Two weeks left to take your photos and enter the contest! Photos must be taken from the paths of the Urquhart Butterfly Garden between July 17 and September 8, 2020.

Read the rules carefully and submit all the required information. Please submit photos without watermarks. Good luck!

Seen In the Garden is a snapshot of a few of the creatures and plants spotted on a particular day at a specific time.  It in no way represents all the wonderful wildlife that could be seen throughout the day!

Michelle Sharp visits the Urquhart Butterfly regularly, usually every day.  She spends about an hour meandering through the paths, and takes photos of many of the things that catch her eye.  Most of the photos on the site will be hers. Michelle designed all the Urquhart Butterfly Garden signage, posters, and  brochures – in fact everything!  Added to her design abilities, Michelle is a keen amateur photographer & naturalist.

This year, two other photographers have been contributing to “Seen in the Garden”:  Ken Kerr and Mark Williams. Both visit the Garden frequently and have added some great shots of interesting creatures. Many thanks to all for sharing their photos.

Click to enlarge each photo to observe the details.

The Bee Fly, or Bombylius, is a frequent visitor to the Urquhart Butterfly Garden. Mark Williams created this stunning feature all about this fascinating insect. Thank you to Mark for sharing this delightful video with us!

Bombylius (commonly named the large bee-fly or the dark-edged bee-fly) is a parasitic bee mimic fly. The fly derives its name from its close resemblance to bumblebees and are often mistaken for them. It exhibits a unique flight behavior known as “yawing” and plays a role in general pollination, without preference of flower types. The fly does not bite, sting, or spread disease. However, the fly uses this mimicry of bumblebees to its own advantage, allowing close access to host solitary bee and wasp nests in order to deposit its eggs. After hatching, the larvae find their way into the nests to parasitically feed on the grubs.

Mark Williams, a frequent visitor to the Urquhart Butterfly Garden, created this beautiful video from his observations at the garden this year and last. It showcases some of the great diversity of insects and plants you may find as you wander through the paths. Thank you to Mark for creating this delightful video of life at the garden.