Birds Eyes And Butterflies

The picture of this Monarch Butterfly was taken at the New York Botanical Gardens. The picture of this Monarch Butterfly was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX Marcro Ring Lite.

The picture of this female Long Dash Skipper Butterfly (Polites mystic) was taken at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, New York.

The picture of this Long Dash Skipper Butterfly Female was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX Marcro Ring Lite

The picture of this female Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly was taken in Central Park. The picture of this Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX Marcro Ring Lite.

Dragonflies are one of the most maneuverable insects.

The picture of these Fiery Skippers mating was taken the New York Botanical Gardens.

The picture of these Fiery Skippers was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX Marcro Ring Lite.

I watched these Skippers chase eachother for around twenty minutes taking lots of pictures of their courtship.

The picture of this Question Mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) was taken in Bronx Zoo. The picture of this Question Mark butterfly was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX Marcro Ring Lite

The picture of this Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) was taken at the Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The picture of this was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX Marcro Ring Lite.
Dragonflies remind me of teenage boys when their hormones are in rage.

The picture of this Hoverfly was taken at the Bronx Zoo. The picture of this Hoverfly was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX Marcro Ring Lite.

Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods.

The picture of this Monarch Butterfly was taken at the New York Botanical Gardens. The picture of this Monarch Butterfly was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON MR-14EX flash.
The fourth generation of Monarch Butterfly lives up to eight months and migrates to a warmer climate.

The picture of this Silver-spotted Skipper was taken at the New York Botanical Garden. The picture of this was Silver-spotted Skipper taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON 580EXII flash.

Skippers (family Hesperidae) make up roughly one third of all the butterfly species in North America. Sometimes regarded as distinct from true butterflies, they differ in having the club of the antenna bent, with a narrow extension (apiculus) in most species and in details of the wing veins. Most skippers have stout bodies, wide heads, and relatively small wings, and many of them are very fast flyers.

The picture of this Bumblebee on flower was taken in Shrewsbury, Vermont. The picture of this Bumble Bee on flower was taken with the CANON EOS20D and the CANON 100 macro lens and the CANON 580EXII flash.

I photograph insects with a dedicated macro lens that allows me to get within inches of the subject and can capture lots of detail. I have observed that many insects and plants have a hairy surface called indumentums. The body hairs on bees are branched or feather-like making them well adapted for retaining pollen grains that the bee brushes against as it moves about on a flower. Much of this pollen is transferred by the bee from its body hairs to the pollen baskets on the outer surfaces of the hind legs.