“Bumble Bee & Sawtooth Sunflower” by Olivia Onago

Plant(s): Common Eastern Bumble Bee – Bombus impatiens, Sawtooth Sunflower – Helianthus grosseserratus
Photo Story: This was the first year that I grew a Sawtooth Sunflower after picking up a young plant at a recent Wild Ones sale, and the species is quickly becoming one of my favorites! During its magnificent bloom, the flowers were constantly covered in different pollinator species and was truly a sight to behold. The bumble bees specifically were so content and overjoyed with the blooms that I was able to walk right up and snap this close-up. I think this photo perfectly sums up the joy that I, and all other native growers, feel when our hard work pays off in the form of buzzing bees, soaring butterflies, and beautiful blooms.
Equipment: iPhone 14 Pro
Photo ID: 32539

“Lady’s Slippery and White Admirals” by Vicki Alldritt

Plant(s): Cypripedium arietinum, Pink Lady’s Slippery
Limenitis arthemis , White Admiral
Photo Story: Found these Lady’s Slippery and butterflies on a Father’s Day hike at Long Lake.
Equipment: I phone 12
Photo ID: 32542

“It’s a Tough Life” by Renee Benage

Plant(s): Danaus plexippus (Monarch) on thistle
Photo Story: Not sure exactly where this was taken, but in Missouri
Equipment: Canon Power Shot SX70 HS
Photo ID: 32553

“Fritillary” by Renee Benage

Plant(s): great spangled fritillary – Speyeria cybele on Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
Photo Story: Taken at Cuivre River State Park
Equipment: Canon Power Shot SX70 HS
Photo ID: 32554

“Abundance” by Eileen Whelan

Plant(s): Purple Joe Pye Weed. Eutrochium purpureum
Photo Story: What caught my attention was the labored movement of this magnificent bee and upon closer inspection I saw it was covered in pollen and still enjoying the Joe Pye Weed. It was quite a sight to see in my backyard.
Equipment: Apple I Phone 13
Wide Camera 26mm f1.6
Photo ID: 32568

“Eggs Are For Laying” by Eileen Whelan

Plant(s): Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata
Photo Story: On my daily search for caterpillars and eggs I spotted this gorgeous Monarch laying eggs on Whorled Milkweed. I am so amazed everyday by the insects that make their home or trust their future to my backyard.
Equipment: I Phone 13
Wide Camera 26mm f1.6
Photo ID: 32569

“Monarch” by Kali Longworth

Plant(s): Monarch butterfly on milkweed plant.
Photo Story: Photographer: Kali Longworth

We have planted several milkweed plants in our garden, and in mid June, I was lucky enough to watch monarch caterpillars munch on the milkweed and begin to grow. While I unfortunately didn’t get to watch them in the cocoon as I was out of town, I have been lucky enough to watch them fly around our garden since we got back. I’d been trying to capture a photo of one for about a week or so, and my chance finally came. I was photographing bees on a nearby plant when the monarch came. It was almost posing for me, and let me take several shots of its beautifully patterned wings before flying away. Out of the ones I got, this was my favorite shot.
Equipment: Nikon D7000 with 18-105 mm lens
Photo ID: 32571

“Bee Fly on Blanket Flower” by Bryan Dahlvang

Plant(s): Bee Fly on Blanket Flower
Photo Story: While walking along the shoreline of Ft. Cobb Lake, I saw several Bee Flies sipping nectar from some Blanket Flowers and I was amazed at this one’s eyes. I’d never seen one with eyes like this before.
Equipment: Canon 80D with 100mm Macro lens
Photo ID: 32579

“Monarch with Choices” by Jeff Horvath

Plant(s): Monarch butterfly, Butterfly Weed, Wild Bergamont, Yellow Coneflower, Liatris, Prairie Clover (not blooming), Little Bluestem
Photo Story: This Monarch visited our yard for several hours on a July Sunday afternoon. Other visitors that day included many bees, a Swallowtail butterfly, a hummingbird, and a hummingbird clearwing moth. A storm came through a couple of nights earlier, but as only Mother Nature could do, the Wild Bergamont, Yellow Coneflower, and Liatris were bent down to the Butterfly Weed height to frame the Monarch with color.
Equipment: iPhone 14
Photo ID: 32585

“Bee on Senna” by LYNNE SUTTON

Plant(s): Senna
Photo Story: Senna was one of the first pollinators I planted in my yard and it always has beespollinatijg it.
Equipment: Nikon d750 105 macro len.
Photo ID: 32591

“bee on mimulus(monkey flower)” by Lynne Sutton

Plant(s): Mimulus(monkey Flower)
Photo Story: Bee with large pollen sacs on a monkey flower.
Equipment: Nikon d750 105mm macro lens
Photo ID: 32592

“White-Lined Sphinx in the Alpine” by Neal Bringe

Plant(s): White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata)
Photo Story: I was hiking above 11,000 feet elevation July 28th and came to a field of wildflowers including Colorado Columbine. A White-Lined Sphinx was going from one columbine flower to another, serving as a pollinator. I had seen the larva of this moth feeding on Four-O’clock plants in Missouri and was surprised to see the moth in the Rocky Mountains. I learned that the larva can also feed on plants in the mountains such as Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) and the adult moth favors Columbine, probably because it has the long proboscis to reach the nectar.
Equipment: Cannon PowerShot SX70HS
Photo ID: 32593

“Monarch ovipositing” by Anna Miller

Plant(s): Female Monarch butterfly ovipositing on common milkweed, lady beetle underneath
Photo Story: I planted common and swamp milkweed in my yard for monarchs and this is the first year I have seen them stop by and ovipositing both in the spring and fall. They move around so quickly, it took me a lot of shots to finally catch her in the act!
Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 40-150mm lens
Photo ID: 32600

“Pipeline Popsicle” by Elizabeth Struckhoff

Plant(s): Pipevine and Pipevine Swallowtail Larvae.
Photo Story: Nature on my deck railing. After eating the freshest leaves, the caterpillars seem to suck moisture from the stalk.
Equipment: Canon Point and shoot camera.
Photo ID: 32602

“Charles-Schmidt-Bombus-on-Culvers-Root-2023” by Charles Schmidt

Plant(s): Brown-backed Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis) on Culvers Root flower (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Photo Story: Photographed in members garden during Garden Gathering
Equipment: Sony DSC-H9
Photo ID: 32604

“Pollinate my Clover!” by Eva Armitage

Plant(s): Bombus and Purple Prairie Clover, butterfly milkweed
Photo Story: Wildones though small bring health, wealth, and happiness.
Equipment: Cell phone
Photo ID: 32608

“Lupine Bee Mine” by Jill Trochlell Ziehr

Plant(s): Northern Amber Bumblebee on Wild Blue Lupine ( Lupinus perennis)
Photo Story: At a Wild One’s meeting, we toured Carol K’s prairie. I walked ahead to take some photos of meadowlarks and bobolinks in the prairie. I came upon this lovely patch of lupine and took photos as the bumblebee visited the plants. It was magical!
Equipment: Canon Canon EOS Rebel T6s
ƒ/6.3
1/500
400mm
ISO400
Photo ID: 32611

“Monarch Magic” by Jill Trochlell Ziehr

Plant(s): Monarch butterfly and Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Photo Story: We hadn’t seen many monarchs this year in our area until July. This beautiful monarch happened upon the marsh milkweed growing right next to our deck! A wonderful sight!
Equipment: Canon Canon EOS Rebel T6s
Photo ID: 32623

“Raingarden pollinators” by Besa Schweitzer

Plant(s): Blue lobelia
Photo Story: Pollinators visit the rain garden in late summer.
Equipment: cell phone camera
Photo ID: 32630

“Doin’ the J” by Besa Schweitzer

Plant(s): Monarch on seed box
Photo Story: Monarch caterpillar attaches to seed box stem to prepare for metamorphosis
Equipment: phone camera
Photo ID: 32631

“Purple Coneflower Monarch” by Jana Boswell

Plant(s): Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Photo Story: I am a full-time RVer, and am staying at Cliffside Park and Campground in Racine County July through October. I was photographing their pollinator gardens in front of their restroom and shower building, and this monarch stopped to have a snack.
Equipment: Sony Powershot A6000
Photo ID: 32656

“Regal Fritillaries nectaring on butterfly weed” by Heather Andrews

Plant(s): Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) with Eastern Regal Fritillaries
Photo Story: Once prevalent in 39 PA counties the Eastern Regal Fritillary is now limited to the remaining tallgrass prairie remnant of Ft. Indiantown Gap. The caterpillars of Regals, eat only violets, preferring Birdsfoot Violet (Viola pedata) and Prairie Violet (Viola pedatifida). Females lay up to 2,400 eggs and once hatched, they overwinter in native grasses. Their survival requires native warm season grasses, larval host plants, and adult nectar sources. They are currently listed as critically imperiled in Pennsylvania. Giving them a broader geographical range is necessary for their survival. Heather Andrews
Equipment: Sony a7
Photo ID: 32681

“Monarch on Liatris Ligulistylis” by Heather Andrews

Plant(s): Meadow blazingstar (Liatris Ligulistylis) with Monarch
Photo Story: A favorite of the waystation, native to north american prairies and a favorite of my groundhog to mow down (apparently delicious) it is a monarch magnet. The plant typically does not survive our PA winters, but when in bloom late summer, is visited by monarchs and hummingbirds. Heather Andrews
Equipment: Nikon D-750
Photo ID: 32682

“Viceroy” by Brad Sabre

Plant(s): Viceroy on Parasol Whitetop
Photo Story: Smaller than a Monarch Butterfly, these Viceroy butterflies (Kentucky’s State butterfly), were feeding on joe pye weed and parasol whitetop. Both native plants in Northern Wisconsin
Equipment: iPhone 12Pro Max
Photo ID: 32687

“Resting Bee Face” by Madeline Wagner

Plant(s): Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata L.)
Photo Story: A bee takes a rest on a swamp milkweed on a summer evening.
Equipment: Samsung Galaxy s10 smartphone
Photo ID: 32691

“Frittilary On Purple Cone Flower” by Mike Humcke

Plant(s): Purple Coneflower
Photo Story: Taken at our wildflower and butterfly conservancy in July.
Equipment: Nikon P900
Photo ID: 32693

“Hop, skip, and a jump” by Barbara Beck

Plant(s): Rhodendron Viscosum (swamp azalea) being visited by a skipper (Don’t know species)
Photo Story: This photo was taken in June during a bog walk at the Tannersville Cranberry Bog.
Equipment: Sony RX10IV
Photo ID: 32694

“Hummingbird on a volunteer primrose” by Karen Louis

Plant(s): Ruby-throated hummingbird and common evening primrose
Photo Story: I just put in this particular native plant garden in my yard last summer. I never planted primrose, so was thrilled when this one popped up between a prairie dock and coreopsis. I was evem more thrilled when it bloomed, and the pollinators seem to love it!
Equipment: Canon R6M2 and EF100-400mm lens
Photo ID: 32703

“Swallowtail pair on phlox” by Karen Louis

Plant(s): Spicebush swallowtail and garden phlox
Photo Story: Rock Springs Park in O’Fallon, IL has a sizeable native plant garden that attracts hundreds of pollinators. The pair of spicebush swallowtails in the photo were taking turns sparring and feeding on the phlox.
Equipment: Canon R6M2, EF lens 100-400mm
Photo ID: 32704

“Monarch Over Water” by Tom Ziolkowski

Plant(s): Swamp Milkweed or Joe Pye Weed
Photo Story: Great day by a wonderful pond!! The Monarch’s were flying in all directions and I was lucky to get this shot.
Equipment: Nikkon 750
Photo ID: 32710