I took these photos earlier in the month. Hard to believe as the temperature today is struggling to reach double digits đ.
Tag Archives: Insects
FALL FASHION (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
In the first photo, I wanted to fill the frame with colour, you can barely see the sky for the leaves. I concentrated on a single leaf in the second shot and didnât notice the crab spider in the lower right of the image until I imported it.
THE BEE MEANS BUSINESS
It didnât look like there was too much goodness left in the flower but the bee had other ideas!
CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY
I took this photo earlier in the summer. Cabbage whites are some of the first butterflies we see in the spring and theyâre still flying well into September. Given how cool the nights are getting you have to marvel at their tenacity.
THE DAHLIA AND THE BEETLE
The Japanese Beetle had a tenuous grip on the dahlia but managed to right itself. They are attractive beetles but are destructive and feed on a large variety of plants. No friend to gardeners!
HONEY BEE
The early bee gets the pollen. One of the first bees I saw this year on a wild rose.
MONARCH
I donât know if monarch butterflies are appearing in significant numbers this year. As I havenât been to our local nature reserve this summer my observations have been limited to what I see in the city. I saw this butterfly in a nearby garden and hope it was one of many.
FLOWERS OR THE BEE
I could have cropped in closer but I thought the flowers and the bee shared the stage.
BEE SEASON
Itâs been a good summer for bees. This sweat bee or halictid bee was one of three different varieties I saw in the space of a few minutes. More to comeâŠ
CABBAGE WHITE
Cabbage White on the fly.
THE DAISY AND THE BEE
A nice pair, they complement each other.
MELLOW YELLOW
I like to watch bees as they fly between the flowers. Unlike other insects, theyâre not scared off easily or bothered by my presence.
SUSPICION
It seems to me that damselflies often look suspicious when their photos are taken. đ
BALANCING BEE
A local business association maintains a small garden on a busy city street. I stop by frequently to see whatâs in bloom. They only plant native species and Iâm always pleased to see the insects they attract.
MID-WEEK DRAGONFLY
Iâve yet to get to the lake where I normally see dragonflies, so I thought Iâd post a photo from a few summers ago.
MAKE WAY!
This was one popular rose patch on a recent sunny day.
MAY BEE
I saw the daisies before I saw the bee but he seemed to have his eye on me as I took the shot. Summer is fast approaching when these two team up.
PAINTED LADY (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
Another reason to like dandelions. They attract beauties like these.
SPRING CLEARWING
I took this photograph in May 2019. Itâs the first time Iâd seen a clearwing so early. A pleasant surprise.
HOVERFLY
I believe this is a mimic or hoverfly. Wasps have four wings, while a hoverfly has only two so that would be my best guess.
SKIPPER
Though very small, it’s hard to miss these orange butterflies especially against the green. It wonât be long before the fields are full of skippers.
CONNECT THE SPOTS
After a bit of research I found out that this is a two-spotted grass bug. (The spots are on its back which made it a bit difficult to identify. đ ) When I started out in photography I never thought I would take an interest in insects and enjoy photographing them as much as I do.
DAMSELFLY (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
Damselflies are quite comical when you can catch them like this. I wonder what they make of us. đ
LADYBUG
I like to watch ladybugs as they make their way though the greenery. They appear to be hard working beetles. Though attractive to look at their bright colour warns potential predators that they arenât good to eat. The brighter they are the more poisonous.
FAN DANCER
This is the first time Iâd seen an insect with such fancy head gear. It turns out itâs a male non-biting midge. They fly in swarms and can be very annoying on early summer mornings as you walk along. Not sure how I spotted this individual, just lucky I guess.
DAMSELFLY
Damselflies – a sure sign of warm weather. They begin to appear in late spring and remain throughout the summer. Looking at the blue skies and sunshine right now, you can almost imagine itâs warm out, until you step outside that is đ .
DAMSELFLIES (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
After photographing certain subjects for a while you begin to anticipate their behaviour. In the case of damselflies (and dragonflies) they tend to return to the same perch you might have startled from as you approached. So if you donât get the shot the first time your chances are good the second time around.
GOLD ON GREEN
This pretty little beetle was inching its way along the leaf when I spotted it. I might not have noticed it if it werenât for its colour. The leaf gives you a good idea of the insectâs size.
HOLD ON TIGHT
Pretty good advice for the times we live in đ.
BLUE(T)S AND GREENS OF SUMMER
The bluet damselfly is a common visitor in early summer, often seen near bodies of water. Like many birds and insects, when they become accustomed to your presence theyâll often linger for a portrait.
BEE WATCHING
I like to watch bees as they work their way among the flowers. This one had just gotten started as it hadnât pick up much pollen yet. I took this photo with a long lens, you can get quite near to the insects without disturbing them or getting too close for your own comfort.
METALLIC BEE
Although very small there is no overlooking these brilliant green bees. This one was gathering pollen, and its legs are well dusted with it. Nothing says summer more to me than a scene like this.
TURN AROUND
I waited for the mimic fly to turn around and face me, it was acting like someone who just didnât want to be photographed. After a five minute stand-off I went looking for a more willing subject đ.
BEECAUSE
As the first light snow of the season falls outside, what better time to revisit a scene like this. I can almost feel the sun on my face and hear the bees buzzing đ.
TWO GRASSHOPPERS
I havenât taken too many grasshoppers. If you manage to scare one up when walking along and see where it lands, you have a chance at a photo. Thatâs why this shot was particularly lucky. I came across these two when focusing on something else in the grass and saw them frozen on the stalk.
A LOOK BACK
Summer has just ended but I already miss sights like these. There are still a few bees and flowers about but their numbers are dwindling as the temperature drops.
METALLIC BEE
The metallic bee goes by several names, the least attractive being sweat bee which doesnât do it justice. This one is a female, as its able to carry pollen on its back legs, the male is not. Their season is drawing to a close so it was nice to catch sight of just one more this year.
GIANT SWALLOWTAIL
The swallowtail was flitting from flower to flower when I caught it in flight looking my way. It lingered for quite a while and so did I.
MY BAGS ARE PACKED
Yesterday was the first time Iâve picked up a camera in a long while. We spent the morning with friends in their wonderful garden. As we walked and talked I took a couple of photos. I was pretty pleased with the results, and was happy to see that I could still shoot a moving object. đ
MIMIC FLY
I enjoy taking shots of mimic flies. They are cute subjects and well worth the challenge of photographing something so small. This fly was playing king of the castle on top of the wild grass.
