Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts

Friday, 29 July 2011

Morning Rendezvous

Spent a few hours this morning being mesmerized by dragonflies and damselflies at a pond.  The whole scenery was alive with the buzzing of various dragonflies and damselflies such that I was totally enraptured!

As I watched, my heart went out to this Platylestes heterostylus as a Pseudagrion australasiae kept attacking it as it perched on a stem, chasing it away.  It took a while, and several perches later, before it found peace of mind and eventually began its morning stretching routine by flexing and swinging its abdomen in an aerobic workout.


This Pseudagrion australasiae is really quite a bully...


One of the Lestes praemorsus at the pond.  There were quite a number of them, all perched quite inconspicuously, minding their own business, each in its own world of daydreams.


I wonder what happened to that wing of this Neurothemis fulvia?  Looks as if it's been scorched.  Doesn't it make you wonder?


The Aethriamanta gracilis was rather flighty but finally managed to take a few photos.  Spotted several of them this morning.


Also spotted about five of these tiny yellow damselflies of the species Ceriagrion calamineum.


A contrast to the yellow damselfly above is this dashing red dragonfly, the Urothemis signata.


A number of these hovered near my feet.  These really tiny Agriocnemis femina could easily dart away and disappear from sight in a fraction of a second.


These damselflies sharing a twig.


And another favourite hangout on a twig with more than just one damselfly.


And then, there was also this bee that had me distracted for a bit.....


What a great morning indeed!




Saturday, 30 April 2011

Love Them Bugs!


Bugs are mostly ecologically beneficial - to us, to the environment, to the earth.
Some bugs are pollinators and some are scavengers.
While some insectivorous bugs are biological pest control agents. 
Bugs are also composting agents in recycling biological matters.
And in the process, returning nutrients back to the earth.

Bugs being bugs, most of us are afraid of some or all them for one reason or another.
And sometimes for no reason at all.
Our natural reaction is to swat it, to kill it.
Sometimes without even knowing exactly what bug it is.
But simply because it is a bug.

Scary, ugly, creepy creatures.
They crawl, they walk, they fly.
They bite, they sting... they are pests!
Are they really all that bad?
Is it them or is it us?

Bugs have been more valuable to earth than humans can ever be!
While we are hurting earth, bugs have been nurturing it.
Without bugs, where would we be?
Love them or hate them?
Beastly or bizarre, they are still amazing, beautiful bugs!



These are some bug shots taken in recent weeks.


Is this a plant hopper?  A bizarre-looking bug on my wall...


This grasshopper is quite well-camouflaged as it rests among some plant leaves.

Squash bugs taking shelter and staying cool under a leaf.


A plant bug clinging to a stem could have been easily camouflaged as a grass blade.
An assassin bug on a vine and on the prowl.

One of the many species of bees on a bud of the crepe myrtle.

A carpenter bee checking out a stand of dead wood.

A brightly coloured, amazing looking green leaf bug.

Love them!



Sunday, 12 December 2010

A Dragonfly And Various Visitors


There was this one morning when a dragonfly flew smack onto my windscreen while I was driving.  And then it got wedged on its back on my wiper blade.  Its abdomen was folded in at a ninety degree angle, perpendicular to its torso. 

I pulled to a stop as soon as I could, hoping to free it and let it fly away.  It did not move.  I picked it up and placed it the right way up on its legs.  Still no movement...

I've got myself a dead dragonfly!

In the end, I brought it home and took a picture.




Anyway, I've had various other visitors over the past few weeks as well...

This moth must have been attracted to the light and flew into the back of the wall light.




Next was this bee who also took a fancy to this very same wall light.




And, other visitors include this pair of bulbuls perched on the coconut tree in the garden...





Friday, 27 August 2010

Bee on Tridax Daisy




A Bee Gathering Nectar

This is a series of photos of a bee gathering nectar on the Tridax procumbens daisies.  It was such a hot day, yet these bees are just working away!