Meadowhawk
Saffron-winged Meadowhawk
Monarch on Echinacea
Monarch Butterfly Monarch's exploit many plants, not only milkweed. This specimen had just been laying eggs on milkweed leaves and had moved over to this Echinacea to stocky up on nectar.
Squash Bee
Pollination A pair of bumble bees at work inside a male squash flower - hopefully they will later find themselves in a female flower and be able to put the pollen to good use.
Face-off …
Weevil Wasp Facing off on the flowers of a wild carrot plant with an ant. Who will back down first? I had some difficulty identifying this fellow but with a little external assistance pinned it down as a 'Weevil Wasp' ... a future contributor to the 1000 Species Project when I have [...]
Pollinator in Flight
Brown-belted Bumble Bee Homing in on a rose ...
The Workers Are Out
Apis mellifera The first Honey Bees were out making themselves useful in the unseasonably warm garden this week. Admire those full pollen baskets.
European Hornet
NOT a "Murder Hornet" Nor is it a locally found insect. There have been lots of scary photos in the press in recent weeks of giant, orange "murder hornets" appearing out Vancouver-way. This is not one of those (which anyway spend their time murdering hive bees rather than bee keepers and [...]
Admirable
Red Admiral Butterfly Vanessa atalanta - I used to wonder why "Admiral" in the name; apparently they used to be called Red Admirables and the rest was inevitable.
“We have gained access, chaps”
Small Milkweed Bugs There has been a cluster of nymphal forms of these true bugs on the milkweed patch in front of the house for some time now. Those that have not been made into snacks for birds and the like have now found a mature seed capsule and were busily making their [...]
At Home
The first of the garden milkweed seed pods has opened and a home was quickly established in the fluff by a Milkweed Bug, quietly going about his business.