Insects
The buzz off
“Hey, there boy. You’re bothering me.” This poor bumblebee was trying to feed on the echinacea when other bees kept pestering it and T-boning it. I was not able to capture a T-bone, but you can see how the bumble is knocked “off-center” and ends up “not even” right after being slammed into by other flying insects.
Incoming
After the flyby T-bone
Knocked off-center & not even
The bumblebee was determined to feed.
After another whack
Incoming again
Treading air
I don’t know what type of lilies these are. I’m pretty sure we got them as a collection from Brecks, but that was years ago, and Brecks doesn’t offer anything that looks like these lilies on their website.
Ladybug on a daisy.
This lily is part of the collection, the same type of lily in a different color.
Black-Eyed Susan with a wasp.
Rio Samba
A tiny grasshopper on Heritage.
“Hi there big little boy!”
Romance is in the air and on the Shasta Daisies, as the Pearl Cresent Butterflies have been courting with standoffs and flurries of fluttery foolery in the flowers. I assume the smaller butterflies are the males.
“This is my good side.”
“Well? Are you just going to stand there and gawk at me?”
Lady Cresent in waiting.
She didn’t have to wait long.
The male paused to savor the view of Lady Crescent’s beautiful butterfly behind.
An advance.
Fluttery butterfly foolery in the flower.
I found these two had snuck off into the weeds to do the butterfly bad thing.
This is what they call the “Butterly Position”.
A Viceroy Butterfly was hanging out along the edge of the Rio Grande this morning. He had a chunk out of his wing, but he fluttered about like nothing was wrong.
I had a tiny grasshopper rode with me today.
Shasta Daisies
Assassin Bug hanging out
A bee lands on the daisy and the Assassin Bug prepares to strike.
The Assassin Bug gets the bee.
Wings in a daisy
A Pearl Crescent butterfly gets a bite to eat.
A large native bee having breakfast.
A large, allusive red wasp quickly passes through.
A Great Purple Hairstreak Butterfly wandering around on a daisy.
Reakirt’s Blue (Echinargus isola) is a tiny butterfly with a wingspan of only 3/4 of an inch (19mm). This one distracted me while I was walking in the bosque this morning.
Damselfly
This native bee has an impressive tongue.
Frog
Off Center & Not Even 