This little beetle might look innocent enough but it’s not. It’s a spotted cucumber beetle. It damages plants and spreads pathogens. I hadn’t seen one before and was pleased to see it until I looked it up 😏
Tag Archives: Insects
Beauty and the Beast
I was happy to photograph the damselfly earlier in the summer, there weren’t many about in my area. I saw the paper wasp the other day. I took the photo from a distance. I didn’t get in its way and it didn’t bother me either.
Bee’s Business
Globe thistles attract bees and other pollinators. The bee was so intent on its task that it never raised its head once for me 😏
The Beetle and the Bee
The Japanese beetles and bees were competing for the same flowers. This beetle was having none of it and the bee beat a hasty retreat 😏
Landing Pad
Chasing dragonflies can be difficult as they’re in constant motion. If you see one on a lily pad chances are you’ll get a few photos, as they break from leading you on a merry chase.
Leaf’s Edge
I’m not sure if the ant saw the wasp but it was clearly in its sights. These small dramas play out in nature all the time.
Ladybug
We saw few ladybugs this year, few insects in general. But I was lucky to catch this one as it made its way along.
Tilt
December 21 is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, after which we begin to gain more daylight, slowly moving towards scenes like this.
Bee Acrobatics
I’ve seen far fewer insects this year but I’ve been happy to see a lot of bees. I wonder if our cold spring might have had an effect on the others.
Cabbage White
By far, cabbage whites have been the most numerous butterflies this year. Despite their numbers, I still enjoy seeing them.
Come By Chance
The other day I posted about not noticing something in the frame at the time I took a photo. The same thing happened with the photo above. When I got home, I noticed this shadow, impression or someone’s drawing of a dragonfly. It was rather nice that the cricket landed where it did 😊.
Friday Fly-by
I was actually trying to photograph a beetle on the goldenrod. When I looked at the photo at home, I realized I hadn’t seen the wasp at the time I took the shot. It was far sharper than my intended subject too.
Sunday Heat
We’re having an exceptionally hot summer. The insects must be feeling it too.
Beeware
While I was taking some pictures of Queen Anne’s Lace, a bee popped out of the flower. It didn’t appear happy to be photographed 😏
Cabbage White
I haven’t see many butterflies this year, so I was happy to get a close-up of this cabbage white.
Bee Break
There were quite a few bees flying around these flowers. This one paused for a refreshment break.
Morning Glory Bee
At a distance, I wasn’t sure of the insect inside the flower. As I got closer, the bee made its presence known.
Butterfly
I haven’t seen many butterflies his year. So I’m featuring one I saw last summer.
Bee First (Two Photographs)
I stopped to photograph these flowers and saw a bit of movement. Sure enough, it was my first sighting this year of a bee. Things are looking up 😊 .
Cute as a Bug…
At least I think milkweed beetles are 😊.
Hummingbird Moth
Hummingbird Moths are spectacular looking insects and good pollinators. I don’t see them every summer so when I do spot one hovering by a flower it’s pretty exciting.
REWIND
It turned very cold overnight with the temperature now hovering at -17C. I thought this was the perfect time to revisit some summer scenes. Besides I can’t use my camera while wearing mitts 😏
Ready for Take Off
It’ll be several months before scenes like this will be common again. So in the meantime…
Buzz
On these cold cloudy days, I’ll be featuring some warmer scenes. I can almost hear the insects buzzing 😊
SWALLOWTAIL
It’s been cool and grey out, so I thought a swallowtail on a coneflower would brighten the mood.
NOT ALL STING
The wasp found some goldenrod in bloom, most has faded by now. Despite their nasty sting, they are important pollinators and help keep the insect population down. Still though, I’m glad the goldenrod had its full attention.😏.
ALONG THE PATH
The leaf almost seemed suspended in mid-air. It was only when I got closer that I saw it had been caught in the spider’s web along with an unfortunate insect. Another mini drama playing out right under my nose.
Japanese Beetle
The Japanese Beetle has no natural predators in North America so it’s very destructive to a large variety of plants. They are attractive though and I enjoyed watching this one lounge on some spotted jewelweed.
No Time to Waste
It’s nice to see the bees still gathering pollen in early September. Many flowers look like they’ve been picked over by now but it seems they still have a little more to give.
MATING DAMSELFLIES
Adult damselflies have a very short lifespan, measured in weeks. In their larval stage, development usually takes one to two years. It’s not a long courtship period 😏.
CLOUDED SULPHUR
This was my first sighting of a clouded sulphur this summer although they are among the most common and widespread of North American butterflies. At their brightest they’re as yellow as sulphur which is how they got their name.
SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY
I’ve seen several swallowtail butterflies this summer. This one was the first to stay still long enough for me to photograph.
BEE GYMNASTICS
You have to marvel at their technique 😊
HALLOWEEN PENNANT
It’s easy to see how this dragonfly got its name. It’s colours are festive and it has the habit of perching on tall grass where its wings catch the breeze like a flag or pennant would.
FINALLY, A MONARCH
Butterflies have been pretty scarce this summer, so I was very pleased to see a monarch. It flew between the clover and made itself visible for quite a while.
Silver-spotted Skipper
This is the second silver-spotted skipper I’ve seen recently. When I did get a clear shot, it was flying off but did display some of the silver that it’s known for.
COLD SHOULDER
I’ve seen fewer butterflies this summer, as other bloggers have mentioned. So I was happy to see this one even though it was turned away from the camera 😏 . I believe it’s a silver spotted skipper.
DRAGONFLY
I’ve only had a few opportunities to photograph dragonflies this year. They can be very flighty subjects but fortunately, not this one.
R0SE AND FRIEND
Among all the bees, I saw this one little wasp seeking some nectar. Like bees, wasps are also pollinators.
DAMSELFLIES (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
It’s always nice to see the first damselflies of spring.
I liked the leaves in this photo, the damselfly on the left was secondary.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 