Thursday, July 20, 2006
Serendipity

It is really interesting to me to see the motion in this shot. The bee is actually leaning into the turn like a bike rider.

I was framing up the shot of the flower when the bee flew in from the left. She made a beautiful arc into the photo and I hit the shutter release as many times as I could!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Red Dragon

I like dragonflies and this guy and his friends were putting on quite a show. They were diving down to the surface of the water and skimming across it (hence the name I guess,) I got a few action shots but this is my favorite!

While I was trying to identify this guy I found many sites incorrectly identifying damsel flies as dragonflies. The way you tell the difference is by how they hold their wings when they are resting. This is a dragonfly, wings perpendicular to the body. A damselfly holds it's wings back against it's body.

Monday, July 10, 2006
Glowing Bee

Today, when we took The Hound for her afternoon walk we bumped into one of our neighbors. She was working in her garden like she does almost every day. Part of her garden was particularly attractive to the bees, so I took the opportunity to get a few bee portraits.

Thursday, July 6, 2006
Red Lady

This morning I was playing in our little garden, and I found this little guy on one of our interesting plants. I don't recall ever seeing a Ladybug with no spots. The leaves it was exploring are on a small Plumeria tree (think of the sweet smelling flowers that most Hawaiian leis are made of) The tree has been with us for years but many times it has been fighting for life with no leaves at all. As you can see it is very happy now.

Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Hoverfly

He looks like a bee, he drinks nectar like a bee, but apparently he is a fly. And such a shiny one!

Friday, May 12, 2006
Ladybug Closeup

We had a visitor in the backyard today. This little guy is on the tip of one pad of one of our Epiphyllum (a kind of cactus, like a Christmas Cactus, but with bigger pads). So many photos right in the back yard!

Speaking of that, the Epiphyllum themselves are starting to explode! Their blooms are an amazing 3"-6" across! I'll get a good shot of them up here soon.

Sunday, April 30, 2006
Nun Bee

The sun came out today!!! Not something that would normally be such a surprise in California, but this year you have to take it one day at a time.

In honor of our beautiful sunny day we decided to take a bit of a rose garden tour. We went to the Mission rose garden and the rose garden at Fess Parker's Resort on Cabrillo.

This was one of my favorite roses of the day. I was actually taking pictures of it before the bee flew into the picture. She was quite the ham! She hovered all around in front of the rose for me.

Sunday, April 16, 2006
Honey Bee Hovering

This was actually from a Hound walk from a couple of weeks ago. I try not to chase too many bees while she is with me, but this guy was really showing off right beside the sidewalk.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Freesia Buzz

This image was one shot before yesterday's photo of the day.

It was a good walk with the hound. Maybe because it has finally warmed up a little during the day. (Personally I liked the snow! But I am not conscious early enough in the morning to go play in it before it melts :)

Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Bee in a Lavender Field

AKA "Rabbit Ears."

This is a beautiful Lavender field at Lotusland in Montecito.

Saturday, January 28, 2006
Katydid Nymph

He looks a little like a Grasshopper. Actually, with the Jade plant he looks like something out of Dr. Seuss. But, he is a closer relative of a cricket. Apparently there are about 4000 species so I was not able to identify the exact name of this one.

When I first saw him I was surprised at the small wings but, thanks to the Internet, I learned that is an indication this is a nymph (the mid stage of an insect's life.) As they get older their wings get as long or longer than their bodies.

Monday, January 2, 2006
Hovering Bee

I love the pollen on her legs, and the tight blossom right below her. It looks like something from a beautiful cake. :-D

Monday, November 7, 2005
Hovering Bee

If you have been watching the site for a while you know that I like to chase bees. So far this has turned out well for me. I assume my luck will run out eventually, but for now it's making for some really nice shots.

This one even made it to one of my greeting cards.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Euphorbia Bee

I took this in Balboa Park in San Diego, while visiting La Jolla for a very enjoyable Christmas vacation a couple of years ago. Been workin' pretty much all the time lately, so I thought I would take this opportunity to day dream about another nice trip. :-)

Monday, September 5, 2005
Hawthorne Bee

I wonder what Hawthorne honey tastes like?

Thursday, May 19, 2005
Now That's a Stinger!

I like to chase bees, as I mentioned before. So far I have been fortunate and none of my subjects have stung me. I suppose it is only a matter of time, but when I get the image I am looking for... I kind of think the feeling could make up for the pain of a sting.

Monday, February 28, 2005
Rosemary Honey

I love to chase bees. My best friend thinks I'm crazy, and she's probably right.

Saturday, February 19, 2005
Dragon

Proof that dragons once roamed the earth! (or at least the skies)

Don't believe me? Well imagine this guy's great-great-great-gran'daddy with a wingspan of well over half a meter. Making them among the largest flying insects ever known, and the largest thing in the sky at the time. Of course that was millions of years ago. In fact, these insects were around long before the dinosaurs.

• Living fossils
  Other interesting plants and animals that have remained virtually unchanged since pre-historic times.
• The Wollemi Pine
  Perhaps that giant dragon flew over these trees. The trees were thought to be extinct until 1994 when a small grove of them was found near Sydney Australia. You will soon be able to help preserve the tree by purchasing one of them (cultivated in captivity) for your garden.

Saturday, January 15, 2005
Lavender Honey

Lotusland is a wonderful place. Kind of a botanic gardens gone wild. The last time I was there I became a member, so I can go back and take a few (hundred) more rolls of film.