I spent a happy ten minutes watching dragonflies chase, mate and lay eggs. the chasing was so incredible! Hearing the clack of their wings when they made contact! The sheer speed of them. The males were iridescent blue and the females golden brown, texture like sun. When the female laid eggs, she chose something floating in the water and hovered above, dipping her tail in and out.
Another period of fascination: ants going up and down a tree.
i couldn't see where they went or where they came from. I did see a big one and a small one meet. They sort of walked into each other and then shot apart like the two same poles of a magnet! Then carried on their way.
I wished I could ask E. O. Wilson (RIP).
At home, I had tried to film a bee.
I love how a bee seems to focus on only one source of nectar while foraging, I've mentioned it before. Is it a thing? Or just coincidence?
This is not a bug, but it is big. [That's a dreadful link. - Ed.]
I think it's another Dryad's Saddle - it must have been more than 18 inches across!
Talking of IDs, here's an embarrassing one.
I guess baby raptor is excusable... but afterwards I heard a squirrel doing its bark-squeal thing and I think that the squeal was the same as this sound. Bird/mammal... not a lot of difference...
Finally, high summer snow.
I call it pollen, but I guess it's seeds.
Good description of the wonderful dragonflies. Great flower & bee film. I love bumblebees!
Yes, it's thing! Bees will find a good pollen and nectar source and stick with it during the bloom period. Helps the plants too of course - they get better pollinated. And from what I saw the other day (pic of your honeysuckles), the bees found themselves an abundant source of food!!