Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus)

Another day of little moments ... I was planning to go to a local birding spot today for a nice long walk so I set out after breakfast and arrived at the Hyper Humus WMA trail around 9. Another photographer (who's work I am envious of!) showed up at about the same time so we decided to walk together. What fun! We spent about 4 1/2 hours on the trail and saw lots of great birds, moths, butterflies and even some dragons and damsels! Plus, it was great fun to be out with another photographer who does the same type of photography as I do. A thoroughly enjoyable morning.

I chose this for today's blip because it is not a butterfly I've ever seen, nor would I have ever seen it if Mike hadn't been there to point it out. It's a small butterfly, only about an inch with wings fully open, and (as best I can tell) it is the only green butterfly in NJ. We both took loads of pics, although Mike's were probably better since he had a macro lens and was able to get very close. Still, this isn't bad with Big Daddy and a HUGE crop!

I debated blipping a singing Yellow Warbler but decided it wasn't as good a shot as I would have liked - that damned branch in the way! We saw lots of these on the trail, more than I have ever seen before. Glorious little birds. The other big find of the day was a Snowberry Clearwing Moth which is related to the Hummingbird Clearwing only a bit smaller and less common in our area. Mike had never seen one before, so that kind of put us even for the day! The other interesting moth we saw was a first-timer for me, a Grapevine Epeminis. A very tiny moth but with vibrant colors.

And if the day wasn't good enough, when I came home I saw a chippie on the deck (ran the minute I got near the door) and then a hummer came by the feeder a couple of times while I was sitting outside! The hummie chased a couple of goldfinches away from the area of "his" feeder, so I think he is probably going to be one of our summer residents. This year's P-Hummie! I think I will stay around the yard tomorrow, so hopefully I can start brushing up on my hummie photo skills ...

Thank you for your lovely comments yesterday. And lest any of you think I am particularly brave, let me assure you that there have been times in this journey that I have been an absolute wuss. But I think we all have it in us to do what we need to do when times are tough. And, for me, photography has been a huge joy. It is something that I can do with only one hearing ear and one functional eye and iffy balance - and it allows me to get outside myself and focus on the beauty that exists everywhere around me. I don't plan to ever stop taking pictures.

Happy Hump Day, people!