The wildflower garden was really “humming” with activity this morning. Perfect weather combined with maximum bloom of the wildflowers has drawn a variety of wildlife in.
The scene on a mid-August (feels like fall) morning. You can’t see them in this photo, but there are dozens of bees, mostly bumblebees, working the flowers.
At least two and possibly three Tiger Swallowtail butterflies roam the various flowers looking for the best nectar supplies. This one seemed to enjoy the Obedient plant nectar.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are back, just as the Cardinal flower has reached maximum bloom. They actually seem to prefer the flower nectar over the sugar water in the HB feeder.
And of course, the Goldfinches are everywhere, picking off the seeds from all the flowerheads.
They don’t like the Black-eyed Susan as much as the Cup Plant (above), but any composite flower will do for these guys.
Back Yard Biology 
Wildflower gardens are the best! Love all the activity you captured.
Thanks, Kathy. It is particularly colorful right now, and I just wish it would last.
I love the colors of the flowers intermixed!
Thanks! Me too, and they seem to be particularly colorful this year. Lots of rain!
Me too — can’t get enough of that color. I should blow up a huge poster of summer flowers and hang it up to look at during our dreary winter.
I just saw the first goldfinch that I’ve seen this summer yesterday. I don’t know if they’ve been away or if I haven’t been paying attention.
I can’t fault you for that — I almost never see any of the beautiful fungi that you exhibit on your blog!
Good question. They are so numerous here, they would be really hard to miss, but I think you have your own special collection of birds there. You seem to have more forest and less field, and Goldfinches definitely like to hang out in the field, those with a few trees in them.
Fantastic colours. Would be a good subject for dragging.
Funny you should mention that. I looked at your photo of dragging, and went right out in the backyard and tried it! Thanks for the inspiration.
Beautiful flowers and gorgeous insects and birds–sounds like paradise to me. I really enjoyed seeing the hummingbird with the cardinal flowers. I have heard that they pollinate those flowers, but haven’t seen it in person. I like the collection of wildflowers, many of which I can actually name (which is unusual for me).
Thanks, Mike. You are becoming quite the naturalist!
I am learning an awful lot as I research the subjects that I am photographing. I am from a liberal arts background and am full of intellectual curiosity about a lot things. That curiosity serves me well in photography.
Isn’t it great? I, too, have learned a ton, not just about photography, but about the natural world, and the more I learn the more questions I seem to have.