All photos on this page copyrighted by Peter Rublee
August 10, 2013
July 31, 2013
July 30, 2013
July 28, 2013
The view of Harpers Ferry From Maryland Heights taken on July 26.
The waters of the Shenandoah (top) and Potomac rivers looking much like the Rio Negro
meeting the Amazon.
July 25, 2013
July 24, 2013
July 18, 2013
July 16, 2013
July 13, 2013
July 10, 2013
July 2, 2013
June 30, 2013
June 26, 2013
Tiger in the milkweed.
June 21, 2013
June 20, 2013
June 16, 2013
More fun with the macro.
June 15, 2013
Banded Hairstreak on milkweed
This tiny spider appears to be wearing gold trunks and boxing gloves!
June 14, 2013
June 7, 2013
This is how I usually see wild turkeys- running away!
Deer seem to know it's not hunting season. She projects annoyance at my presence.
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-spotted Purple
Sooty Azure
Pearly Crescentspot
Northern Pearly Eye
June 2, 2013
Hackberry Butterfly
Great Spangled Fritillary
Scarlet Tanager
Baltimore Oriole
Great Blue Heron at Bull Falls, Shenandoah River.
May 30, 2013
Red-banded Hairstreak
May 29, 2013
The Harvester is a butterfly I've been wanting to see for a very long time. Its caterpillar is carnivorous and feeds on aphids while the adult sips their honeydew. It is related to Hairstreaks and Coppers but its closest relatives are from the old world.
Another day, another shot of an Indigo Bunting.
May 27, 2013
A chilly, beautiful morning. Note the bald eagle in the middle of the frame.
Indigo Buntings have been downright abundant this year and I can't resist taking their picture every chance I get.
Cedar Waxwings have been plentiful as well.
Next to Downies, Red-bellies are the most common woodpecker in the woods here.
May 26, 2013
May 21, 2013
Scarlet Tanager! They will burn your retinas out.
This was a very difficult bird to identify but after looking through all my books I've come up with first year Northern Parula female.
These little guys are never hard to identify.
May 19, 2013
A flock of Pine Siskins has lingered much later then usual. They will be flying north soon.
Even Bluebirds need to scratch that itch!
Female Indigo Buntings keep a low profile.
Male Indigo Buntings pick prominent perches and sing their little blue heads off.
Painted Lady
Spotted Thyris, a very cool small day flying moth.
Arched Hooktip, another cool moth.
Eight-spotted Forrester, another day flying moth.
Putty Root, a lovely native orchid.
This is it's leaf which comes out during the winter.
May 12, 2013
Indigo Bunting
May 10, 2013
Brown Thrasher
Chipping Sparrow
Catbird
Cardinal
Blue Bird
May 5, 2013
Olive Hairstreak
April 18, 2013
April 14, 2013
Bald Eagles and Henry's Elfin.
April 12, 2012
Toothwort
Sooty Azure
Zebra Swallowtail
April 11, 2013
Yellow-throated Warbler
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Tiger Swallowtail on Virginia Bluebells
Dutchmen's Breeches
Twin Leaf
April 9, 2013
An explosion of spring flowers.
The Louisiana Waterthrush is one of the first migrants to show up.
Double-crested Cormorant
Love-making toads.
Wood turtle
Red-belly turtle
April 7, 2013
It's great to be shooting with my macro lens again. Here are a couple of jumping spiders.
April 1, 2013
The first Dutchman's Breeches of the year.
Redbelly Turtle
Blue-winged Teal
March 30, 2013
The bridge over the Potomac River connecting Maryland and Virginia from Harpers Ferry National Park at sunrise.
March 28, 2013
At last! Signs of spring.
March 26, 2013
This bird only shows around the winter-spring transition and no other time. The large and uncommon Fox Sparrow.
March 25, 2013
Five days into spring and it's back to winter again.
March 23, 2013
Bunnies and butterflies.
March 13, 2013
March 10, 2013
Just a few days after an eight inch snow the temps are in the sixties the snow's all gone and we have butterflies!
March 6, 2013
Winter Storm Saturn.
March 4, 2013
Pileated Woodpecker female, male below.
Being checked out by a fox.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Mergansers.
February 27, 2013
First hint of Spring, emerging Virginia Bluebells.
February 25, 2013
Female Merganser takes a break from fishing in the Shenandoah River.
Green-winged Teals taking flight.
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker, female below.
February 21, 2013
Pine Siskin
White-breasted Nuthatch
Junco
Downy Woodpecker
House Finch
January 30, 2013
Golden-crowned Kinglets have been seen often this winter. They are tiny, extremely active and a nice substitute for summer warblers.
Bluebirds
Quite a few people think Robins migrate south for the winter. Not only do they stick around but they form large flocks that can number in the hundreds.
This skulking little fellow is the only thrush to be seen all year in Harpers Ferry. Say howdy to the Solitary Thrush!
Downy woodpecker
Juvenile Bald Eagle scares up Black Ducks over partly frozen Shenandoah River.
More eagles.
There were a total of six. Five juveniles and one adult!
January 26, 2013
Winter has returned with several days of freezing temperatures and a couple of light snowfalls but these hardy fellows never miss a day of work.
January 24, 2013
Despite not having a neck, the cryptic Brown Creeper is nimble enough to glean insects from tree bark in sub-freezing weather.
January 19, 2013
The fox squirrel is the largest squirrel in North America. It has been hunted out in many places and several races are endangered. The way to tell a fox squirrel from a gray squirrel, aside from the size, is by the tail. Gray squirrel tail fur is tipped in white.
January 17, 2013
This is one of my favorite birds and not just because it has such a great name but also because it's stunningly beautiful, shy, reclusive and somewhat uncommon. Say hello to the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
January 12, 2013
The rapids at Bull Falls on the Shenandoah are popular with kayakers and white-water rafters.
A thin veneer of ice on a vernal pool speaks to a mild spell in January.
Moss provides some welcome color in the dead of winter.....
...as does the Bluebird.
The somber Turkey Vulture...
...and the Black Vulture. Note the difference in tail shape and the white hands on the Black.
January 6, 2013
An unusual orchid that sends out a single leaf in early winter. I have never seen its flower spike.
Black Ducks
Canada Geese
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk and Crow
December 31, 2012
The creek that flows by my house spills over this nice little waterfall before it empties into the Shenandoah River.
It's a wonderful spot to empty your mind.
It was a surprise to see a flower blooming in late December.
One of at least a dozen Bluebirds in a large, mixed flock.
The Yellow Rumped Warbler has a drab winter garb.....
....but Cedar Waxwings look good all year long.
An early dose of winter. Fresh snow from the third snowfall this December.
December 27, 2012
A couple of weeks ago it was warm enough for this Comma butterfly to be out and about.
November 9, 2012
Pine Siskins and Purple Finches.
November 6, 2012
These juvenile White-winged Crossbills are far south of their normal range and are an exciting sight for West Virginia.
November 5, 2012
Hiking the Maryland Heights trail from Harpers Ferry.