A Dragonfly Devours a Bee
I have many, many photographs to share from my trip to Maine, but now, before I’ve even shared a handful, I’m heading off to the beach for another week of vacation with my family.
Before I go, I’d like to share my capture (taken in Maine) of a dragonfly wolfing down a bee.
Bon appétit!
Cicada Killer Wasp
I had an extraordinary encounter the other day when I was on my way to visit my usual wasp nest. I heard a loud buzzing near me, and after looking around realized that right in front of me on the sidewalk I was witnessing a murder. I had my camera in hand, but it was in manual mode and the wasp was moving so quickly that I could only snag a few shots. This very large wasp, known as the Cicada Killer Wasp, had stung and paralyzed its prey: the poor victim you see being dragged on its back in the first shot. I crouched down to get the shot, and before I knew it, the wasp had zoomed over to a nearby tree, where it made its way, fluttering its wings as it climbed, up to a branch out of my sight. It all happened so quickly that I was happy to come away with any images at all. I guess the wasp wanted some privacy to enjoy his kill.
I want to thank everyone who has been sticking with me over the past several days. I’m so grateful for your comments and visits. Later this week, I’m going to stop posting for a while. I’ll be on vacation– where I’ll be taking lots of photographs, since I’ll be in the deep woods and on the coast: great locations for macro mania–but this will give me the chance to spend some time catching up on all of your blogs during that time as well, something I’m looking forward to doing. So, soon, you’ll see me roaming around your neck of the blogosphere. In the meantime, thank you, thank you for all of your encouraging words and for taking the time to stop by.
A Little Wasp Family
Okay, everyone: here’s a quick update on the wasp family I’ve been following. They’ve more than doubled in number, and we’re finally seeing some progress on the nest. I am hoping that yoshizen, if he sees this, can fill us in on some of the details of where we are at this stage in the nest (what the bulges are, what the green stuff is that the two wasps in the middle are sharing…etc.). It’s not the best photograph (especially in terms of its composition), but I had to take the shot and take off this time. The wasp on top of the nest must have been the look-out; she spotted me right off, and I didn’t stick around to test our relationship.
Lemony Shots 