Posts in Category: insect
Maine. Special edition, White Admiral
The other day out at the Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy here in Kennebunk, Maine, there were at least three different species of butterflies that I saw. The White Admiral is one of my favorites. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Insect subject recognition auto focus. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Honey
Honey Bee: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, July 2024 — The plantings at Randall Davey attract a wide variety of pollinators, including, of course, the Western Honey Bee. I like the way the bee is framed here, and the dramatic lighting. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VDX zoom at 313mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds in flight and action modifications. Insect subject recognition and focus. Processed in Photomator.
Colorado! Mouthful
American Robin: Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City, Colorado, USA, July 2024 — The Visitor Center at RMANWR is new since I last visited and I was impressed. Lovely building and displays, and the children’s room is an exceptionally good idea. They have a little native plant garden out back, with some feeders and water, and this American Robin was active in the area…and as you can see from the photo, successfully hunting down a meal. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Colorado! Pearly
Pearly Crescent: Centennial, Colorado, July 2024 — I am not seeing many birds in the suburban Denver neighborhood where my daughter and her family live, but the butterflies have been interesting. There are lots of little flower plots in yards and as part of the landscaping of the developments, so there is lots to attract butterflies. This is a Pearly Crescent. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving birds and wildlife modifications. Insect subject recognition. Processed in Photomator.
Denver! Two-tailed
Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail: Centennial, Colorado, July 2024 — I went for a short walk around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon in the Denver heat to see if any birds were out and about. They weren’t, but I caught this Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail visiting the Day Lilies in the entry-way plantings of one of the many housing developments that make up this part of Centennial. Perhaps the largest and most colorful of the western swallowtails, this one was diving deep in the lilies after nectar. It was very active and hard to keep in the frame. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving bird and wildlife modifications. Insect subject recognition. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Honey Bee in the bee plant
Honey Bee: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 2024 — The Rocky Mountain Bee-plant was, true to the name, full of bees and other insects in the gardens at the Randall Davey Audubon Center. This is common Honey Bee from someone’s hive, making the most of bloom. I used the macro region of the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom on the Sony a6700 and leaned in close…closer than a foot. The insect subject recognition works well on the Sony. Program mode with my evolving bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Hummingbird Moth
Though it is often called a hummingbird moth because it looks and acts like a hummer, it is actually a White-lined Sphinx Moth and it was busy among the flowers at the Randall Davey Audubon Center in the hills above Santa Fe, New Mexico yesterday (two actually). I got to test out the insect subject recognition auto focus on the Sony a6700. It works very well…however I had to switch off “silent shutter” as the rolling shutter effect did strange things to the moth’s wings. Propeller effect for sure. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds in flight and action modifications and Insect Recognition auto focus. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! bug in the eye
A little worm on the variant Blackeyed Susan in our Kennebunk, Maine yard. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 106mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving macro modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Bee in rose
Bumblebee in wild rose: Along the Kennebunk Bridle Path while looking for Egrets, this bee in a lovely wild rose caught my eye. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with insect recognition and my bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Knapweed, Bumblebee, Tarnished Plant Bug
Like the title says this is a Knapweed flower head with two visitors: a bumblebee and the tiny Tarnished Plant Bug. The bee is a pollinator, the Plant Bug is a parasite. Photographed with the OM System OM-1Mkii and the M.Zuiko ED 150-600IS zoom at 300mm equivalent from not much over a foot. Program mode. Processed in Photomator.