On this date 25

cluster of stink bugs Menecles insertus on tree at night
This week, we have entries from 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2016 – just to make it easier to fill out your scorecard. Our 2010 submission above is a cluster of stink bugs, lacking a common name (well, other than ‘stink bug’) but bearing the scientific name of Menecles insertus. I couldn’t explain why there was suddenly a large number of them clustering in my yard, mostly on one tree, but I did a few illustrative images, even without this information, because I live life on the edge like that. You can see, however, that I was working without a softbox at this time and the photos suffer for it. I was very mean to my photos for a while, but I’ve outgrown that now. Mostly.

juvenile Chinese mantis Tenodera sinensis posing for portrait on rosemary plant
For the next year in our lineup (refer to the list above,) we have a juvenile Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis, though at the time I was listing them as Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, since I was unaware that it had been changed not long back,) providing an action portrait on the rosemary plant; this gives some indication of scale if you’re familiar with rosemary. That was the same bush, started the year before as a tiny potted thing dropped into the garden, that grew so much in one year that I had to transplant it in the spring to a location by the porch lest it take over the little garden. By the time we moved a year later, it was so large it couldn’t be transplanted.

dramatic cloud glow
Next up we have a wildly active summer storm that I watched from across the nearby pond – and posted about then, so go to that link if you want the sordid details and more, graphic photos. [Hey, I’m starting to get the hang of this clickbaiting thing.]

And finally, we have a grab shot during an overcast day at Gold Park, in their little pollinator garden there, bumble bees on the coneflowers. A little past prime display, mind you, but if the bees weren’t concerned, you shouldn’t be. Seriously, it’s all about appearance with you, isn’t it?

unidentified bumblebees on coneflowers, Gold Park
That’s all we have room for this week! Join us next week when we’ll be featuring some original nature photographs by our very own Al Denelsbeck!

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