Meet Wilma Wasp, a Toltec Scoliid (Dielis tolteca) that is native to the southwest. I normally only see the butts of Toltec Scoliids sticking out of the trumpet-shaped flowers of the Chitalpa tree. However, this afternoon, Wilma Wasp was really working the Shasta Daisies totally ignoring my phone camera just inches away from her.
While the official high temperature in Albuquerque was 101ºF (38.3ºC), the temperature in the east side of the building when I left the office was 107ºF (41.7ºC). I stopped by Costco on the way home and parked in the shade under their solar panels. When I got in the car to leave, the temperature still read 107ºF. The temperature did not change until I got home and it went down to 99ºF (37.2ºC).
Black bamboo sprouting in Julie’s Giant Dr. Huey has a Japanese look to it.
All of the blood moon photos were shot between 4:30 am and 5:04 am. I changed my exposure allowing the non-eclipsed portion of the moon to washout. When there is no cloud cover it easier to keep the non-eclipsed portions of the moon from washing out. The bright parts of the moon cast a glow off of the thin cloud cover that turned into heavier clouds as the moon sank toward the horizon. After the moon slipped behind the tree I walked up the road to where I could barely see the white sliver of the moon through the haze. After that it disappeared. The full eclipse was at 5:18 am, but it had slipped behind the clouds and out of sight.
More flowers and roses for the Super Flower Blood Moon.
All three owlets have flown into the bosque. They are near the Tangle Heart Tree. Can you find them in the above photo? I’m not sure you can see Mona Lisa from the photo. I believe she is blocked by a branch. This is a higher resolution image than I normally upload, so you can click on it to see the full image and enlarge the image to help find the owlets.
First two photos are of Major Tom Peepers. The second two photos are Mona Lisa in the foliage behind Major Tom. The third pair of photos is Sleepy on a branch to the left of Major Tom Peepers.
A super-wide view of the area the owlets are in with the Tangle Heart Tree on the right.
Contrails when I got home.
Wild sky of the Sandias and Rio Grande.
More wild skies. The last shot was sunset tonight.
The western clouds were beautiful, but not promising for a clear sky in the wee hours of the morning when the Super Flower Moon gets bloody. I’ll get up a 3:00am and check the sky.
The Super Flower Moon Rise.
Super Flower Moon
Super-wide-angle view of the Super Flower Moon rising over the Sandias and Rio Grande.
Super Flower Moon in the clouds.
Can you find Venus?
You should be able to see Venus in the above photo.
There was nice color in the west, but I missed most of it photographing the moon.
Off Center & Not Even 