Throw out a thread . . .

Isn't it amazing? Throw out one thread, see where it lands, carry on from there and look what happens!

Many webs span gaps between objects which the spider could not cross by crawling. This is done by letting out a first fine adhesive thread to drift on the faintest breeze across a gap. When it sticks to a suitable surface at the far end, the spider will carefully walk along it and strengthen it with a second thread. This process is repeated until the thread is strong enough to support the rest of the web.

Credits to my seven-year-old grandson who spied this and shouted Grandma! you had better get over here right now and bring your camera!!

Incognito

When I took these photos I was concentrating on the water droplets and was delighting in the bokeh! What I didn't notice was this . . .

Is nature not amazing? and look at that big bokeh would ya!

Camouflage is a method of crypsis (hiding). It allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment.

Yellowjacket

I'm guessing this is a yellowjacket. A 'Common Aerial Yellowjacket'. It's truly amazing what is going on in the shrubs and trees around us. I was chasing a butterfly but spied this fella and he captured my imagination. Just look at his beautiful colouring and delicate wings. I knew not to get too close so I used my telephoto lens - I'm quite sure he didn't want to be interrupted!

Watery web

Wordless Wednesday at Project Alicia

I'm like a {bee}

f5.6, 1/320s, ISO100, 55mm

. . . because I'm lovin' these bachelor buttons . . .

I'm like a bee. I'm out every day gathering photos while the sun shines (and even when it isn't). Knowing full well that as each day passes, and the seasons change, the opportunities flow by quickly and won't return for another full year. I'm constantly amazed at the steady, predictable, progression that nature takes. Today, it's a bee feeding on a bachelor button, tomorrow - a sunflower.

The Bees Knees

Aerodynamically the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it, so it goes on flying anyway

~Mary Kay Ash ~

Again, I was stalking my lilac bush, watching for any and all creatures that care to visit. This time I captured what I think is a bee (I'm no expert) but a bee I will call it. What is fascinating are the two tiny pollen 'baskets' that it has filled up to the brim! I wonder how it manages to carry all that?

Delightful Dragonfly

This past week there must have been quite the 'hatching' going on down at the lake since there were literally hundreds of these dragonflies flying around the yard. There were lots of silvery flashes, like sparkles everywhere! It was quite magical.

I think this is what is called a 'Variable Darner' according to the 'Insects of Alberta' website.

Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and very rarely butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic (Wikipedia).


Linking up to Black and White Wednesday at The Long Road to China

Hummingbird Clearwing - Hemaris Thysbe

Right around this time of year my lilac bush is 'abuzz' with all sorts of creatures. For days I've been trying to capture a photo of the beautiful swallowtail butterfly that is teasing me (oh, I will get you . . .) but in the meantime I caught this Hummingbird Clearwing frantically feeding. It's quite the little creature. I would never confuse it with a hummingbird but I have to say it does remind me of one.

"This moth is often mistaken for a large bumblebee or even a small hummingbird when it hovers in front of a flower to sip the nectar. The Hummingbird Clearwing is a member of the family Sphingidae, the sphinx moths. It can be identified partly by the fact that it is active during the day where most other members of the family are nocturnal or active at night. It is also one of the smaller members of the family with a wing span of 4 to 5.5 cm. The wings are clear in the centre and have a broad brown border. Most people who see this moth for the first time have a problem trying to figure out just what it is. As stated earlier, it can be confused for a small hummingbird or a large bumblebee. Once people find out it is a moth they generally become quite fascinated by it and remember it! The larvae are seldom serious pests." See the Royal Alberta Museum.