Monday in Nature POTW Aug.5, 2013

<p>Nice catch Wayne! Looks to be an <a href="http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/dobsonfly.htm">eastern dobsonfly</a></p>

<p>From a hike this past weekend in Watkins Glen State Park</p><div></div>

<p>Fascinating stuff from everyone! Here is a Rosemary beetle (<em lang="lt">Chrysolina american</em><em lang="lt">a</em>) on lavender. It was about 6mm long. I have never seen one before. It is a recent arrival from southern Europe.</p><div></div>

<p>This is not the easiest of posts this week. I am far from home on the family vacation, using a very substandard internet connection. But I am trying out the 6D as a future purchase, perhaps a Merry Christmas present to myself. This weeks shot is coming to you from Navarro Beach, Mendocino County, California. </p><div></div>

<p>These are small purple miniatures that show up for a few weeks every spring. I don't know what they're called. This was taken with 85mm 1.8 AF @ 5.6\500th and I think 5T diopter on D5100.</p><div></div>

<p>I went to Pennsylvania myself and saw lots of wonderful fungi. As much as I got some beautiful images one of my favorites was a battle between two Green Bees on a Chicory flower in Resthaven Wildlife, Ohio.<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17486583-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="450" /></p>

<p>Outstanding images, as always. Thanks for the nod Roberta. Siegfried...Wow.<br>

David, looks like your Pretty Purple Miniature is purple deadnettle (<em>Lamium purpureum</em>).</p>

 

Thanks Rick! I look up a lot of stuff, but then I'm never sure of anything. Like birds, yikes...

<p>I've been out in the woods for the bulk of the day enjoying the cooler temps mentioned by Robert C. Even the bugs are taking a break. Of course I was looking at fungi and had to get butter on the way home. :-))<br>

Siegfried, yes, lightening is an amazing light show and one of the true wonders in nature. Incredible image, and thanks for the link to the large version.<br>

Cara, slime molds get a bum rap. They have a funky name, but they are pretty and they grab me every time.<br>

Roberta, these remind me of a wild berry growing around here, and I've dubbed this stage "berryfide".<br>

William, I'm drawing a complete blank on the tanks, but the last few years that I used that road I was out at night and heading to watch the sunrise out of the desert. Then I was bleary eyed on the way back. I went over the few shots that I have from that time and they're almost all of the desert! Thanks goodness for your archives!<br>

Amazing images, everyone.</p>

 

<p>Thanks for the ID Paul. I find it very ironic that this image was taken at Cody Creek, <strong>Dobson</strong>, NC.</p>

<p>Beautiful work everyone. And, yes, thank goodness for the archives; this zinnia is from the archives, it's a focus stack of five shots.</p>

<p>and here, I hope, is the photo.</p><div></div>

<p>A resident of Tuolumne Meadows.</p><div></div>

<p>Welcome to Rob B., posting here for the first time. Sorry to hear about the rabbits. Beautiful flowers and we hope to see more.</p>

<p>Paul, I'm going to start watching the bees a little closer. I've not seen them, as you say, "down the gutter".</p>

<p>Another set of really wonderful images this week. I am intrigued by your Dobsonfly, Wayne . We don't get them where I live. That's a heck of a set of jaws for a creature that doesn't eat in the adult phase!<br /><br />I picked this up on a remote windswept beach on Sunday morning. It's the dried float of a Bluebottle or Portugese man-o-war colonial "jellyfish" <em>Physalia</em>.<br />Canon 60D, 100mm macro, flash, f/22.</p><div></div>

<p>Geoff - that is incredible! Wow!</p>

<p><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b60/renegade54/wildlife/_GSC8571_zps17c03433.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="541" /></p>

<p>Wes, whatever this bird is, the shot is great. What is that? </p>

<p>I'm pretty sure the bird in Wes' photo is a Sooty Grouse or Dusky Grouse.</p>

<p>Thanks for the compliment, its a Dusky from Montana. </p>

Thanks Cara!

<p>Wow everyone! I just stumbled on this forum and love it..... Since Laura started out with a mushroom, here is one of mine.</p><div></div>

<p>Hey Diane.<br>

Welcome and a great start. Just a quick recommendation. If you have a reflector (silver or better gold) and you can do the same photo with the reflector I'll bet things pop out even more. If you don't have a reflector you can make a poor-man's one by really crinkling up some aluminum foil and stabling it on a piece of cardboard. Should help you get a little more detail.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Doug</p>

<p>Hi Diane,<br>

Welcome to the gathering and posting here for the first time. Glad you found us and hope you come back for more. You'll find this a warm and inspiring place, and many are particularly fond of fungi. I like Doug's idea of foil as a reflector. Looks like a good pile of Armillaria there.</p>

<p>Douglas H. and Wes, thanks for the bird info. That's a group of birds that I'm totally unfamiliar with. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>It is already Saturday. Hope we all have a chance to capture some great nature images over the weekend. See you all again on Monday on the next thread.</p>