Bees and Milkweed

Milkweed is in bloom and an exceptionally good crop of it is sprouting this year and the bees  and other insects are enjoying it. Hopefully we'll see an exceptional year for Monarch butterflies.

Rose Bed for the Night

Two insects snuggle in for the night on a a wild rose. I imagine that in the morning they'll pay for the room by pollinating the rose with another. Flowers make great cover for all sorts of insects.

Hey that's My Perch!

Some dragonflies have favorite perches, and  this 12 Spot Skimmer favored this one. When I got too close he would fly directly in front of my face and hover there for a couple of seconds like he was trying to chase me away.

Either that or he was waiting for me to kick up some supper...

Smelling the Flowers

Beautiful pollinators come in all shapes and sizes. A couple of these were exploring the flowers dragging pollen with them.

In the Summer It's All Good

Sitting amidst  a daisy's pollen, this insect looks suspiciously like a bee, however, it also appears to have only two wings which would make it a fly. Bees sport four wings.

Hanging On

Here are two dragonflies intent on creating more dragonflies. He has her by the head and will not let go until she lays his eggs into the water. They will fly around connected like this for hours.

Their offspring will live in the water as nymphs until they grow wings and emerge to fly like their parents, unless, of course, they're eaten by a frog or fish.

Snow and snow fleas

Ahhh, Coffee Creek in the snow--we got about 8 inches here. The snow fleas are out and about for the first time in years you can spot them as tiny black specks on top of the snow.

Snow fleas are not really fleas; they don't bite, nor do they make themselves at home on your pet. They are, however, an indicator of water quality. And Coffee Creek's water quality must be good here at the park because the snow fleas are abundant.

Complimentary Bug

Here's a winter warm up picture from the archives. There was a complimentary insect (not a bug true bug) on this coneflower. He crawled out of the petals as I snapped the picture. Guess he was a ham.

Seeking Shelter

This guy decided to share my coat the other day as it started to rain. He refused to move, forcing me to find him a suitable shelter to survive the rain.

What it is---a Mystery

When I'm outdoors taking pictures I very rarely disturb what I'm photographing. I like to get in close enough to get the picture, yet not enough to disturb anything that may be resting. I rarely regret this policy, but this photo of an insect that I shot yesterday gave me some regret.

The insect could be a fly, but I'm bothered by that tail looking so much like a dragonfly and that body, and then notice the feathered antennae. Is it one insect or one sitting on top of another? If I would have disturbed it I would at least know if this picture was a composite or just a very funny looking insect. Off to BugGuide for some research...    

An Added Bonus

I loved the center of this flower and got in close and received an insect bonus. This may be a flying wasp? I'm still searching for a definitive answer.  

Busy as a Bee

A bee's job seems to become more urgent when the end of September looms.

Collecting Pollen

This good looking guy was too busy collecting pollen to pay much attention to me. He just ignored me as I got in close to take his picture.

Buggy Cotton Candy

Walking along the path in the Indiana Dunes last weekend I noticed some leaves covered with a fuzzy looking white stuff.

Sticky as cotton candy, it wasn't until later down the trail that I found the culprits---insect larvae living inside.

A Miniature World

 Milkweed plants line one sunny part of a trail going into the Indiana Dunes. I like to hunt Monarch Caterpillars on Milkweed but discovered a busy miniature world this weekend.

It appears that milkweed bugs have been busy---for a quarter of a mile just about every milkweed plant looked like this.

And the miniature world gets even more interesting and busy the closer you get:

Might be the Monarch larva I was looking for in the middle

Kind of cute aren't they?

Nurturer or snack?

    

Katydid or Grasshopper?

Taxonomy is both exact and fuzzy at once. Common names are the fuzzy. Latin names generally bring exactness into the occasion, but exactness that sometimes necessitates the destruction of a specimen to properly catalog it and know for sure where it belongs.

Grasshopper and Katydid are, of course, common names. And even experts often disagree on common names.

I would consider this guy (who may be a girl?) both a Grasshopper and a Katydid. This guy certainly does hop and leap as a grasshopper should. It also sports those long antenna and long hind legs as a Katydid should.  

The Bug with the Polka Dotted Pants

This guy and I did quite a dance---he being a bit camera shy and me needing to get in quite close for a picture.

He flew away after this shot, quite disgusted with me, I'm sure. But not before I got the close up of his dotted legs.

Beauty and the Beast

The Beast fell in love with the Beauty, latched on, and would never let go.

An Ant Convention---More than Meets the Eye?

After years of observing nature, I've learned that there is sometimes more than meets the eye. Take this photo of ants on a leaf for example.

I observed the ants for quite some time. They moved around the leaf but acted as if there was some major importance attached here. The white specks of the leaf appeared to be just a natural result of fall descending. Yet the ants seem to be after something. Perhaps there's something here that I didn't see?

Hummingbird Moth

A hummingbird moth buzzing around sampling flowers...