Photo Contest Winners
Previous years winners can be found at the bottom of this page
Adult Butterflies
Photo by: Calvin Snider - Tharselea helloides (Purplish Copper)
Tharselea helloides nectaring on Slender Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia virgata) in the Alberta prairies.
Adult Moths
Photo by: Brevan Wagner - Caloptilia fraxinella (Ash Leaf Cone Roller)
Although many micro moths sport subtle patterns and modest colouring, they never cease to amaze me! Coming across this little leaf-roller clinging to the roots of an upturned tree in Edmonton's river valley reminded me that this delicate design is no accident—shaped by the slow, patient hand of evolution, this moth blends seamlessly into the world around it, a quiet yet vital asset to its survival.
Immature stages
Photo by: Matthias Buck - Estigmene acrea (Salt Marsh Moth)
Estigmene acrea caterpillar on wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) in the Milk River badlands just 2 km north of the Montana border. You have to give it to her: this blondie caterpillar has a lot of personality!
Freestyle
Photo by: Matthias Buck - Ammophila ferruginosa
A thread-waisted wasp (Ammophila ferruginosa) clinging to the stem of a stiff-leaved goldenrod (Solidago rigida) in the Milk River badlands. All Ammophila species (18 in Alberta) are predators of caterpillars. Hosts are mostly hairless caterpillars of a variety of families, especially Noctuoidea, Geometridae, Notodontidae and Sphingidae. Females excavate underground nests and stock them with paralyzed prey as food for their own offspring. This picture shows a wasp in the typical sleeping pose.