Cloudless Sulphur on Red Lilies

I've heard these red lilies called rain lilies. They do shoot up after a rain. I was taking some pictures of the lilies when I noticed a cloudless sulphur butterfly nectaring, so I took a quick picture as a reference for this painting. I like the way the sunlight shining through the red petals casts an orange shadow on the yellow butterfly and the way the yellow from the butterfly is reflected by the red petals.

Spider Lily

I have been intrigued with the prospect of painting spider lilies or just a single spider lily for years, but the tangle of stamens and petals overwhelmed me or the results were a disappointment. This year I think I have been successful in capturing one of these beauties on paper--watercolor paper.

Swallowtails, Swallowtails, Swallowtails

Here are watercolor paintings of the three different kinds of Swallowtails I found on our lantanas this year: the Black Swallowtail, the Giant Swallowtail, and the Tiger Swallowtail.

Swallowtails, Swallowtails, Swallowtails

I've started the paintings of the three Swallowtails I found on our lantanas.

Butterflies in Watercolor

I have to paint all three of the Swallowtails next.

The color of the Fritillaries is getting brighter the farther we go into summer.

I just had to paint this Leafwing butterfly. I think it was drunk because it just lay on the ground after it had taken its fill of fermented peach juice.

With all the rain this year, our lantanas have bloomed profusely, attracting lots of butterflies. So, I have taken hundreds of pictures of butterflies. In past years I have considered myself lucky to have gotten two or three good shots of swallowtails. While editing my pictures, I noticed that one swallowtail seemed to be more yellow than the ones I had seen before. Closer inspection revealed that I had photographed a tiger swallowtail, as well as a black swallowtail, and even a giant swallowtail--all on the lantanas--the black and the tiger were there at the same time, but I wasn't lucky enough to get both in the same shot.

Three Different Swallowtails in my Front Yard

Roadrunner

I think this guy is headed west.

Barn on Rendon Road

I took this picture in February. This lavender growth is henbit, a common weed. I welcomed this patch of color at the end of winter and two years of drought.

Cloudless Sulphur on Dandelion among Bluebonnets

I think everyone was glad to see the bluebonnets this year. This is a shot I took of a Cloudless
Sulphur hanging on a dandelion that shared
space with the bluebonnets.

Leafwing Butterfly

Leafwing butterfly on peach leaf. They sure liked to drink the juice of the peaches that had been pecked by the birds.

Here it is--the first of June. Hot, dry summer is just around the corner. I've taken lots of photos lately. Once I learn how, I'll share some.

Finally, success at creating a blog. I am now an eblogger.