Ants and peonies seem to go together. Ants protect the flowers from nuisance pests and the flowers provide the ants with nectar. A win win. I enjoy these flowers too as well as the sport of catching an ant as it speeds around the peony buds!
Tag Archives: Macro
LONG-LEGS
While out doing some shopping, I saw my first bee of the year. I didn’t have my camera with me but never without an insect shot, here’s a long -legged fly for your viewing pleasure. Taken at the end of last season.
HOVER FLY ON FLEABANE
The hover fly really tucked into the daisy and fed like this for a considerable time. It did not really live up to its name here.
BEE CURIOUS
Although the bee was busy feeding it did cooperate with this photographer. 😊
STRANGER THINGS
One day last summer while I was photographing some metallic bees I saw this unusual insect and changed my focus. I think it might be a type of fly. Can anyone shed some light?
Copper Beauty
I believe this is a beetle, and one I have never seen before. Its colour was eye-catching against the green of the leaf.
CURE FOR THE COLD WEATHER BLUES
A summer scene on a cold November day. It works wonders.
MONARCHS (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
I only had a few sightings of monarchs this summer. It’s nice to revisit them on a grey November day.
LADY BUG ON SUMAC
On a recent walk, I saw quite a few lady bugs flying around and landing close by. I caught this one on some sumac.
Milkweed Bug (Correction)
The insect under question was misidentified as a Milkweed Beetle when first posted. (See Steve Gingold’s comment)
I was happy to get this shot so late in September as we’ve had several frost advisories at night. The milkweed bug didn’t seem to mind though. I had also planned to take landscape shots that morning, so this wasn’t taken with my macro gear. The natural light provided this interesting effect.
METALLIC BEE
This photo was taken in high summer, I haven’t seen any metallic bees in a while. The season is certainly winding down.
This male bee has an attractive striped abdomen while the female is completely green.
LOVE BUGS (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
This milkweed plant was home to a lot of lady bugs engaged in various activities 😏
POND SIDE
Rather interesting to see these damselflies mating on a plant stem near the exoskeleton shed by a recently emerged damselfly.
READY FOR TAKE-OFF
I haven’t seen many dragonflies this summer so I was pretty happy to get this shot of one.
ANT ON A PLANT
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.
THE QUEEN’S BEETLE
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.
CROSSING THE FINISH LINE (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
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.
SUNDAY’S BEE
I’m happy to see a lot of bees this year. A bit of good news for us all.
LEAF’S EDGE
Balancing on the edge of a leaf, that takes some talent. 😊
MILKWEED BEETLE
A milkweed beetle going about its business. 😏
LITTLE THEATRE
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.
CLOSER LOOK
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!
TIPPY TOES
I’ve photographed a lot of lady bugs but I haven’t seen one move like this before 😊
FINE RECEPTION
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.
BEE BREAK
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.
HOVER FLY ON FLEABANE
Hover flies or flower flies are valuable insects. The larvae of some species prey on aphids and the adults are pollinators. Until I picked up a camera I wasn’t aware of these attractive little insects. Now I look out for them each summer.
BUSY BEE
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.
ANTICIPATION – 1
With the temperature struggling to get out of the single digits, I thought I’d retrieve a warm weather scene; perfect for a grey day in late March.
ON THE EDGE
The metallic green sweat bee was working its way along the flower. As small as they are they’re easy to notice with that dazzling colour. It’s day one of spring and I impatiently wait for the first flowers and bees to emerge.
IN THE MILKWEED PATCH
This beetle led me on quite a chase through the milkweed. Impressive antennae 😊
CABBAGE WHITE
I’ve never seen a cabbage white this shade before. Perhaps its colour changes as the summer moves along.
DRAGONFLY
The dragonfly reminded me of a little bauble hanging on to the green shoot. It rested there for a while before it flew off.
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
I had never seen a mature lady alongside its junior before. The larvae, or instar will moult several times before it is ready to transform to its adult stage. I saw these insects on some bushes on a busy downtown street. A lot going on on this little patch of real estate.
CAN’T WAIT (2)
European Skipper Butterflies are seen in large numbers when the warm weather arrives. This skipper was resting and I was fortunate to see it in this pose.
DRAGONFLY DAYS
A summer scene is the perfect antidote to the weather outside.
SUMMER REWIND
It’ll be a while before we see damselflies so what better time to enjoy a glimpse of summer than when it’s -15C outside!
ON THE EDGE
I like hover flies, pretty cute for an insect; and always a challenge to photograph given their size.
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
I thought it unusual not to see an ant on the peony buds. But the fly was colourful so I took the photo. In processing, I noticed an ant; it’s upside down on the upper bud.
SKIPPER IN NOVEMBER
With freezing rain in the forecast what better time for a scene like this.
LAST OF THE BEES (TWO PHOTOGRAPHS)
I took these photos earlier in the month. Hard to believe as the temperature today is struggling to reach double digits 😏.