Trying a post to see what happens...

Well, I'm still trying here with smaller photos.  These were from my last walk at the wetlands.

My mantis was right in the same area where I had left him a couple days before.  Must be his regular territory.  He doesn't like me watching him :-)  Especially since I kept shooing away any beautiful butterfly that got too close to his hiding place!

 The "monster" lurks in hiding.

 Better look out, little skipper!

I actually saw three that day!  One of them saw me first and bit me!  I was moving a tall flower to try to take a one handed photo of a butterfly and all of the sudden something bit my arm.  I looked down and a mantis was on the stem of the flower I had moved and had taken a peck at me for disturbing him :-)

 A Gray Hairstreak....first I have seen this year!

 A Painted Lady.  I'm so glad to finally be seeing a few butterflies!

And a Red Admiral that was on the trunk of a tree out in the swamp where the turtles were.  There were two of them, but to save space, I will only show one :-)

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Thank you everyone for your helpful comments.  I'm going to keep trying to post with smaller photos.  I've been trying to think up a new name for my blog, if I decide to start a new one :-)  I thought I might be happy to have the old awkward name gone, but for the life of me, I can't come up with an new name that I like. I'm so used to this one, it seems like part of me.  I started my blog on September 20, 2007, so it has been almost 5 years that this has all been a part of me.  I've removed the first year or so of the blog trying to save some space, but in the beginning I did a lot more writing and a lot fewer photos.  The header seems to be the main problem at the moment and someone in an email told me that might be a blogger problem and not me, that they haven't fixed yet.  I used to pay $5 a year for more photo storage and was happy to do it, but the prices that I'm seeing now are MONTHLY prices.  Even though it is only $2.49 a month, that adds up!  They are just making things so confusing and difficult that I am not sure what they mean half the time.  My mind is too old for some of the new technology and I just don't know what is what.  As long as I can keep putting smaller photos on here, I will do it, but eventually I may try to start a new blog...when I think of a name:-) I deleted one whole blog and also some older posts and photos from this blog, but so far have seen no change in my status of space.  Will keep waiting and see what happens. Thanks for all the support!  The thing that I would miss the most about blogging is the very nice people that have become my blogging friends.

Blogger problems...

It seems that I have used up all my photo storage for my blog....again. They raised the price considerably.  I'm trying to decide whether I will just quit blogging or start up under a new name.  Am also trying to test smaller photos....if it will let me post one.  I've tried to change my header photo to a smaller one and they won't even let me do that.  I may not be posting for awhile...if at all while I figure this all out.

test photo
Well, that one posted!  How small do photos have to be to slip under the limit?

Another test....a recent wasp

New Skipper, lots of skippers....

I found a new Skipper when I was at the wetlands Saturday! 

Always an exciting moment, so lots of photos :-)

 This is the Common Checkered Skipper.  According to my Kaufman Butterfly guide it is "the most common and widespread Skipper in the United States".......so why have I never seen one before?????

 What I really loved is that it is a "spreadwing" and sits open making it lovely to photograph.  Here is it joined by a couple of the other skippers that I never know the name of.  I wish they were all easy to identify!

 I included this shot because I didn't realize that a wasp had flown into the shot when I was taking it :-)

The Checkered with a Soldier bug

 I think this is a Least Skipper.....that is a new one for me, too.

 The rest of these I have no idea.  I found several "possible" id's for some of them.....Pecks, Zabulon, Sachem, or Fiery......all found in my area, but they look too much alike to me and I only see this view of them since they don't spread out nicely like that Checkered one.  I do love their "fighter plane" way of perching :-) In general they are Grass Skippers.

 The two behind the Checkered are the ones I thought might be Fiery Skippers, but don't really know.

Definitely the time of year for lots of skippers!

Heron and turtles....

Any walk at the wetlands usually includes a Great Blue Heron and turtles!

 "Big Blue" was standing near the boardwalk when I arrived.  I knew it would move as soon as I started along the walk.

Had to get a couple shots before it flew away.  I always hate to disturb them, but can't get across the boardwalk unless I do.  This one must live there and is fairly unconcerned about people who come by.  It didn't go far away....just to the other side of the small pond.

 I take so many turtle shots, but sometimes that is mostly what I see :-)  There is something irresistible about them that makes me want to take their photos.....or maybe I just am "trigger happy" when it comes to having a camera in my hands and shoot everything I come across.  It's a "disease" caused by holding a camera in your hand.

 This one was right below me from the bridge and didn't seem inclined to slip into the water.

Gave me the opportunity to focus in a bit closer then normal.

 I wondered about the shell on this one.  Old, maybe?

 These two were surrounded in vegetation.

Soaking up the sun.

Critters in the grass and weeds....

Yesterday, everything seemed to be down in the grasses or hidden in the flower field.  Doesn't really make for pretty photos, but I am interested in all the critters I see.

There was a really big Mantis in the goldenrod.  I believe it is a Chinese Mantis and it really blends in well with its surroundings, but is so large you can see it easily once you spot one.

 This one had caught something....a bee I think.  I took a lot of photos because I think they are such weird critters and I was trying to get a really good photo of the head.  I feel like this one is looking at me and saying, "Just keep walking....it's best to mind your own business and leave me alone."

 The best I could do on the face.  Creepy critters!

 Sort of a side view of the head.

 ....and mouth

Ok...enough of this guy!

 Yellow is the color right now.  I think these are Tickseed Sunflowers.  They have such a nice size and really look pretty when you find a field of them.

.....and lots of Goldenrod.  A wasp was finding something good here.

 Down in the grass are all the little butterflies and moths.  I fear I will step on them at times!  The Eastern-tailed Blues were plentiful.

 These two tiny moths?....I'm not sure if they are different or the same kind.  

 There is a tree that the Red Admirals and other woods butterflies like, but large bushes have grown up near it and I could barely get a shot of this Admiral on the trunk.

A Sulphur on the asters.

The White's like the asters, too.

 This bee was hanging on a leaf and just dripping with pollen.  Not sure what it was doing.

Some little fungi on the path among the grass and weeds.