I was out walking around our rural neighborhood with my macro lens seeing if I could find something interesting to snap. The iridescent colours, reminiscent of a chatoyancy gem, in this Common-green bottle fly caught my eye. It was so focused on feeding in the field side daises that my presence did not seam to bother it. Perhaps it was due to the fullness of pollen. It sure is unusual for a fly to sit still with a human so close. Never considered a fly a pollinator, but now seeing them in a different light then just one of those pesky insects.
Painted Lady or West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) on Hawthorn. The details in this macro image are just stunning. Another beauty full image taken in the Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada.
This sunflower was photographed against the very smoke filled late evening sky in the North Okanagan July 2021. The smokey sky highlights the colour nuances in the flower ever so subtle. Smoke and particles in the air paint the background a stunning shade of red. It was so quiet and still last night in our valley. Eerie and scary at the same time.
Caught a bumble bee on this pretty flower. Columbia lily (Lilium columbianum). Also known as Columbia tiger lily, or tiger lily. Did you there are over 250 species in the genus Bombus?
Sitting in a meadow and having a picnic lunch by the remains of an old frontiers cabin on this slightly overcast day. A trio of Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio Canadensis) was dancing around a wild Mock-orange (Philadelphus lewisii). I had to sneak over and capture the moment and one of the butterflies decided it was lunch time as well and started darting in and out of the blossoms pausing ever so briefly for me. The Mock-orange is a native shrubs in British Columbia and attracts many a pollinator.
Okanagan natives are the Black-eyed (Rudbeckia hirta) and Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba). While they are self pollinating they still attracts numerous nectar and pollen-seeking insects to its flowers.
Like teardrops shedding from the body of this Red-Belted Conk after a good rain storm. An excellent example of a Red-Belted Conk (Bracket Fungus), Fomitopsis pinicola. The Red-Belted Conk is long lived, some specimen have been carbon dated to be hundreds of years old.
Wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum L.) captured in the setting sun. Considered by some an invasive species, by others a plant with many of uses. Captured in the right light it makes for an impressive image.