Volo Bog - 9.04.10 - Post 3

Still working on Volo Bog.  The more I look at these shots the more I realize that while a lot of them aren't *bad*, a lot more of them would be *good* if I could be bothered to schlep my tripod more often.

Honeybee on Flower Bulb

Here's a pretty decent shot of a honeybee.  This was snapped in a windier moment and you can see how the bee has dug in to the flower with not only his legs, but his antennae in order to hold in such lovely weather

Pollen Collecting Makes for a Busy Bee

Okay, so you learn something new everyday that you blog.  That bright orange spot on this honeybee?  A pollen sack.  From Honeybee Anatomy and Physiology:

The back leg is the most interesting leg. This has rows of little brushes called pollen combs which are used to pass pollen up the leg. As it makes this journey, the pollen is moistened with a bit of nectar so the bee can knead it into a pellet and then place it on a spike that we call the "pollen sack". 

So we can be certain that this guy has, in fact, been a busy little bee. :)
 

Clouds Over Volo Bog

These next two shots are some of my all time favorites, which is unusual for me since I don't do a lot of landscapes.  Thes are shots from a bird and bog overlook at on the Tamarack Trail.  I took some shots, ate my lunch and then shot some more.  These strike me so much as watercolors more than photographs.  This one was done with the telephoto lens on, pulled back as far as I could.  I love the look of the clouds as well as the fact that in the break in the duckweed, the water is so still you can see the reflection of that tree that's sticking out over the water in the center of the picture.

A Break in the Clouds

Same place, different lens.  I put on the kit lens to get a wider view.  By the time I finished my lunch there was a very small break in the clouds, giving the photo a new focal point and brightening the clouds.

Common Darter, a Long Way from Home?

Back to the telephoto and the small world again.  A new dragonfly for me.  Everything I find online shows me that this should be a Common Darter.  Thing about Common Darters is that they live in Europe and there is no listing (that I can find) of them having a population in the U.S.  (The only thing I find is other people going, "I swear this is a Common Darter, but those don't live in the U.S. so...?) If this IS a Common Darter, it's a mature female - the females start off dark yellow and turn chocolate-brown as they age.  Sure looks right to me.

Common Darter, Face First

Same critter, different angle.  You can see, slightly better, the white face and her wings.  If anyone knows for sure what kind of dragonfly I have here, I'd love to get your input.

Buckeye: Side View

Buckeyes are ridiculously friendly to photographers.  They tend to land in the open and don't seem overly bothered when a human creeps up on them. 

Buckeye: Facing Front

I was even able to pass her and come around and shoot her face from a different angle. (BTW, unless there's an obvious coloration difference between the genders or other obvious sign of gender, I randomly assign genders to the critters I shoot.  I don't like referring to them as 'it' if I can avoid it.)

Yellow Bee on Goldenrod

Yes, another bee.  What I like about this one is not only that the bee is nice and clear, but the only part of the picture in focus is the bee and the branch he's hanging on and the leaf right next to him.

Questionable Caterpillar

Please help!  I'm reasonably sure this is some kind of caterpillar.  He's caterpillar-shaped and has little caterpillar-type feet visible near the left-hand side.  But searching is getting me absolutely nowhere.  The problem with Google is that when you search for "pink caterpillar" you don't just get 'baby butterflies and moths'.  You get about 75 million cutesy little companies for baby clothes or cloth lunch bags.  So I'd love it if someone could help me identify this guy.

That's ten... I'm maybe half-way done with the shots from this hike.  All in all, it was a pretty good day behind the camera.