A Stinkbug was peeeping out from between the leaves
and a Robberfly was quietly laying in way for some unwary bug to come closer.
The bees were having a ball collecting pollen and slurping up the sweet nectare.....
...but dont ask me what this Blowfly wanted?
A spider had built a nest curled up in one of the leaves........
...and was laying in wait for dinner to come within range. I could just see its legs sticking out to the one side of the nest.
The flowers were starting to develope into fruit.....
It just goes to show how much insect activity there can be in a small orchid like this of maybe 20 trees......
You seem to have stumbles onto a bug party. Some awesome closeups. They must have been party'd out by then and too tired to fly off when you came near.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonker. Or else they were just too lazy. :)
ReplyDeleteNice pic,s Joan. The Robberfly looks like an Apache helicopter ready for take off :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence. It sure does. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad for your prolific photos, Joan. I have been on a bit of a dry spell for these past couple of weeks. It's that I am just way too busy. On the up side, I'm learning to play the congas. That's fun!
ReplyDeleteIf we were as observant as you Joan I'll bet we'd discover more small life around us. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. As always, I love your macros, that bee looks almost drunk with pollen.
ReplyDelete1.5 months left. Yipee!
I know winter is a bad time for you Craver, so I try to make up for it by bringing you some sunshine. Hope it works and makes you feel warmer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gaelyn. I think it is only a case of us each seeing different things or at leat being able to pick up different things.
ReplyDeleteYes, 6 weeks. I am counting them too and can hardly wait for your arrival. I was looking at what time you areive and I see it is 08:30. I will be there!!
What a tremendous lot of life in one spot! You really found them all and the photos are great!
ReplyDeleteSo many good pictures...
ReplyDeleteI like very much the first,in which the subject seems to say: "Hey!I'm here! Take a picture!"
How special eyes the Blowfly has! (Or are those brown parts eyes? ) And that little Stinkbug looks a bit sad. Such sorrowful eyes. :)
ReplyDeleteJoan, is the yellow colour in insects a mark of something special, such as being poisonous or smth?
Päivi
Nice shots there Joan, I really like that Robber fly. I don't see to many of them around here any more, maybe this summer.
ReplyDeleteYes there is probably a lot more going on amongst those 20 or so trees in that orchard than one would think. One time a long time ago, I took and marked off a one square foot area out behind the apartment, then I watched it for about a week and photographed what I found within it over the course of that week, you would be surprised at just how many things will reside in such small area.
This is one all around great Orchid Joan. What a great time they all must be having.
ReplyDeleteI think the Blowfly just wanted his picture taken.
B.
Beautiful macro shots Joan...Thomas
ReplyDeleteQuite a buguverse in that little orchard -- and for every insect you saw, there were probably dozens that you didn't see.
ReplyDeleteI think you are starting to invent and create new species of insects Joan. There just seems to be an endless variety just outside your doors. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary. It was a wonderful few days I spent there finding all these bugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea. I think he would be pleased to know he has become so famous. :)
ReplyDeleteHello Päivi. Yes they are its eyes. No, yellow does not mean anything as far as I know but red does. Most insects are colorblind and see only in black and white so red would show as black in their vision and predators would avoid them. As stinkbugs are mosrtle found on flowers the yellow would help them blend in to their surroundings.
ReplyDeleteHello Ken. I am sure at this stage you are begining to wish the winter over so you can get out there to take pics. The warmer weather you are having will bring them out soon enough.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea to mark and area off like that and if I did not stay in the city like this, I would follow your lead on it and do the same.
It sure is Becky. :) It is as Bernie and a few others have said, I think the word has spread and they all want their pictures taken. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Thomas. The few days proved to be very fruitful without a lot of effort. I think maybe soon I should go back there for a few days.
ReplyDeleteLOL!! You are probably right about that Marvin. I often wonder how many I pass by without noticing. :) Crafty little bugs hide away on purpose or are camera shy I think. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL!! You sound like Craig now Bernie. He is convinced I make them out of clay. :) We sure have a huge variety here and even after all this time of photographing them, they still astound me in their colors, shapes and diversity.
ReplyDeleteJoan: Neat stink bug peeking from under the leaves.
ReplyDeleteIt's like a zoo with all those different specimens. That bee does look like it's having a good time.
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of citrus blossoms and if I was a but, I'd head for them myself!
ReplyDeleteAmazing pictures, as per usual :) The ones of the blowfly and stink bug are just WOW!! You're so talented!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom. A pity it stinks so much. :)
ReplyDeleteHello Diane. You are right, an insect zoo. :)
ReplyDeleteHello Steve. That has to be one of my favorite fragrances. When I used to work in the game reserve I would pass through a town on the way there that had many citrus orchids and I could smell when I was getting near to it. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Leeloo, thats very kind of you but I must give the credit to the great camera I have. :)
ReplyDeleteI am going to set a goal this spring and summer to really look around for insects and to see how many I can find. I think I tend to look at the bigger picture as with the birds and I need to look smaller... Michelle
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are going to find many Michelle. They are just but take a little more effort to find. I would love to see some from your region.
ReplyDelete