2014, Day 233 - Boost

It wasn't as overcast as I would have liked this morning for taking photos but it was actually almost chilly which meant that the pollinators would we sluggish as they awake for another busy day.  So I walked the dogs and grabbed my camera to take some pictures of the dahlias.  They're looking amazing and the insect life around them is abundant.  This little guy looked quite content nestled into the petals of this dahlia waiting for the sun to warm his body and give him a metabolic boost.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/125 sec @ 1250 ISO

2014, Day 35 - Pillow of purple

I am getting over a pretty terrible head cold.  Every time I get sick I vow never to take breathing through both nostrils for granted again.  Admittedly I have renewed my vow but it is amazing how quickly we learn to take that simple pleasure for granted.  I can't even stop to smell the mostly non-existent flowers.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/320 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 214 - Tripped

There's no such thing as a free meal, this little guy had to work hard to get to his dinner plate.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 209 - Stuggling

I love these little green bees.  They look like they're made of gold and emeralds, little flying jewels.  You can see in this photo how much smaller this green sweat bee is than a honey bee and they compete for the same food sources on the same flowers.  The fact that he is buried in the purple flower of an artichoke just heightens the contrast and keeps things colorful.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/320 sec @ 1600 ISO

2013, Day 202 - BIF

I took a nice walk this morning and found one of my neighbors planted artichokes.  They're flowering right now and the bees are in seventh heaven.  It's fun to watch them dive in and out of the flower so I spent a few minutes to try to capture the bees in flight.  That is no easy task as they zip around like they're on speed thanks to the orgy of feeding at these massive blossoms.  I got a few good shots but this one is my favorite.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f4, 1/950 sec @ 1250 ISO

2013, Day 26 - Honey

Last week when I was gripped by plague and my kitchen was torn apart in a remodel I bought an electric kettle.  That coupled with tea, lemon, and honey really helped soothe my scratchy throat.  Thank you little bees for your industrious nature and the golden nectar it yields!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/250 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 25 - Memories of sun

Winter has returned to Portland with clouds and rain; the city is in hibernation.  I walk the dogs on streets almost devoid of life.  Rarely do I pass anyone else on foot, most people bustle to and from their cars seeking the warmth and protection they afford.  The trees are bare, the leaves long since gone but signs of life are returning.  Some brave bulbs are showing little blades of green as they slice through the cold wet earth.  I cannot wait for the return of the flowers and the insects they attract.  In a few months the world will be alive and there will be times when I feel overwhelmed.  I must remember to enjoy the peace and solitude while it lasts.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/800 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 265 - Last supper

I awoke this morning to a wet Portland!  Shocking, I know, but it hasn't rained in months so it is like an old friend returning.  The city seems different when it has rained and it smells so much cleaner after the precipitation and I admit that it made me a little sad.  Mostly my sadness came from the revelation that the insect life will become dormant.  I will miss my little friends but it will give me something to look forward to next spring.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/320 sec @ 640 ISO

2012, Day 237 - Hooked

I was walking home from some errands this morning when I happened upon a bush literally buzzing with activity.  Many of the flowers around here seem to have lost their allure but this one still has flowers yet to open and the bees are swarming it.  As I was reviewing my images this one stood out not only for its clarity but also because of a little detail.  I noticed that the bee's little hooked feet were each wrapped around flowers to keep the occasional breeze from blowing him away from his targeted flower.  The little details like this is what make macro so much fun!

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/800 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 230 - Sneak attack!

It's bug wars!  On my walk home from a grueling workout I stopped to look for excitement around a really nicely planted garden.  I've been on the lookout for a crab spider all summer but so far I've had no luck.  The rest of the spiders have hatched and some are getting pretty big but no crab spiders to be seen.  Granted, they are extremely well camouflaged but I've found them before.

What I did find was a battle of the bugs.  I was watching a small bee busy collecting pollen from a series of flowers and he was repeatedly attacked by another species of bee.  Glad for a diversion I waited, not so patiently, for another attack and this is what I managed to capture.  I would like to say it was due to my prodigious skill but I think luck played a large part in my success :)

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/1250 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 205 - Stranded bee

One of the things I like about the warm weather is the plethora of scents in the air.  Right now the fennel is in bloom and the bees are crazy for the sweet pollen on the tiny buds.  This particular patch of fennel has some tall ornamental grasses growing behind it and I though the arcs they formed in the background framed this bee very nicely.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

2012, Day 195 - Nesting in petals

This morning I awoke to an overcast sky and cool weather, it was refreshing!  While walking the dogs I noticed a number of bumble bees still resting in flowers and this guy seems to have picked the best spot of all nestled in a fragrant tea rose.  While artificial scents can be cloying and overpowering the real thing is rarely so and he has the extra protection of thorns and a flower hidden in the protective branches hiding him from peckish birds.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/320 sec @ 250 ISO

2012, Day 182 - Fuzzy friends

I know that bird in flight are hard for photographers to capture but insects in flight are so much harder.  It is difficult to track such a small subject which means you have to be really close to them and it is made all the more difficult because they don't move fluidly like birds tend to.  The weave back and forth, up and down, dart in and out of cover.  It can be frustrating so this image is a triumph.  I chased bees around for quite a while watching and waiting, trying to anticipate their movement and I finally caught this little booger.  I like how the fuzziness of the bee is echoed on the flower, they make nice companions.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/1600 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 168 - Busy as a...

Bee!  That reminds me of that youtube video of Oprah giving away bees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAhuSDRIDHE).  Anywho, this photo was taken today on a photo walk along Alberta during the heat of the day.  Despite less than an hour of walking I was much relieved to get back to the car where I could bask in airconditioning!

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f8, 1/400 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 156 - Bzzzzz

Yay, the bees are back!  Although it was overcast all day today and it rained heavily this evening the bees were busy investigating the lavender this afternoon.  I find watching them as relaxing as watching fish in an aquarium as they systematically move from flower to flower checking for any missed pollen.  One would think that they would have evolved some way to indicate which flowers had already been visited so as to maximize their efforts but the come, one after another, checking and rechecking.  Sometimes their industry makes me feel guilty for my own lack of productivity but today was not one of those days!

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/100 sec @ 320 ISO

2011, Day 236 - Licorice

Between appointments I rediscovered a large fennel plant in blossom.  It has lost most of its fragrance but the bees are crawling all over the flowers in an orgy of pollination.  Given that I find insects fascinating I had to stop and take some pictures.  I've had a long day but this is the one that jumped out at me in my sleep-deprived state as my favorite.  Presenting the European honey bee, enjoy...

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4.5, 1/250 sec @ 320 ISO

2011, Day 227 - Crown

I was watching a documentary about ants the other day and it reminded me they are relatives to bees, they are all members of the order hymenoptera.  As I watched this bee I noticed how methodical he was, walking around and around the flower harvesting pollen.  That kind of precision reminds me of ants leaving their pheromone trail so that others can follow them to a newly discovered food source.  Nothing will go to waste, they are ordered and precise, kind of like Germans of the insect world...

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/400 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 213 - Bees in space

I've seen a number of images made in lavender fields recently and although most of those were of brides I decided that I've had enough of them for the moment as I wade through wedding pictures and opted for bees in flight.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/2000 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f4, 1/2500 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 211 - Floral gluttony

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago when the oak leaf hydrangeas began to bloom.  Their pollen is between all the flowers and the bees frantically climb through to collect it.  There is a kind of orgy of bees in the flowers and it is fun to watch, like an ant farm where all the ants are on crack.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4.5, 1/8000 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 209 - Probing

On a walk in the neighborhood adjacent to my office I espied some echinacea.  Pollen abounds in echinacea and when they are in bloom you can almost always find bees and that is exactly what I discovered as I got closer.  The structure of the flower by itself is beautiful but when you put a bird bee on it you end up with art!

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/1250 sec @ 250 ISO