More Fall Colors

now who's the braggart???

Compare my point and click to something like this-
http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2663116
or this-
http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2822746
or this-
http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2628300
or this-
http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2317426

No comparison. We have some phenomenal photographers amidst our ranks.

Equil, your photos are great, and I really enjoyed the tour.

The closeups you included are wonderful.

I am not good at closeups, don't understand my camera well enough.

Donna

I know my eye is not trained in art, however your photos seem pretty darn close to the others. And furthermore, if I could only shoot like that, I'd be.....well, since I'm typing like you, I guess I'd be you....teehee........

Well Donna, that makes two of us who don't understand cameras which is why it is always good to have decent subject matter and a lot of batteries to click away. I do happen to like bees though so I stood around and took right around 50 photos of them. It's truly the law of large numbers with me particularly when I look at the photos of someone like Sarahskeeper or trois. Those are two people who post a lot over in the mainstream wildlife forum that I go over specifically looking to see what they took photos of recently. Magpye is another one who takes great photos come to think of it but there are many others who are gifted.

Beautiful photos. (sigh) Makes me miss the North. I get so tired of seeing nothing put acres and acres of pine trees. #15 is really stunning!!!! Makes ya wanna put on a pair of hiking boots and step right into that picture. Thanks for sharing!!!!

Gorgeous! Just how close were you to that flower and bee?

About a foot away. I did crop the image though. One thing I can do well is crop. Native bees are totally non aggressive based on my personal experiences so they are easy to get photos of because as long as you don't mess with them, they go about their business totally oblivious to anything else around them. Butterflies and Dragonflies are definitely not nearly as cooperative so most of my images of them are blurs.

Which are the bees that get into your pop can and sting you on the roof of your mouth and cause a great deal of pain and agony??

Probably not a bee at all but the European Paper Wasp? We've been inundated with them recently and unlike the native wasps, they can be quite aggressive if disturbed.

Does this look like what is buzzing around your pop cans-
http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=european+paper+wasp

Here, read this-
http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/dominulus.htm

European Paper Wasp nests look like upside down mushrooms. They can be found under picnic benches, inside mailboxes, and basically anywhere that is protected. Please learn to identify their nests and please destroy their nests.

Some of the problems they are creating over here on NA-
http://bluebird.htmlplanet.com/paperwasp.htm

Well, since I need an eye transplant, I'm not sure, we've always called them sweat bees. They've been around since I can remember. I have never seen any nests around here, unlike the other wasp that I believe is called a mud dauber? I don't see their nests here, but at my parents house, down in AR, in TN.....