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Clavate Tortoise Beetle ( Plagiometriona clavata )
Here it is SuperBowl Sunday and I'm out taking pictures of bugs and flowers - but not far from the TV since these photos were taken in our backyard. I saw this California tortoiseshell butterfly on the blooming Manzanita this morning - it was out really early for the season, except that it was in the seventies yesterday and will get there again today. This guy is pretty chewed up and its amazing it can still fly. These butterflies hatch out in June and fly throughout the summer, then overwinter and come out in the spring until April or May when they reproduce and it starts the cycle all over again.
Looking for a place to lay her eggs.
The Unsung Native Pollinator of the Philippines
Ladybug on a Daisy
Pursuing Ladybugs with a quality macro lens has it’s rewards. This 18 inch square image with a smooth green bokeh is a favorite summer pursuit. They are usually fast movers, difficult to catch sitting still enough to compose a frame. This one was an exception. It was sipping on the drops of “nectar” from the flowers petal.
The Ladybug didn’t eat the daisy. There were many grasshoppers around, obviously someone seconds before munched the petals. I wouldn’t want to accuse the grasshoppers without any proof ……(apparently outdated morality these days but I digress😟) Anyway, ladybug saw an opportunity to rehydrate and get some sugar. Nature is all about one creature making it either easy or hard on another. This little one is making good from damage. It will go on and eat aphids, scale insects and mites.
Red in nature is usually a warning. It’s a big flag that says they might not be a good choice to eat. Ladybugs blood (yellow) has a foul odor I understand from reading but I’ve never noticed it. I have ordered thousands of Ladybugs for my aquaponic greenhouse. Handled them by the hand full before but never crushed one let alone tasted lol.
I think they are little turtles having photographed them up close and personal for a while. When threatened they “turtle up” and release a little yellow blood from their legs (stinky as discussed above). The red / stinky strategy apparently works as they are abundant up here in the borderlands.
Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands (Wyotana)
Title: Ladybug on a Daisy
blissphotographics.com/ladybug-on-a-daisy/
Ladybug, ladybug! Fly away home.
Your house is on fire
and your children all gone.
All except one, and that’s little Ann,
for she has crept under the frying pan. (tickle child under arm)
Heard that one as a child more than a few times and repeated it to my boy a time or two. It instantly came to my mind when I saw this little guy hunting on top of this huge (relatively) Yellow Yarrow head.
These guys are little tanks moving about and are happy as a clam if they have their head buried in a crack. Their butt exposed to the world for all to see. The armor must work though. Boy they eat aphids like they are a delicacy. This is a wild one but I bring in thousands for my aquaponic green house to control unwanted pests.
Location: Bliss DInoaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.
blissphotographics.com/lady-bug-hunting/
The Green Iridescent Bee is gathering pollen from this surviving Aster after the freezes of late. This may be one of the last outdoor insect photos of this year.
This little guy is about 1/4 of an inch long total so this is an “UltraMacro” shot with a 2x mag factor at about 1 inch distance from the bee. There are lights around the optic so the slight yellow colorcast is due to that. I corrected it best I could without washing out the actual yellow of it’s body.
How to get 1 inch away from a bee….patience, and it is very much of a photo-yoga application. Smooth movements with no sudden changes of direction help tremendously lolol.
Location; Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.
blissphotographics.com/green-iridescent-bee-on-an-aster-i...
A small sweat bee (halictus ligatus) on flower stamens, Western Oregon.
A male short tongued bee (andrena sp.) in flight, western Oregon.
A male short tongued bee (andrena sp.) in flight, western Oregon.
For more information davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/2304/
I had always wanted to see one of these, and in one day I saw a male calling (didn't get a photo) and a female heading his way. This is her defence mechanism, as she is slow and doesn't have any actual wings.
Both parties survived the experience!
