Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Last week I spent some time in my wife’s flower garden, mainly taking macro pics of the beautiful blooms. This gorgeous bee was taking advantage of the bounty, hopping in and out of the flowers. It was a bit interesting to watch as to get to the good stuff, the bee and to climb all the way into the flower. When it emerged, it would stop, clean itself, then move on to the next one and repeat the process.
I have bragged before about the beautiful job my wife did over a period of three years turning much of our backyard into an oasis for us as well as birds and insects.
After being out of town for much of a week, I desperately needed to catch up on yardwork yesterday so I skipped my usual photo excursion. After much of the work was done though, I broke out the camera and spent some time in the yard photographing some of the cool visitors.
Among them, a cabbage white butterfly, a young broad-tailed hummingbird, a European paper wasp and an orange-belted bumblebee. It was late morning by the time I took these and the light was kind of harsh but fun stuff to see no matter the time of day.
Much of the work was done thanks to Thornton Water Conservation and is a certified National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Habitat.
Well, okay then. Normally I look at these large bees and think they almost look cute. They fly along somewhat lazily and are noticeably fuzzy. Up close with a macro lens though? Kind of terrifying in a way. While they are big as far as bees go, I am thankful they aren’t any larger. Haha.
Holy cow! Check out this little green dude. I was out taking pictures in my wife’s flower garden, mainly focusing on “normal” bees. This one landed on a flower next to where I was shooting and its neon green coloring quickly got my attention.
Honestly, I don’t think I have ever noticed them before and to me, it looks more like a wasp or hornet with that big tail.
Anyway, doing some research I learned it is a “metallic green sweat bee”, common in the Western Hemisphere. They build their nests in the ground and are an important pollinator. They get their name because they are sometimes drawn to sweat but they present no more of a threat than most bees.
What to do when you are bored? Head out to your wife’s beautiful flower gardens and see what you can find.
One of the reasons I bought a macro lens was just for occasions like this – photo ops right in my own backyard. I have a lot to learn but am getting better each time I break out the lens.
This little guy was doing what #bees do, pollinating this flower and then moving on to the next.
I do have to give a shoutout to the City of Thornton and their Thornton Water Conservation. Their “H2Overhaul” program provided the incentive for us to do a ton of work on the yard and install these gardens.
The sunflowers are in bloom on the Colorado plains and I of course had to head out and check them out this past Sunday. There didn’t seem to be quite as many fields of them in the usual areas this year and a couple fields looked really anemic. This one though was gorgeous and ablaze in bright yellow beneath our blue skies. A closer look at this one saw a busy pollinator at work. The bee was well-camouflaged with its color scheme closely matching the flower’s.
Our lavender bushes are in full bloom right now and the bees have been taking advantage of the nectar available to them. I don’t have a true macro lens so it is hard for me to capture the intricate detail of insects but I thought this image came out pretty well given my limited gear.
The bees really seem to be enjoying our lavender bushes this year. Kind of fun to just go out and sit and snap a few pics of them as they buzz around. Best of all, no driving to a destination.
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