Just Another Nature Enthusiast
JANE’s Images & Thoughts 🌲 Inspired by the Pacific Northwest & places I wander
I am not surprised to learn…Yellow Jackets are at their population peak in the late summer and early fall. This is when nests can have populations of 2,000 to 4,000 worker yellow jackets (all female), some drone (male) yellow jackets and up to 50 queens at once. The workers will soon start dying off until late in autumn when until the nest population is reduced to a small number of…
Spotted Bee Balm, a native Eastern Canada and Eastern United States plant, is not the showiest flower around- however, it attracts bees, moths, and hummingbirds, as well as beneficial predatory wasps that can help reduce grubs and pest populations. We purchased this plant before it bloomed and were surprised by the shape and color of the blooms. It’s been quite interesting to observe. One downside for us though, is that…
Nature, a dynamic force… She strategically uses energy. Changes in position within changes in time- Her creatures have purpose. Caught in translatory motion- insects and birds move along straight and curved lines. In flight, one flower to another, they seek pollen-producing stamens. Blossoms, seemingly immobile- appear to be at rest, await pollination. Motion, a phenomenon in physics- well applied by Nature. Lens Artists Photo Challenge: #212 Motion
Libellula forensis In the Pacific Northwest, this species is active from April to October and can be found in and around ponds, lakes, marshes or slow moving streams in low elevations. It prefers water with a vegetated edge. Eight-spotted Skimmers prey on insects and prefer mosquitoes, termites, butterflies, mayflies and other flying insects. They will mate in the air and the females proceed to lay their eggs in the water…
My first butterfly spotting of the year! I was fortunate to observe this green Comma Butterfly while it stretched and acclimated to its newly formed wings. Much of this process occurred on the top of a vacant bee hive in our yard. The butterfly remained for quite some time. The colors in its wings increasingly accentuated and made more brilliant by the low, late afternoon setting sun. The small, white…
A very good sign… A ladybug was not what I expected to see on the first day of winter… However, there she was. Perched among the fence boards, her glossy red body reflected a sparkle of light almost as if she was wearing a tiny string of holiday lights. I believe she was meant to capture my attention. How did the ladybug know I would return inside to wonder about…