A couple of weeks ago, I took a walk around the farm with my camera. Here's our back pasture, full of Joe Pye weed:
The honeybee and other pollinators were feasting on it. This honeybee could very well be one of my girls! Their hives are quite close to this pasture.
I still haven't found this dragonfly in my field guide. If anyone knows what kind it is, feel free to enlighten me!
The fantastically beautiful male Ebony Jewelwing damselfly:
“You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?”
And the lovely female Ebony Jewelwing damselfly...
If you are wondering what the difference is between damselflies and dragonflies, dragonflies hold their wings horizontally, while damselflies hold theirs vertically.
Meanwhile, over in the clover we have a lovely bumblebee:
Bumblebees have a straw-like tongue, just as honeybees do, and five eyes: the two large compound eyes you can easily see, plus three small ocelli (simple, light-sensing eyes) just on the top of the head. You can see them in this photo as three little dots between the tops of her compound eyes. Like honeybees, bumblebees see mainly green, blue and ultraviolet. They can't see red at all. A lot of flowers have patterns visible only with ultraviolet vision, and these patterns are like landing strip lights for bees and other pollinators. "Come on in and pollinate me, baby!"
Fall asters, of which my honeybees are quite fond!
And an obliging Oblong-winged Katydid, resting on my thumb:
And an obliging Oblong-winged Katydid, resting on my thumb:
“Make sure you get my best side!”
The Beaudette River, aka la rivière Beaudette, which runs across the back of our farm.
Hope you enjoyed the walk!
wow, that was great walk and I didnt even have to get up from the couch!! LOL
ReplyDeletelove your photography! that close up of the bumblebee was fantastic!!
thanks so much for sharing and for teaching me a little about wildlife. You know so much!!
Jill from NY
Wow you certainly have some wonderful plant and insect life at the farm. Wonderful stuff!
ReplyDeleteFantastic post. I didn't know about damselflies and dragonflies. My lesson for the day. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the walk. Thanks for the nature lesson. Your photos are awesome!
ReplyDeleteKnatty,
ReplyDeleteGood one. I so wish I didn't live on this bustling metropolitan street here in Montreal, but I must admit that noise, in my book, is better than bugs.
But the bugs you have are sweet. And you portrayed them excellently.
Knat, you are a mine of information! So that's Joe Pye Weed...now I know. Fabulous photos. Thanks
ReplyDeleteJill, I love nature and all its creatures, and it's a pleasure for me to share that with people (whether they wanna hear it or not!)
ReplyDeleteJams, I feel lucky living where I do. All sort of things go on around here. Now I want to see a bear, but not too close!
Chef Nick, I did my time in the city (including Montreal!) but I'm a country girl at heart. But I still need mah city fix from time to time.
Thanks for all the compliments on the photos, everyone!