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
Macro
On a Mission
I’m always taking photos of bugs – and bees are some of my favorites. I usually catch bees busy about their business, working on flowers. It’s rare when I can capture one in flight, and even rarer to catch them in focus. This was one of those rare moments.
A couple of other images where I was able to catch bees in flight are Popular Spot and The Beeline.
To get a closer view, click on the image.
Moss & Flames
On a hike through the woods, my eyes were drawn to this scene. Sunlight streaming through the trees illuminated a patch of moss growing on a decaying log.
What caught my eye was the little, bright red, hair-like plants growing from the green moss bed. The way the light hit it, it reminded me of little flames.
I wish you could have been there because I don’t think the photo does it justice. If you like to view a larger version (maybe that would help), just click on the photo.
High-Tech Armour
I don’t know what kind of bug this is. It happened to see it while photographing some flowers in our yard. About half the size of my thumbnail, I would have missed it had it not been perched on some dried foliage. It’s color, contrasting against the dull brown, caught my eye.
I think it looks like the creation of some sci-fi movie maker – a futuristic, warrior bug clad with high-tech armour that can withstand any attack from earth’s conventional weapons. But don’t panic. Some unlikely hero will discover a weakness we can exploit to vanquish this foe and save the world. I’m sure peace and tranquility will be restored before you reach the bottom of that huge tub of buttered popcorn. Just sit back and enjoy the show.
You can get a closer look at this other-worldly menace by clicking on the photo.
Watchful Eye
Here’s a little touch of nature for you. I stopped to take some photos around the harbor at Algoma, Wisconsin. It wasn’t a foggy day elsewhere, but conditions were right to create a foggy area around the piers and lighthouse. I took a few photos (some I’ll be posting later) of the pier and a fisherman in the fog, and the lighthouse and boats.
As I finished and headed back to my vehicle, I noticed a few wildflowers growing near the water. I stopped to take a few random shots. Then I noticed a few bees – always a favorite photographic subject of mine – so I stopped to take a few photos of them. Then, as I started to leave again, I noticed a flash of yellow. An American Goldfinch landed in a nearby patch of thistles to enjoy a meal. It didn’t seem bothered by my presence, so I started taking photos. (Some I’ll post later.)
While concentrating on the Goldfinch, I happened to notice a bee in the foreground and refocused on the bee for awhile…as the bird continued to feast in the background.
The one thing I don’t like about this image (and others in the batch) is the background. I think it looks unnatural and fake. The background is simply the water of the harbor. I would have preferred something that had a little more color variation, instead of the flat blue, but I wasn’t able to change my position to create a different look. The thistles were only a foot or two from the water and I was shooting from a position higher than the bird.
If you’d like to see a larger version, just click on the photo.
This photo, and another cropped version, is available for sale. To see pricing, click on the blue bar below.
Covering the Cosmos
We planted a patch of wildflowers next to our vegetable garden. Unfortunately, the weeds are out performing the flowers. Out of the several varieties that made up the wildflower mix we planted, the cosmos did best. This is one that attracted some of the local wildlife.
If you have a large monitor and would like to get an even closer look, click on the image and it will open in another tab.
Garden Variety Nymphs
I found these cute little bugs hanging around on the zucchini in our garden. These are squash bugs…still in the nymph stage. This photo makes them look larger than they really are.
To see the nymphs even larger, click on the photo.
Twirling Floral Skirt
Beside my wife’s flower bed, sprouting from a crack in the sidewalk, we have a cluster of sweet, tiny, pink poppies that appeared on their own.
I took this photo in the early morning hours. I call it Twirling Floral Skirt because it reminds me of a young girl spinning around to make her skirt flow out.
To see it better, click on the image and a larger version will open another tab in your browser.
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.
Center of the Cosmos
This bee was about some serious bee work on the center of a purple cosmos flower. I don’t recall seeing this particular type of bee before – with white hair, orange antennae and a yellowish-green eye. However, this year I’ve photographed several.
To get a better view of this bee and the flower, click on it and a larger version will open in a new tab.
Three’s a Crowd
A couple of bees were working on this Sunflower when an ant decided to enter the picture. This is a flower in my wife’s flower bed. Not a flower she planted. One that was added by the birds dropping seeds from the feeders.
To see it larger, click on the image and it will open up in a new browser tab.
Bold and Beautiful (monochrome)
Sometimes I like taking a favorite color photo and removing the color – making it monochrome – to see how the change affects the image. There are times when the B&W version is better…and times when it is not. This is a monochrome version of Bold and Beautiful. You can look and both and decide which you like better – color or B&W. I like aspects of both and would call this one a toss up.
Click on the image to see a larger version.