I took the moon pictures in this triptych from my home’s rooftop deck. It was great to see the Blood Moon (on the right). I used a tripod and my trusted Sony a7RIV camera with the Sony FE 5.6-6.3/200-600 G OSS lens. I was so lucky that it was a clear although a bit cool night. Between the exposures I was relaxing on a comfortable sofa behind the glass door in the den. From left to right: 12.06 am, 1/1600 sec; f/8.0; ISO. 1000; 600 mm. 1.15 am, 1/1600 sec; f/8.0; ISO 2000; 600 mm. 3;17 am, 1/20 sec; f/6.3; ISO 12800; 600mm.

This is a Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos), a small North American butterfly in the Nymphalidae (brush-footed) family. It rests gracefully on a marigold in my backyard patio planter n Chevy Chase, MD.. Its intricate orange-and-black wings blend seamlessly with the flower’s fiery petals. The photo was taken handheld with a Nikon Z7 camera with a macro lens at ISO 1000, f/9.0, and 1/1000 second shutter speed.