So like I said yesterday, it was
really windy when I was shooting. So even though some of the animals and plants were being pretty cooperative, it was still a tough shoot when the winds picked up. On the flip side, it did make the insects want to stay on the plants to avoid being blown half way to Oz.
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| Bee Examines Loosestrife |
One of the clearest shots of a bee's face I've gotten. Getting their backs is pretty easy. I get the impression a lot of the time that if you're behind them, you aren't of interest, so they keep doing what they're doing. But if they can see you they tend to take off. Yes, they have stingers, but I'm probably about one million times their body weight or something.
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| Bending Bee |
Here he is again. I've never seen a bee 'bend at the waist' before.
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| Hover Fly on Arrow Root |
I think in a previous post I may have labeled this insect as a wasp, but further digging has me coming up with the fact that it's a Hover Fly.
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| Arrowroot, Flies Right (and Left) |
As I was watching, he got a friend. :)
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| Goldenrod Reaches Out |
This is a goldenrod branch in very bright light (so I could use a very fast shutter) in very strong wind. It reminds me of the kid who realizes they're shooting the news near him so he starts sticking his head or hand into the frame, just because he can.
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| White-Faced, Faced Away |
Alright, I can't see his face, but I'm pretty sure this is a White-Faced Meadowhawk, he has the white tail-tip of the species. He's smaller than the Red Saddlebags, and has, you know, no saddlebags. He's also smaller than the Band-Winged Meadowhawk and doesn't have the brown patches on his wings. So, deduction leaves me with White-Faced Meadhowhawk. He's a perfect example of what I was saying when I said some of the insects and animals found a place to cling to and held on for dear life as the wind picked up.
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| Not the Gator You Thought I Was |
What do you see? I saw a very small alligator, which, this being Northern Illinois was pretty improbable, but I did a double take! It's a bit of duckweed on a piece of reed.
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| Home-making, Spider-Style |
This appears to be a Common House Spider. She was busily spinning her web as I watched. (Now if I could just do *something* about the spider that's living in my wing mirror, who makes a new beautiful web after every time I drive my car, but keeps hiding in the mirror housing, so I can't relocate her to somewhere more stable.)
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| Leopard Frog Tadpole (Can we get another Animal in there?) |
There were two of the three frog species I found in my last post. Here's a tadpole of one of those frogs. Go figure, it's a Southern Leopard Frog Tadpole. Even as a tad his spots are obvious.
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| Telling Polliwog Tails |
And here's what happens when he starts to grow up! I actually contacted some herpetologist friends of mine because I was worried that there was some kind of mutation happening here. I'm not used to seeing a frog with such well developed limbs and frog face-structure with so much tail. I've been assured it's what's called a polliwog and he's perfectly normal. (If a bit odd looking. :)
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| Business End of a Wasp |
And then there was this. A really cool picture of a Yellow-Jacket's backside. The details of his stripes are clear as is the veining of his wings.
Okay, about half-way done I think. As I got going around the tamarack forest I got some really amazing landscapes. Not my usual fare, but some really amazing pictures. :)
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