was no way I could hold my camera one-handed.  Luckily, Debbie was able to snap several pics.  I've heard an old wives tale that if a butterfly lands on you you'll have good luck.  I certainly hope that's true!

This one landed on my hand and wouldn't leave!

Hope you've enjoyed this collection of butterfly images from early summer.  Since these lovely winged insects don't have a long lifespan, I'm glad I was able to capture some photographs on these hikes.  There's nothing like walking down a trail having butterflies soaring around you.  It really lifts ones spirits - and makes hiking in hot weather much more tolerable.

Summer Butterflies

Besides brightly colored wildflowers, the other thing I love about summer hikes is the abundance of butterflies.  These critters love flowers, and when the temps start to rise you'll always see them flitting amongst the blooms.

I already posted a bunch of butterfly pics in my Silver Star Mountain post but had a little collection of images from other various places I've hiked this summer.  I deemed these photos too good not to share, so here's a post solely dedicated to these lovely winged insects.

An orange beauty

In mid-July I hiked the Iron Mountain/Cone Peak loop in the Central Oregon Cascades.  Although this trail is best known for its prolific wildflower bloom, with wildflowers also come butterflies.  And boy did I hit the butterfly jackpot that day!

Posing on the flowers very nicely

By midday the beautiful winged insects were having a heyday, soaring in the sun and feeding on the blooms.  I spotted several varieties, but not knowing my butterfly species at all, I wasn't going to guess what I was photographing.

I think this may be a very colorful moth?

One thing I've learned, butterfly photography is hard.  Those suckers have a sixth sense.  I can sneak up to them and be super-quiet, but the minute I lifted the camera to my eye, they nearly always took off.

Loved this white butterfly

From several miscues, I learned half the battle is being prepared.  Before creeping up on my subject, I'd have my camera out, make sure the exposure and shutter speed were correct, and get my focus ready.  My camera also has a 1.6X crop factor setting, (providing a bit of extra zoom) which I began to take full advantage of.  After lots of practice, my capture rate and photo quality got much better.

Swallowtail

One of the butterfly species I do recognize is the lovely yellow and black swallowtail.  Appearing around the official beginning of summer, these beauties can be found everywhere there are flowers.  Something I've recently learned - the swallowtail butterfly is the official state insect of Oregon (I also didn't know there was such a thing as a state insect!)

Butterflies seem to love yellow flowers

Swallowtail photographs are especially difficult to capture.  These buggers seem to know when you're after them, and take off the minute you get your focus locked.  But I've learned if they're after a favorite type of flower (such as the columbine) these butterflies will latch on and ignore everything around them.  That's probably the only reason I was able to get a few good shots of this elusive winged insect.

A very colorful moth (I think?)

The best part about photographing butterflies is they nearly always land on a flower - and who doesn't like both a beautiful butterfly and a colorful flower in the same image?

Another swallowtail - very hard to capture!

Although this post started out strictly about butterflies, I've expanded to include a couple of nice dragonfly photos I really liked.

Blue dragonfly

My neighbor Cheri and I visited a local garden store that sold items for home ponds and waterfalls.  In the numerous displays lived hundreds of dragonflies, and the insects didn't mind photographers in the least.  So here's a couple of my favorite images of these fascinating little helicopters.

A fiery orange dragonfly

Hope you've enjoyed my insect post!  Next up is a recap from a late spring trip to South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park.  Stay tuned - you won't want to miss it!

Butterflies Galore!

2018 has been the summer of the butterfly.  In early July, a massive migration of these beautiful winged insects swept through the Oregon Cascades.

Colorful orange butterfly

Anyplace wildflowers were blooming, butterflies thrived.  I planned an early July weekend trip to the Central Oregon Cascades to check out a reported huge wildflower bloom on the Browder Ridge Trail.

I liked this shade of orange

The flower report turned out to be a bust, but the concentration of butterflies flitting among the scraggly flowers more than made up for it.

This one had orange and gold spots

The heat of afternoon seemed to bring these winged beauties to life.  It was fun to watch them zipping amongst the flowers.  But boy were they difficult subjects to photograph!  Soaring from one blossom to the next, I'd just get one in focus and it would fly away.

A lovely blue specimen

But I persisted, and after a bit of waiting, watching, and a lot of patience, I did manage to capture a few butterflies as they settled in on blossoms. 

A two-fer, butterfly and bee

Although I found the Browder Ridge Trail mostly steep, hot and boring, there were a few lovely wildflowers about.  Like this creamy white Washington Lily (also called the Cascade Lily).

Washington lily

And these mossy tree trunks were quite interesting.  Kind of looked like green hair.

Hairy moss

The trail did have some nice mountain views.  But midday light made for some terrible images, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  However, at one point the trees parted for a nice glimpse of Mt Jefferson.

Mt Jefferson

The lupine were just starting to burst into color.

Tiny purple lupine

The butterflies seemed to really like the bright yellow Oregon Sunshine flowers.  (Can't say as I blame them....I like those flowers too)

Another butterfly! (just 'cause)

I came upon some vivid red-orange Scarlet Gilia.  An unusual tube-shaped flower, it was one I'd only seen in the Central Cascades.

Scarlet Gilia

On my return trip, I stumbled upon a huge group of blue butterflies strung across some vegetation.  It was a regular butterfly convention!  (Wonder what they were talking about?)

A butterfly convention!

Luckily, the gang held still while I carefully snapped a few dozen photos.

Blue butterflies all in a row

I think these blue butterflies were my favorites.

Lovely shade of blue

After completing the Browder Ridge Trail, it was still early afternoon, so I decided to tackle one more hike.  The Iron Mountain/Cone Peak Trail wasn't far.  Known for it's spectacular wildflower bloom, I couldn't resist adding it to the day's agenda.

Nice evening light on the lupine

Leaving the trailhead at 3 pm, I knew I'd have to hustle to make it back to my car by sundown.  That meant keeping the photo breaks to a minimum.

Fuzzy butterfly

Turned out not to be a huge problem.  The wildflowers were pretty much past peak, and most of the ones in open areas had already been baked by the hot summer sun.  I ascended Cone Peak in record time, and only took a short break to capture a nice lupine patch and one more fuzzy butterfly.

Four-peak view from Iron Mtn

Then across a long saddle and up, up, the steep trail to Iron Mountain.  By the time I reached its summit, it was after 6 pm and the sun was quickly starting to drop.  Despite the late hour, I lingered long enough to enjoy the fabulous four-peak view and solitude (I was the only person there!)

Flower fields on Iron Mtn

Then it was a race to cover the final three miles back to my car before darkness set in.  I just barely made it!

Instead of driving the 3-plus hours back home that evening I instead found a quiet forest service road, parked for the night, and slept in my car.  I learned two things from this experience - 1.  With the back seat folded down, I just barely fit lying down, and 2.  Sleeping in my car is the most uncomfortable night of sleep I've ever experienced!  But waking up for a midnight potty break, I gaped in wonder at the star-filled night sky.

Color below the summit

So hiking the Central Cascade trails in early July was kind of a wildflower bust, but the concentration of butterflies made up for it.  (At least my readers have something new to look at if they're getting sick of flower photos!)

Return to Flowerland

I'll admit it, I'm a flower follower.  During spring and summer my hikes are planned around the local wildflower bloom.  Whenever I hear an area is at peak, you can bet I'll find a way to get there.

Paintbrush going crazy!

One of the best early summer wildflower shows can be found on the flanks of Silver Star Mountain.  Located in SW Washington, this small patch of National Forest-designated scenic area is sandwiched between logged clear cuts and rural homes.  The Yacolt Burn, largest wildfire in Washington state history, swept through in 1902 leaving huge gaps where trees failed to reseed.  Luckily for us wildflower lovers, these bare areas have cultivated into spectacular meadows full of every color flower imaginable.

Pyramid Rock in morning light

Last year, the wildflower bloom was the best I'd ever witnessed.  As a matter of fact, my friend and I took so many photographs we joked about needing a flowervention.  With memories of last year's show still fresh, I was looking forward to my annual summer visit.

Beargrass bonanza

By late June I started getting reports that Silver Star's bloom was on.  Picking the final Friday of that month, I arose early to get a jump on the hikers.  With the numerous flower reports hitting social media, I assumed the place would be crawling with people.

Pretty white unknown flower

Many trails cris-cross the mountain, but access is primarily from two trailheads, the north Ed's Trail and the south Grouse Vista.  Parking at Ed's trailhead meant navigating a horrible rutted, rocky road, so I always head to Grouse Vista.  Arriving before 8 am, I was pleased to see only two other vehicles in the parking area.

Views from Silver Star summit

The only downside to parking at Grouse Vista is enduring a steep, rocky boring trail for nearly three miles to reach the mountain's base.  But that's the price of admission to these lovely flower fields, so I put my head down and chugged uphill.  About a mile and a half in, the forest cleared and I was rewarded with sweeping views of the surrounding forested (and clear-cut) hills.

Another summit vista

It was here that the flower show started.  Hundreds of bright orange Indian paintbrush dotted the adjacent hillsides. Directly below Pyramid Rock was a huge patch of beargrass, their mauve stalks standing at attention.  While photographing the sights a group of people passed by heading back towards the parking area.  Wondering about such an early departure, one person mentioned they'd tried to catch sunrise on Silver Star, only to be foiled by heavy cloud cover.

Flower show from the old road

Continuing onward, I dived back into the forest, and up more miserable rocky trail.  Finally, arriving  at the four-way junction below Silver Star's summit, a quick half mile climb and I was taking in the panorama from the mountain's very top.

Tiny aster

So far the only people I'd met were the group heading back to the parking area.  But, as I made my final steps onto the top of Silver Star, I noticed two other people were right behind me.  So much for having the place to myself!  But the couple that arrived soon afterward were very nice and we both marveled at the views and flower show.  After many photos and a good conversation, it was time to move on.

Mt St Helens hid behind the clouds

Despite an awful road, the hike from Silver Star's northern trailhead, Ed's Trail, is the most popular way to access this scenic area.  The trail boasts jaw-dropping scenery.  Following a ridgeline where on clear days, three snow-capped mountain peaks are visible, hikers meander through fields thick with colorful wildflowers.  Not wanting to miss this show, I decided to add a loop through Ed's trail to the day's agenda.

Lovely yellow butterfly

Normally, the best wildflowers can be found along an abandoned road paralleling Ed's Trail.  But approaching this road, I was disappointed to see the bloom was nowhere as colorful or diverse as the previous year.  Although it was still quite lovely, last year's amazing flower show had set the bar quite high.  I'm assuming our hot, dry spring months were to blame.

Sweeping views

Although the morning's overcast skies began to clear, the mountains remained hidden behind some stubborn clouds.  Mt St Helens teased a bit, her base partially visible at times, but that was the extent of it.  No mountain views today.

Trailside color

The old road meandered downhill, and although the mountains weren't visible, the adjacent foothills were.  It was still a perfectly acceptable view, and although the wildflowers didn't match last years phenomenal bloom, they still weren't too shabby.

Tiger lilies

Approaching the junction with Ed's Trail, the beargrass became more numerous until I came upon a slope covered with white, poofy stalks.  I love beargrass, so seeing such a large concentration was a huge treat.  Perfect place for lunch break!

Huge fields of beargrass at Ed's trail

Body refueled, it was time to tackle the wonderful Ed's Trail.  Wandering uphill along a sharp ridge, the flowers were at their colorful best.  Such a wide variety - beargrass, wild iris, tiger lilies, lupine, Oregon sunshine, and tons of orange paintbrush.  By now it was early afternoon, and butterflies began floating between the blossoms.  Truly wonderful!

Wild iris

My camera's memory card was on overload as I snapped image after image of this gorgeous alpine paradise.  I could see why so many folks braved the horrible road to hike Ed's Trail.  It's truly one of the Pacific NW's showcase hikes.

The amazing Ed's trail

However, despite the glowing online flower reports, Silver Star's trails weren't busy at all that day.  I ran into a handful of people on the old road, and only a half dozen on Ed's Trail.  Not sure if the cloudy forecast, or the fact it was a Friday, kept people away, but, hey - I wasn't complaining!

More butterflies!

Yes, Ed's Trail delivered in a big way.  I sauntered across the ridge, through an interesting rock arch, and climbed up a few steep slopes, all the way admiring more meadows of floral splendor.  Before I knew it I was back at the road junction below Silver Star Mountain.

Lots of color along Ed's Trail

Then I had to retrace my steps back down that miserable, rocky first trail back to my car.  Although the return trek is never as fun, I did encounter lots of butterflies enjoying the afternoon heat and partial sunshine.  Some of the butterflies seemed to follow me as I trekked down the trail.  And although catching them standing still was tricky, I did manage to capture a few with my camera.

Ed's Trail's famous rock arch

For all you photography geeks out there - Some readers may remember my purchase of a mirrorless camera last August, the Fujifilm XT-1.  After a undergoing a huge learning curve (the controls were totally different than my standby Canon 7D) I've come to love this compact, lightweight little camera.  It's a perfect size and weight for hiking, and produces images that are nearly as good as my Canon.  I've been using the XT-1 almost exclusively on most of my hikes this summer.  All photos from this post came from my Fujifilm XT-1.  You can compare with my photos from last year's trip (which were shot with my Canon 7D) and tell me what you think.

One more butterfly!

Although not as spectacular as last year's mega-bloom, Silver Star Mountain still lived up to it's reputation as the place to go for fabulous early summer wildflowers.