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
Missouri
Orange Adorned Butterfly
This little beauty was content to pose for a photo or two. I don’t know what kind of butterfly it is. It was one of hundreds we walked among at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO. I was able to snap several other unique butterflies there and will share them in the days and weeks to come. Stay tuned.
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Simple Pleasures
Sometimes, life’s simple pleasures are the best. There’s nothing fancy about these wildflowers; found growing along a roadside. They are simple and beautiful in their simplicity.
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Gentleman Bluebird
Among our favorite birds, this handsome Eastern Bluebird was found and photographed in the trees lining the shore of Table Rock Lake, at Branson, Missouri.
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House Sitting House Wren
I happened to catch this house wren sitting in the doorway of its home, but it wasn’t there long. I was constantly swooping in and out to bring insects to the babies inside.
In an earlier post, I showed this same wren with a beak full of spider to feed the babes. See it HERE.
This bird was photographed on a recent trip to northwest Missouri. We’ve not been able to attract an wrens to nest in a similar house we have in our yard in northeast Wisconsin.
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Sneaky Snake
I call this guy, Sneaky Snake. I stumbled upon him on a walk through the woods of northwest Missouri.
On vacation I got to spend some time in the woods with my camera. As I mentioned in an earlier post, when I’m alone in the woods I like to walk slowly, stopping often to look around me, taking my time to spot anything of interest. It was at such a stop on a path that I noticed this snake in the grass. I really don’t know how I spotted it, it was so well hidden.
This was an unusual find for me because the snake wasn’t on the ground. It had coiled itself up on some of the stalks of grass, resting in its own stand, about a foot of the ground.
It sat motionless as I tried to move my camera into a position that would allow me to get a shot through the grass. After snapping a few frames, I decided to try and move some of the grass that was obstructing my view since the snake was holding steady, with only the a slightest movement of it’s head. Using a stick, I tried to part some of the grass nearest me. The moment a blade of grass moved the stake dropped to the ground and was gone. It was freaky fast. No way to follow it through the tall grass.
I have no idea what kind of snake it was. I’m guessing its overall length was about three feet.
This image is much more impressive in the large size. Click on the photo to see the bigger version.
House Wren Spider Snack
This house wren was busy taking fresh food to its babies nestled in the tiny birdhouse hanging in this tree. If you look closely at the snack in its beak, this particular morsel was a spider.
This little cutie was captured in rural Missouri.
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Rabbit in the Clearing
On an early morning walk though Missouri woods, I came across this gentle woodland creature in a clearing. It watched me for a short moment before hopping on its way.
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Hands Lifted High
This is an example of unusual light creating an unusually lovely image. This sparse bunch of Phlox were being illuminated by the muted light of very low sun in the early morning.
There were Phlox bunches filled with many more blooms, but the cool color of these few caught my eye.
Get a better look at a larger version by clicking on the photo.
Ugly Bug Feast
My camera and I spent a warm summer morning roaming the woods of northwest Missouri.
I found small clearing with some wildflowers, including a number of beautiful Queen Ann’s Lace. On one bunch of Queen Ann’s Lace I spotted a black wasp with distinctive white stripes. It was easy to see the bed of white.
Upon closer inspection, it was obvious the wasp had died there Then I noticed a smaller, ugly bug gnawing on it’s leg. It took some searching and help from a friend to identify it as an Ambush Bug.
I watched it for awhile and saw the ambush bug try to carry the wasp off, but seemed unable. I think the wasps legs were stuck in the flower bed.
I made it a point to check back the next day and couldn’t find any sign of either parties.
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By a Thread
In the spider world, this is a common character. I’ve found and photographed this type in our gardens in Wisconsin. This one was photographed in the woods of Missouri.
We typically refer to this as a Garden Spider. If you want to get technical, it’s a Black and Yellow Argiope (argiope aurantia).
If it won’t creep you out, you can view a larger version of this image by simply clicking on the photo.