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.
Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle on Thin-Leaved Sunflower
At first I thought the beetle on this thin-leaved sunflower was a soldier beetle but something didn’t look quite right. Looking more closely I’ve identified it as a Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle. According to insectidentification.org, the Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle is highly beneficial in their predation of aphids. As a bonus, their quest for insect prey turns them into efficient pollinators.
Paper Wasp on Lance-Leaved Goldenrod
I had a little trouble identifying this species of wasp but I believe it is a paper wasp. In my experience they are not aggressive unless you disturb their nests. In this case I was photographing wildflowers when the wasp approached to gather nectar. I sat still, watched and photographed it and the wasp didn’t even seem to notice me.
Rat Snake Hunting in the Trees
Skipper on Thin-Leaved Sunflower I
Last Saturday morning I walked through an open field covered in wildflowers. I always like diving into areas like that and discovering all the little things you would miss if you didn’t actually look for them. On this particular morning I found the butterflies, bees, wasps, and dragonflies had their run of the meadow. This little skipper was feeding on the nectar of thin-leaved sunflowers which dominated the field.
Black Eyed Susan
It’s been a very busy summer and I haven’t spent as much time with my camera as I would have liked so I’m pulling out some photos from last year that I never got around to publishing.
This Black Eyed Susan was growing in a forest meadow alongside wild daisies. It looked sort of like the odd man out, surrounded by white flowers. I took a few photos of the lone blooming Black Eyed Susan surrounded by Daisies but I preferred this more closely cropped image of the flower.