Bug Army, Panzer Division

I have no idea what bug this is, but it's pretty cool! It was 6 or 7 mm long, or under a quarter inch. The colour is simply stunning, just shows the diversity in nature even at this scale.

Hold On Little Fella!

This bug was flying from one flower to the next gathering nectar, buzzing quite loudly.

Good Times

I unwittingly walked in on these two today. They didn't seem to mind so I took a picture. Yea baby! :)

The Wandering Monarch

This is a male Wanderer butterfly, known as the Monarch butterfly in North America. It is part of the Nymphalidae family, Danainae subfamily. It is interesting that the male Nymphalidae butterflies' forelegs are reduced, so there are only four legs visible. They are also sometimes seen flying in warm sunlight with sweaty, overweight photographers running after them trying to get a good shot while mumbling to themselves. This one finally stopped a few minutes, unfortunately not in the sunlight but a nice picture none the less. 

YAD

YAD - Yet Another Dragonfly. I love these little creatures, the wild colours, a great design and their agility is great to watch and rather challenging to photograph. Sometimes they sit still long enough to get a picture, like this one today. I need to find out what species it is, but it is bed time first, I'll do that tomorrow...
Update: I tried to identify this dragonfly but was not very successful, any ideas anyone?

Golden Dragonfly

As I was about to leave the Gold Coast Botanical Gardens, I thought I'd try to get another shot of a dragonfly. I stood around for a few minutes and was rewarded with this shot of a dragonfly basking in the last rays of sunshine. I haven't been able to identify it yet, but thought I'd post it in the mean time.

(Best viewed on a big screen, click the image to enlarge)

Cabbage White

...that is the name of this little butterfly. I'm sure they could have thought of a nicer name, but there you have it. According to the Queensland Museum, this fellow is a pest of cruciferous crops such as cabbages, hence the name. Pest or not though, it's a beautiful little creature.

The Worker Bee

Nectar Seeker

The first signs that Spring is upon us! The flowers are blooming and the bees are taking full advantage. I was walking along Albert street in Brisbane when I saw a peach tree, beautifully backlit by the afternoon sun with bees buzzing around. I was lucky to capture the shadow of this little fellow through a flower petal just before he flew off to the next flower.

Dragonfly!

I came across a beautiful lily pond not far from where I live where I saw many different kinds of dragonflies. Interesting little creatures, boasting wildly coloured bodies and amazing agility. Of course I had to take a few photos. I saw a beautiful one at the Brisbane City Botanic gardens too, shown here.

The first two pictures are from a male Wandering Percher, known by the black markings on the red body and the distinctive red marks on their wing tips.

Here is a male Black-headed Skimmer, also with beautiful coloured spots in their wing tips.

Not a dragonfly, but a related cousin called a damselfly. Pictured here is the Blue Riverdamsel. When perched, damselflies generally keep their wings folded behind them, whereas dragonflies keep them spread open.

The Australian Emerald, taken as it flew over some very murky water.

 As kids we used to call these insects "helicopters", and this image clearly shows why. This one is coming in to land on lily pad #2 after being cleared by Air Traffic Control.

Lastly, a silhouette of a Black-headed Skimmer perched on a twig with a lily leaf in the background, shimmering in the sunlight.

Pretty Fly

Forget for a moment that you are looking at an insect despised by all, then you'll notice that it is actually a very beautiful little creature.

I'm impressed with the Nikon 55-300mm zoom. The camera was about 1.5m (approx 5 feet) away from this fly and even at this distance you can see the hairs on it's legs (click on the image to enlarge).

A true macro lens would probably give a better picture, but you'd have a hard time getting the fly to sit still for you with the camera a few centimetres away. What also helps is Nikon's Vibration Reduction technology, keeping the picture still and in focus in spite of my shaky hands.

Weird and Wonderful

I took a stroll through the City Botanic Gardens at the South Eastern end of the Brisbane CBD. This beautiful dragonfly posed briefly for me before flying off to the next lily in the pond.

Based on the website http://www.saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au, this is a specimen of the Ictinogomphus Australis species, more commonly known as the Australian Tiger for obvious reasons.

Make'n honey

This busy little worker was totally oblivious to my camera.

The photo was taken in the National Rhododendron Garden in Melbourne, Victoria. We visited the park for a lovely picnic lunch with friends. It was a gorgeous sunny day and this little fella just went about his business, from one flower to the next, collecting his nectar.