Did you notice … ?

Did you notice I missed a blog post last Friday, 11 March 2022? I did. I was working on the jumping spider blog post but it wasn’t ready to publish and I didn’t have a back-up plan.

Regrettably I find myself in the same position this week. I’m working on a few ideas for new blog posts but am still gathering information, shooting photos and/or video(s), etc. and don’t have anything to share that’s ready for prime time.

This week I decided to give the regular readers of my blog a heads-up about what’s going on. If I finish one of the works in progress then I’ll publish it off-schedule as soon as possible. Thanks for your understanding!

Happy Holidays!

I’m on a weeklong break for winter vacation (Christmas and New Year’s Day). I’ll be back on Tuesday, 04 January 2022 with a new post. See you next year!

Best Photos of 2021

The following gallery shows my “Best Photos of 2021.” 10 photos are presented in chronological order beginning in January 2021 and ending in December 2021.

01 January 2021

Buzz Lightyear: “To 2021 and beyond!”

Original blog post: To 2021 and beyond!

13 APR 2021 | Prince William County, VA | Selys’s Sundragon (male)

13 APR 2021 | Prince William County, VA

13 APR 2021 | Prince William County, VA | Uhler’s Sundragon (female)

05 JUN 2021 | Fairfax County, VA | Unicorn Clubtail (male)

17 JUN 2021 | PNC. Wm. County | Yellow-sided Skimmer (female)

17 JUN 2021 | PNC. Wm. County |  Bar-winged Skimmer (mature male)

09 September 2021

It’s challenging to get all of the parts aligned for an image like this. In this case it’s close but not perfect. It would have been helpful to compose the shot with my camera tethered to a computer that features a larger screen than the one on the back of my camera.

All of that being said, the slight imperfections don’t diminish the visual impact of this image: Comet Darner (Anax longipes) exuviae are much larger than Common Green Darner (Anax junius) exuviae!

Relative size of exuviae from Anax junius versus Anax longipes.

Original blog post: Anax junius versus Anax longipes

04 October 2021

This is the only photo I’ve added to my Odonart© Portfolio recently. I love this beautiful specimen!

Comet Darner (Anax longipes) | exuvia (lateral)

Original blog post: Comet Darner exuvia: photo sketch pad

14 December 2021

Annotating images adds value, and I think it’s an under appreciated art form.

Comet Darner (Anax longipes) | exuvia (lateral)

Original blog post: Determining final instar the Cham way

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving!

During the traditional time of year when we give thanks for our many blessings, I would like to thank everyone who follows/reads my blog.

I’m on a weeklong break for the holiday, but I’ll be back next Tuesday with a new post. In the meantime, “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Christmas 2020

Merry Christmas!

Regular programming will resume on Monday, 28 December 2020.

Sanford M.I.A.

Regular readers of my blog might be worried that I fell into a tethered shooting black hole. I did. Fortunately I was able to use the tether to pull myself to safety. Whew, that was a close one!

But seriously folks, I’ve been busy checking and double-checking settings so I’m not guilty of spreading misinformation. Promise to publish a rare weekend post filled with lots of tethered shooting tips and tricks that will make the wait worthwhile.

Christmas 2019

Merry Christmas!

Regular programming will resume on Friday, 27 December 2019.

Zebra Swallowtail butterfly

A Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus, Protographium marcellus) was spotted along the Potomac River at Riverbend Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

29 JUL 2019 | Riverbend Park | Zebra Swallowtail butterfly

Notice the Zebra’s proboscis is extended and inserted in wet mud and sand along the shoreline of the river.

Adults take nectar and (males only?) take fluids from damp sand. Source Credit: BugGuide, Species Eurytides marcellus – Zebra Swallowtail – Hodges#4184.

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Reminder: New schedule

Effective 29 October 2018, blog posts will be published on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week.

Please revisit my blog on Monday, 12 November 2018 when the next scheduled post will be published at 4:00 am EST.

New schedule for publishing posts

Regular readers of my blog know that I publish a new post every two days. That way readers aren’t overwhelmed by the stream of information, and I’m not overwhelmed by the demands of publishing a post every day. Plus I like to follow a regular schedule.

I decided to tweak the schedule for publishing posts slightly. Beginning on Monday, 29 October 2018 blog posts will be published on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week.

So if you were expecting to see a new blog post today (Sunday), then please revisit my blog tomorrow (Monday) when the next scheduled post will be published at 4:00 am EST.