On Friday, we were on the west side of town, so we decided to have lunch at the Tohono Chul Tea Room and then walk through Tohono Chul Park. Tohono Chul is famous for its wildflowers. Since there hasn't been enough rain to bring out the wildflowers in the desert, we're relying on places like Tohono Chul and the Tucson Botanical Garden, where the flower beds are watered, for this season's wildflower displays.
This was my first attempt at photographing insects. I didn't know what any of them were.
I thought this was a bee on the brittle-bush, but remembered that I'd seen a post on Firefly Forest that identified it as an Eristalis Fly.
I think this one is a bee - among Mexican Gold Poppies, Lupine and Owl Clover:
Is this a Damsel Fly? If so, what kind?
Thanks to excellent posts in Firefly Forest and Sonoran Desert Almanac, I was able to identify this Carpenter Bee.
Please leave me a comment if I've misidentified any of these insects or flowers or you'd like to add information. I'll correct the post. Thanks ... Pam
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
The photos here are brilliant in every sense of the word - and for some reason I found myself smiling as I looked at them.
A whole string of bright images strung together like big, chunky, shiny beads on a necklace. They made me smile, too.
I love the shimmer on the Eristalis Fly's wings and thebeautiful combination of the fly with the gold of the flowers.
These photos are lovely... I agree with chiefbiscuit and laura
they reach inside and bring out a smile
Yes, I felt spring in the air and a smile on my face. Thank you for these jewels.
The whole wild world is so alive with color and activity. These photos convey the world so perfectly.
Your photos are getting great - good job!
I think the big yellow-flowered tree might be Parkinsonia aculeata - Mexican palo verde. Does it have long shoestring like leaves with little leaflets along each one (or they could be leafless still). They have lovely big yellow flowers.
Your insect identifications all appear to be correct. :-)
I find damselflies (and dragonflies) very difficult to identify because some identifications require examination of wing venation, which is difficult from photographs.
all - Thanks for all the smiles. I enjoyed photographing these insects and intend to try some more. They do alight in lovely, bright places.
roseann - Thanks so much for the tree ID. I'll check next time I'm up at Tohono Chul.
t.beth - Thanks very much for the insect ID confirmation :) I think I'll pass on trying to identify the wing venaton of the damselfly - but that is a fascinating distinction. What I was finding on the Internet was "blue," "green," etc. I couldn't find any grey ones, though. This was my favourite photo, because the camera allowed me to see minute detail I couldn't otherwise see. I love using the camera as a discovery tool.
I love the damselfly photo.
What a lovely series!
Great skill in shooting images.
harmonyinline - I can see why you like the damselfly - your own paintings have that elegance.
jllove - Thank you! I'm still working on technique - many, many get deleted, but it's always delightful to see what works.
Que la nature est belle , variƩe !
D'accord, jean!
Post a Comment