![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYe0pjnlxGkUxAcCrLBI3I6tqT5QR-rIoVOXDDR8QKi1HvVLvJPYjVnQxXy4_Wm10567a6mQRxVJjrDIgpceqYJjig00JvoWwKcf9VFEaTDpeiA6NfzPQnhYSucnF3r1t248YPwBsgAHIHA_vEc_jkFvwXJSD6Sjl8Q4LVPleAoQi-x1J9aluZEOKG6CS/w640-h426/072023-166.jpg) |
Hummers in the Leopard Lilies (Click images to view larger.) |
It would have been a beautiful day to bike up to Mt. Tam to place my trail cameras in a new location, but I figured the leopard lilies would be in full bloom and hopefully swarming with hummingbirds. Experience with the FZ-80 has shown that it's not really up to the challenge, so I drove up to Rock Spring with my DSLR. It took a minute for the hummers to get used to my presence (along with the jarring mirror-slaps every time I tripped the shutter), but after a while they paid me no mind.
I couldn't get an angle on the lilies with the sun at my back, so I had to shoot mostly into the sun. That worked fine for photographing the leopard lilies which looked good back-lit, but proved quite tricky for the hummers. Biting horse flies, prickly grass seeds, and sneaky stinging nettles also added to the challenge.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjZr-YpBFNpcHV2z3Xx0GelPTzelhByTdOhyViZ-sOTA7DnacI-oXsWgoq9eWVRGy5jxXyO0GlQMEzsw7W0QVXTBq-cHUMA1GiqKuGjwTd8Da1rPQC93j9wTM49WmpqMEXSE9qjcsuhnUxQXNQmE6Ikk3C_UJbCfKHriu69bW4rHkvxAtr_Gm35ZDCNj8/w640-h426/072023-13.jpg) |
Bright Lilies, Shadowy Forest |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUpxDH44z-i_TmaGMuB02-zIqfqyU0KfU0pFkFaQTPu0lRd66HgaNrUryshpBf4-9Mkp_778Fp3UhzeB_HpBcd5Up2Asa0QZW4mTjrRzo6_xQahmFwnSBjhc6Lkl9ieYJveZR0L4oiZ-9Z4FhEcT3skr5UJX0Pd8vuFR6jJZGNnibgz-ZUbUp1e2YXBPP/w428-h640/072023-57.jpg) |
Queen of the Lily Patch |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WY70H4_4lIdZ5ZA-q8JbD6ll2KZRSAyDEEW1w6HeEzyphTq6tFNKYxDJx7JUnjZs3lO-DcbYrzYdiga3Tf_ZGkpEgrfc8IW4cp9jVB0fyB3F7UtRJC-1Y7dMZSlefJTw3S4hIzP41xBADKTGlxwK0YklX6HiqnMLJ4oIVZtvAiKaYe9alcvAPfmXbUs8/w428-h640/072023-69.jpg) |
Lilies With Slightly Tattered Pale Swallowtail |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKB8y94EXGxX7eORBq8K_1l5gOqq1MkH0dLmq4gRu7oVYPl-UCGXp0smsunvFg3oHzKUcdrXSlQks-56YZZmNuIw78HsUFdj99AFAsbJU1bGqrHYP6uxzLwlAHdW94-_SuyTFJ9zOoZ_5flRff1FyXxuMvrjTX7mP3HQMkKxF7FrzhbgyI1cnK5Nwkkmr/w640-h426/072023-89.jpg) |
Dancing With Lilies |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cGDR-rIGXrkcTfhLjtM_YrVVysxrb5EqD9v76Lhu0VzdBcZ_MxIkgsc8URIuhsHxFIZwV2A0GVpF5ZduieHiCa9XE4hlEIFfNdMVX8LVyzx9uGkZbGXEDS0-slfGYXP5ZMDg4b-0DZJ_h3rR8UL5pwVDVUGTSY0ga9QBa3L8ZQnVRWu813uAQkNxdWHV/w428-h640/072023-151.jpg) |
Hummer Perching on Lily's Style |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMygd9PwRR4XB5kmkgHd3p3YNT0pmHHeesDWWmET7_VEySQTPSG0STInlH6fsbqjhDJ-99GdylRCiHiMqZ7Uh7N4N7Ak_bzlzVWv6SySNgIVt6BbZKUKbx4D0oKeD7jslhvQ8uciuv4jam05Ojl2wYB8KaZcc0WsUnP5GfsMU0H0nosGnCcwDEmDoMdAFx/w640-h428/072023-162.jpg) |
In addition to the lilies, the hummers also appeared to nip a few insects from some meadow rue that had gone to seed, and sipped from the purple flowers of large leatherroot (Hoita macrostachya). Apparently it is a host plant for sphynx moth, which might explain why the "hummer" that ran into my leg turned out to be a sphynx moth, the first I've ever seen on Mt. Tam. Unfortunately I was unable to photograph it. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQHvvdOP4pawtFPGonKUYAM1vadjixdLQaRIEt9bSWu9DXHz_L26nenNqjhoXoiLvC21yRnOZijvun0iqjEyyhDY2E4FIrZCDWEBLi6hzBRnH4c8HzM5M4oGUaM633QqYT0o0Qfrmy-vVWAQlmHpPEVmugo5J7PsbMTsn7aO6LAbgHcAU6vooimDlqCQu/w640-h428/072023-181cr.jpg) |
Letting Gravity Do Some of the Work |
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