Bugs
Predator
This bee was persistent in his attack of this dandelion. My getting close didn’t seem to dissuade it. As I approached, it would leave the flower, hovering a few inches above, and then settle back down for the work. That made it easy for me to get a good shot. The tiny butterflies I was trying to capture were considerably more shy. They vacated the blooms anytime I got within range.
This scene was captured on my own front lawn. I titled this one, “Predator,” because I think the bees face makes an ominous impression. I know I wouldn’t want to meet one in a dark alley.
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Some of Your Beeswax
I was able to capture a close-up of couple of honey bees as they feasted on some old honeycomb.
One of our sons has become a beekeeper. On a recent visit to his homestead in Ohio, I snapped a number of photos of his bees working over some old honeycomb he had set out for them. It was a great opportunity to grab some macro views as they were docile, content and, seemingly, oblivious to my presence. I will post another image or two from this shoot sometime in the future.
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Mini Metallic Magnificence
As tiny as it was, this beetle’s iridescent, metallic green color helped me spot it among the plant life in a farm field.
Funny how things often take a different path than you planned. I was standing in a field not far from our home, taking photos of bright, beautiful sunflowers a neighbor has planted. While looking around for another vantage point a glint of green caught my eye. I was able to snap of a couple of quick shots before this tiny beetle flew away in the breeze.
The breeze created a bit of a challenge, too. It was moving the beetle’s perch back and forth, making it difficult to catch it in focus. Out of the three shots I took, only this one is sharp enough to keep. The little guy was so small, I had to crop the image to get him large enough to really notice.
You can get a better, larger view of the beetle by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Dark Damsel
The dainty damselfly is a predator by nature. Damselflies catch and eat flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects. Often they hover among grasses and low vegetation, picking prey off stems and leaves with their spiny legs.
I think the best part of this image is the detailed pattern and color in the wings. I also like the tiny spines on the legs.
This dark damsel paused just long enough for me to catch a good photo. They tend to zip to and fro and make focusing a challenge. I saw this one on a walk through some woods in Missouri. I had to shoot through the leaves to grab this image. I would have preferred the leaf in the foreground wasn’t there so you could see the structure of all the legs, but sometimes you have to take what you can get.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Dripping with Passion
On a foggy morning, moisture clings to a spider web. I love how the tiniest drops can form on the thinnest of web fibers.
This is a companion to another image taken the same morning that I posted earlier. (Connect the Dots) The first one was photographed with a black background. This one had a maroon background because this spider web was draped from the door to the side mirror of my old van.
This is some of my first work with extension tubes – a lens attachment used in macro photography. I need to work on sharpness. This image is not quite as sharp as I want it to be, but it was interesting enough to share.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Cool Dude
A macro view of a cool dragon fly resting on the buds of a hosta plant in our flower bed. Those eyes remind me of aviator glasses. Seems like there should be a cigarette loosely dangling from his mouth.
You can get a better, more detailed view of this creature by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Connect the Dots
Moisture from a foggy morning collects like jewels on a tiny spider web.
Working on some macro photography and the foggy mornings have made spider webs particularly interesting.
You can view this image on a larger scale by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Green-banded Swallowtail
This is the Green-banded Swallowtail butterfly. Some might also refer to this butterfly as a Green Banded Peacock or Emerald Swallowtail. It is common to South Asia, including India and Sri Lanka.
In this image, the bands on the wings seem to be more of a blue color. Apparently the color can vary slightly, depending on the angle of view. From the back, it can seem more blue – from the front it appears more green. As you can see, this butterfly is peppered with green scales either side of the main bands. The coloration is a structural color not a pigmented color. The structure of the scales on this butterfly give it the iridescent green color.
Their main diet is provided by plants in the citrus family. On a sad note, they have a short lifespan. The adult Green-banded Swallowtail butterflies rarely last longer than a week.
I photographed this creature on a recent visit to The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure in Branson, Missouri.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Leaf Walker
This delicate beauty is a Orange-spotted Tiger Clearwing . It is also referred to as a Disturbed Tigerwing (Mechanitis polymnia). It is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. In the wild you will find them from Mexico to the Amazon Rainforest. I happened to find this one at The Butterfly Palace and Amazon Adventure in Branson, MO.
You can get a better view of the detail in this photo by viewing the larger version. Simply click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Dead Leaf Butterfly – Open
This is the colorful side of the Dead Leaf Butterfly. The coloring and marking on the upper side of their wings is dramatically different from the bottom side of the wings.
When the wings are folded up, this butterfly looks just like a brown, dried leaf. Its camouflage is very convincing. (See my previous post – Dead Leaf Butterfly) As you can see in this photo, when the Dead Leaf Butterfly opens its wings, it becomes an attractive, exotic beauty.
The Dead Leaf Butterfly is a nymphalid butterfly found in tropical Asia from India to Japan.
You can get a better view of the detail in this colorful side of the Dead Leaf by looking at the larger version; available by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.