Category Archives: Insects

Day 232 – Fun with fill-flash: Apples, grapes, ants and bees!

Getting this right will mean when I’m shooting people I’ll get it right then too.   All of these were shot at ISO 100 with exposure stopped down one or two stops and then fill flash at about 1/4 intensity. I used the LumiQuest 80-20 with the white reflector and no diffuser.

The apples are getting big!  I should be able to start harvesting them soon. I hope my co-workers are in the mood for Granny Smiths!

 

 

I hope they like grapes too. The vine always gives us far more than we can eat ourselves.

 

This ant was working the nectar . . .

Out front the bees were going at it.

 

 

 

Day 227 – Are these butterflies or moths?

I assume they are butterflies, but either way, they were very busy gathering nectar this afternoon.  If anyone can identify them, please do so in the comments. Thanks!  EDITED: Thanks to Emilio we now know that these are Western Branded Skippers (Hesperia colorado).  (Or they are Hesperia nevada – it’s hard to tell)

Handsome!

Getting nectar from the flower.

In this last one I was able to capture her (him?) eating the nectar.

Symbiosis

I took these photos on June 6th and thought you might enjoy them. The musk thistles that I’ve been so fascinated with are also hives of insect activity.  All kinds of bugs make their home within the plants’ spiny leaves.  I thought these ants were using this thistle as an ant nursery, but they may have been harvesting honeydew from the aphids living there. Either way, I found the activity quite fascinating.

I am testing out the “gallery” feature of WordPress, but I have also posted the photos on SmugMug, in the likely event that WP flattens the photos’ color.

Day 181 – Hiding in the petals

I was able to work from home today and that meant that I didn’t have to leave the house early in the morning.  Taking advantage of the extra time before my “work day” started, I headed out to photograph the backyard in the early morning light. Today was watering day and the flowers still held droplets of water from the sprinklers.

And then there is the purple sage . . .

The flowers are indeed lovely, but they also attract some six-legged creatures.  I’ve given up trying to avoid them, and now seek them out.

After fighting with VPN and reports all day I slipped out into the backyard once again, and guess what I found hiding in the roses? Anyone know what this little guy is? And he was teeny. A grasshopper? Cricket? Locust?