Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Bug
Royal Throne
This monarch butterfly took a moment to rest and feed on the flowers provided by West of the Lake Gardens in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
These favorite photo subjects will be departing for central Mexico soon. I was able to grab a few butterfly and flower photos on a recent Saturday. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to share a few more of these in the near future.
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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
The Damsel Be Dazzled
The light danced on the wings of the damselfly while it rested on a leaf.
I saw a few of these damselflies flitting around an area along a trail we often hike. Every time they landed they were facing the sun. (Notice the shadow.) I spent a good deal of time snapping pictures, hoping to catch one sideways to the sun, to see more of the wing.
Well, as it turned out, the hint of sunlight on the ridges of the wings made a rather interesting view as well.
Damselflies are often mistaken for dragonflies. To help you know the difference, here’s some info I found at ReconnectWithNature.org.
Both dragonflies and damselflies are typically found near fresh water and are commonly seen during warm, sunny days. And while they share some physical characteristics, there are four ways you can differentiate between the two, according to Mother Nature Network.
EYES
Dragonflies have much larger eyes than damselflies. A dragonfly’s eyes take up most of the insect’s head, wrapping around to the sides of its head. Damselflies also have large eyes, but they are smaller than a dragonfly’s and there is always a space between their eyes.
BODIES
Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, with bodies that typically range between 1 1/2 inches and 2 inches, while dragonfly bodies are typically longer than 2 inches, Wisconsin Public Radio reports. Dragonflies also have thicker, bulkier bodies, while damselfly bodies are thin like a twig.
WINGS
Both dragonflies and damselflies have two sets of wings, but there are some distinct differences in their wings that can help differentiate between the two. Dragonflies have two sets of similar-sized wings, but the hind wings become more broad at the base, where they attach to the body. Damselfly wings, on the other hand, are more slender and taper toward they base, where they attach to the body.
AT REST
While the wings of dragonflies and damselflies are a key distinction between the two, how they position their wings while not in flight further helps tell them apart. When not in flight, a dragonfly’s wings stick straight out, perpendicular to their body like an airplane’s wings. A damselfly’s wings fold back so they are in line with their body, giving them a more sleek, slender appearance at rest.
To get the best view and all the colorful details, click on the photo and a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Another Day at Work
I found these purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) blooming in the meadow of an area park last summer. The bees were busy; hard at work…doing what bees do.
You can get a closer view by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full screen version will open in another browser tab.
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.
Monarch Feasting
I find butterflies to be one of the most fascinating creatures in nature. And, when it comes to butterflies, I believe the monarch butterfly is one of the most beautiful.
I snapped this butterfly feasting on some type of wildflower at a local park area. You can also see another butterfly in the background on the left side of the frame. I believe that was a smaller, painted lady butterfly.
You can get a larger, more detailed view of this image 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.
Strange Life Form
Butterflies are such beautiful creatures with the colors and patterns of their wings. However, up close, they have the face only an alien mother could love. This photo is a stark reminder – though whimsical in flight and beautiful from a distance, they are still flying insects.
I believe this is a Blue Morpho butterfly. If you could see it with its wings open, you would see a spectacular, iridescent blue color. The Blue Morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world with wing spans from five to eight inches. Blue morphos live in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia.
On this photographic trip to the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri I tried, unsuccessfully, to capture one of them with their wings open. You can view their beautiful blue in a photo I captured on a previous trip here: Common Blue Morpho
This is one you may want to view in larger size to see more of the detail. (Or not…if bugs aren’t your thing.) To do so, 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.
Tropical Mix
One of the exotic butterflies at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO was kind enough to strike a pose on one of the tropical plants. l’m not sure what kind of butterfly this is other than it’s something you won’t find flying around my neighborhood.
I like a few of the elements of this image. First, I like the fact that the butterfly’s antennae are cocked to the side. Everything else about this image seems almost staged so something a little “off” adds an touch of realism. I like the detail in the leaves, highlighted by the back-lighting. I like the detail in the butterfly’s wings – even though mostly dark, you can see the subtle shading and variation in pattern. I also like the overall, pleasing blend of colors in the frame. I didn’t do anything to set these various elements up; I just shot what I found, the way I found it.
You can enjoy more of the details 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.
Avid Gardener
I found this monarch butterfly carefully tending the coneflowers in a Missouri flowerbed.
I seem to be seeing more monarchs this year. I recently learned the monarch is also called by a variety of other names – milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown.
You can get a better, larger view of this one 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.
Lunch Time
The dragonfly may seem like a dainty flying insect, but don’t let that fool you. Dragonflies are fierce predators. As you can see, this dragonfly is munching on a yellow bug he captured for lunch.
I found and photographed this dragonfly during an outing to pick blackberries in the middle of a Missouri prairie. Actually, I wasn’t picking, I was taking photos while the others picked.
I am always intrigued by the detail found in the transparent wings of dragonflies. If you want to get a better look of the detail, and of the bug being consumed, click on the photo and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
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.
Red-spotted Purple Admiral Butterfly
I found this butterfly resting on the ground. I searched the Internet to identify it and found it to be a “Red-spotted Purple Admiral.”
This was a pleasant find while biking on the Ahnapee State Trail near the Bruemmer Park Zoo northwest of Kewaunee. This was the second such butterfly I saw. This one was kind enough to allow me to get close enough to snap a portrait. I”m not sure how it got the name Red-spotted, since its spots seem mostly orange which seemed consistent with other images I found online.
You can see more of the detail in this image by viewing the full-screen version. To do so, 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.
Apis Workers’ Party
This group of honey bees were busy gathering the small amount of honey that remained in some old honeycomb.
This is a “composite” image. To create this image I focused my camera on an area where the bees were working and locked down the position on my tripod. Then, I snapped a number of photos when bees were in the frame. Then I combined several of the images – with bees in various positions – in Photoshop. All of the bees you see in the image were exactly where you see them…but not all at the same moment in time.
I had it in my mind to create this image since the day I snapped the photos last June. I finally got around to taking the time to combine the bunch. There were four separate shots used to make the image you see here.
This is one you should view full screen. You can see some great detail in the in the bees. To bring up a full-screen image, just 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.