Wilting Camelia, I
The camelia flowers have had their run.
Their work is nearly done and their time is running out.
In a few more days this flower will be gone.
American Goldfinch, female
During the breeding season the American Goldfinch has beautiful, bright yellow plumage that turns to a sort of olive green in the fall. This female, decked out in her summer plumage, looks curious about something. The males are similarly colored but sport a prominent black cap as part of their breeding plumage.
Canada Violet
This Canada Violet was growing along a hiking trail in Shenandoah National Park when I was there last May.
Daisy Fleabane
This daisy fleabane was blooming along a hiking trail in Shenandoah National Park at the end of May.
Knowing “bane” loosely means something that is hated by or makes something’s existence more difficult, I thought fleabane was an interesting name for a wildflower so I looked it up. Folklore has it these plants can be dried and used to keep fleas away. That explains the name.
Weekly Photo Challenge – On The Way
Island Of Wildflowers
On the way to Dark Hollow Falls, in Shenandoah National Park, I noticed this tiny “island” of wildflowers and moss growing in the stream.
If you click on the image you can see a much larger version of it.
Spider Wasp on Lance-Leaved Goldenrod
Here’s another wasp I’m not quite sure I correctly identified. I believe it is a Spider Wasp. Regardless, it was one of the pollinators that shared their meadow with me in early September. Like other wasps and bees I’ve photographed, this one didn’t seem to pay any attention to my presence. Perhaps because I was sitting still and it approached me rather than the other way around.
From what I’ve read Spider Wasps can be aggressive and have quite a painful sting. I guess it’s a good thing it didn’t mind me being there.
Eastern Carpenter Bee Landing On Thin-Leaved Sunflower
During a photo outing to shoot wildflowers I decided to take a few backlit shots. In the process I began tracking a few Eastern Carpenter Bees as they passed by. I was lucky enough to capture this one as it prepared to land on a thin-leaved sunflower.
I like the way backlit flowers almost glow but that’s pretty easy to predict, setup and shoot. After all, except for the wind, the flowers aren’t really moving. I was really pleased with the lighting of the bee in this photo.
Like most of the photos on my blog, you can click the image to open a larger version of the photo. Check out all the pollen covering this bee. This clearly wasn’t its first flower of the day.
Ailanthus Webworm Moth
This Ailanthus Webworm Moth was making its way among wildflowers when I saw it in early September.
Eastern Carpenter Bee on Wildflowers I
The Eastern Carpenter Bee is easily confused with the American Bumble Bee. While the bumble bee is covered covered in fuzzy hair, the carpenter bee is missing the fuzz from its abdomen.