I only had a few sightings of monarchs this summer. It’s nice to revisit them on a grey November day.

This milkweed plant was home to a lot of lady bugs engaged in various activities 😏 

Rather interesting to see these damselflies mating on a plant stem near the exoskeleton shed by a recently emerged damselfly.

 I haven’t seen many dragonflies this summer so I was pretty happy to get this shot of one.

Sometimes a small subject can present a big challenge. Ants are tiny and fast, so I often end up with a blurry image. This particular ant was in no hurry, the light was nicely filtered and this was the result.

 I noticed a nice grouping of Queen Anne’s Lace that I wanted to photograph. When I got a little closer I noticed a Common Red Soldier Beetle walking along its surface. They are partial to open-structured flowers.

The vein in the leaf made the title of this post easy. I’m not a fan of yellow jacket wasps and usually head in the opposite direction when they’re flying close by. In this case it was a cool morning and the insect seemed lethargic, so I took these photos with little worry.

I’m happy to see a lot of bees this year. A bit of good news for us all.

Balancing on the edge of a leaf, that takes some talent. 😊 

A milkweed beetle going about its business. 😏

I featured this same lady bug a few posts back. It seemed to be putting on a show just for us that day. This time it was a little fan dance before it flew off.

I had my focus on the cabbage white, it was only when I imported my files that I saw the damselfly.  Always nice when something like this happens!

I’ve photographed a lot of lady bugs but I haven’t seen one move like this before 😊 

As small as it is, this milkweed beetle stood out nicely on the plant it’s named after. Both milkweed and the beetle are toxic so it needn’t worry about being someone’s lunch. It has an impressive set of antennae; it’s a member of the longhorn beetle family. 

I’ve seen bees this motionless early in the day when it’s cool.  I took this photo mid morning so that wasn’t the cause. The bee looked to be in good condition, maybe it was just taking a break from collecting pollen.

If I had been asked what I thought of insects before I began in photography I would have probably shrugged my shoulders and wondered if they stung. Now quite a few years on, I have to admire these hardworking and determined little critters. Seeing the bee move along the leaf’s surface makes for an interesting glimpse into their world.

This beetle led me on quite a chase through the milkweed. Impressive antennae 😊

I’ve never seen a cabbage white this shade before. Perhaps its colour changes as the summer moves along.

The dragonfly reminded me of a little bauble hanging on to the green shoot. It rested there for a  while before it flew off.

A summer scene is the perfect antidote to the weather outside.

I like hover flies, pretty cute for an insect; and always a challenge to photograph given their size.

With freezing rain in the forecast what better time for a scene like this.

I took this photo earlier in the summer. Cabbage whites are some of the first butterflies we see in the spring and they’re still flying well into September. Given how cool the nights are getting you have to marvel at their tenacity.