Brutkey

🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your half-attention, ...please."

#PhotoHour #mantis #insect #InsectPhotography #macro #MacroPhotography #Photography #AltText

Extreme closeup photograph of a praying mantis (likely a Chinese mantis or Tenodera sinensis) peering around the side of a small group of conifer needles. Only the mantis's face is visible and it’s looking directly at the camera. Mantises have compound eyes that can act independently and in this case the left pupil is looking at the camera while the right eye is looking down and to the left. is facing the camera. This variety has a pale gray exoskeleton with darker markings. Mantis have long, tubular abdomens and thoraxes, six segmented legs, two long segmented antennae, two large, compound eyes that can move independently and are separated by what appears to be a square face plate which, along with its larger size, is indicative of the Chinese mantis species.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

Blue on blue.

#StormHour #birds #birding #BirdPhotography #wildlife #WildlifePhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #photography #AltText

Closeup photograph of a blue jay with out of focus branches in the foreground and background and a blue sky in the background. The blue jay is facing right in profile and only the jay's upper chest, neck, and head are visible. Blue jays have white-feathered bellies and chests, blue wings and backs with a blue, white, and black checkered pattern on its wings, a blue head with a black neck ring and mask under and surrounding its eyes and white face and chin, dark eyes, silvery-black beak, black legs and feet, and a blue crest on the top of their heads that can be raised and lowered.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

This IDs as a swift feather-legged fly visiting the wild four o'clocks out back. First time I've encountered this species and I think it's quite lovely 👍👍. Flies are so amazingly diverse.

#PhotoHour #MacroPhotography #macro #insects #flies #nature #NaturePhotography #Photography #AltText

Extreme closeup photograph of a (likely) swift feather-footed fly atop the green flowers and fruit of a wild four o'clock inflorescence. The fly is facing right in profile with its wings lowered and it appears to be inserting its proboscis into a small flower directly in front of it. This species has a bright orange abdomen, dark brown-black thorax with orange markings and striping, an orange head, two large brown compound eyes, two short black antennae, six black segmented legs, two brown wings with transparent edging, and small, bright orange drumstick-shaped structures just behind the flight wings called halteres that act as counter wings.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

Day in the life of a sweat bee.

1. Touring its favored garden.
2. Bidding good day to its neighbors.
3. Tucking in for a late morning repast.
4. Celebrating its postprandial w/ a contented smile that stems from the sweet satisfaction of a life well lived.

#PhotoHour #MacroPhotography #insects #AltText

Extreme closeup of a small sweat bee (ID apps suggest a white-footed sweat bee) crawling across a pair of lacy phacelia flowers with out of focus flowers in the background. This bee's back legs and pollen baskets are covered in purple pollen collected from the dark purple anthers that top each pale purple stamen. This species has similar features to honeybees with a dull metallic green abdomen, thorax, and head covered in fine gold hairs, two segmented antennae, three simple eyes on the forehead, two large compound eyes on either side of the head, six legs, and transparent amber wings with dark veining. Extreme closeup of two small sweat bees (ID apps suggest a white-footed sweat bee) crawling through a tangle of lacy phacelia flowers and stamens with out of focus flowers in the background. One bee is in the upper left frame and is facing to the right in profile while the other is in the right center frame and is facing the camera. This species has similar features to honeybees with a dull metallic green abdomen, thorax, and head covered in fine gold hairs, two segmented antennae, three simple eyes on the forehead, two large compound eyes on either side of the head, six legs, and transparent amber wings with dark veining. Extreme closeup of a small sweat bee (ID apps suggest a white-footed sweat bee) climbing a vertical stamen of a lacy phacelia flower with out of focus stamens and a gray wall in the background. The bee is vertical and facing to the right in profile with its mandibles grasping a dark purple anther atop the stamen it is grasping and its back legs and pollen baskets covered in purple pollen collected from the dark purple anthers that top each pale purple stamen. This species has similar features to honeybees with a dull metallic green abdomen, thorax, and head covered in fine gold hairs, two segmented antennae, three simple eyes on the forehead, two large compound eyes on either side of the head, six legs, and transparent amber wings with dark veining. Extreme closeup of a small sweat bee (ID apps suggest a white-footed sweat bee) climbing a vertical stamen of a lacy phacelia flower with out of focus stamens and a gray wall in the background. The bee is vertical and facing forward with a slight turn to the right leaving both eyes visible. In this view the bee's mouth parts and mandibles are visible and they look similar to a smile but with alien-like "teeth". This species has similar features to honeybees with a dull metallic green abdomen, thorax, and head covered in fine gold hairs, two segmented antennae, three simple eyes on the forehead, two large compound eyes on either side of the head, six legs, and transparent amber wings with dark veining.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

1st planted lacy phacelia 3 yrs ago. Noticed lots of small (¼ in) sweat bees that climbed the stamens to gather pollen. Not often you see a metallic green bee covered in purple pollen so I plant phacelia every yr to try to (re)capture it.

#StormHour #MacroPhotography #insects #Photography #AltText

Extreme closeup of a small sweat bee (ID apps suggest a white-footed sweat bee) climbing a vertical stamen of a lacy phacelia flower with out of focus stamens and a gray wall in the background. This bee's back legs and pollen baskets are covered in purple pollen collected from the dark purple anthers that top each pale purple stamen. This species has similar features to honeybees with a dull metallic green abdomen, thorax, and head covered in fine gold hairs, two segmented antennae, three simple eyes on the forehead, two large compound eyes on either side of the head, six legs, and transparent amber wings with dark veining.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

Japanese beetle hanging out on my gladiolus yesterday morning.

#PhotoHour #MacroHour #insects #beetles #MacroPhotography #macro #nature #NaturePhotography #Photography #AltText

Extreme closeup photograph of a Japanese beetle standing atop a pink and white striated gladiolus petals. The view is from above looking down and the beetle is in the upper left frame with its head near center frame and its body extended up and to the left. Japanese beetles have dark iridescent copper wing covers, an iridescent green thorax plate with a pitted surface, an iridescent green head with a wide mouth and a pitted surface, short segmented antennae that bifurcate at the tip, two large dark eyes on either side of the head, and six segmented legs that end in small hooks.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

Cuppa zinnia for you this morning?

#StormHour #PhotoHour #BloomScrolling #flowers #FlowerPhotography #Photography #AltText

Photograph of a pink zinnia flower with splashes of out of focus green foliage, magenta and orange flowers, and vague grays in the background. There is a small aphid feeding on one of the zinnia's petals in the upper right center frame. Zinnias have large blooms that top long, stiff green stems with large green leaves. The flower opens from the outside is made up of overlapping layers of petals that radiate from a center filled with florets. This variety of zinnia has pink petals, but the petals most recently opened near the top-center are vertical and lime green.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

#ThrowbackThursday

A foggy December morning on #ClearCreekTrail.

#StormHour #PhotoHour #BlackAndWhite #BlackAndWhitePhoto #BlackandWhitePhotography #trails #nature #trees #Photography #AltText

Black and white photograph of a foggy December morning landscape along Clear Creek Trail in Coralville, Iowa. The trail in this section is a double-wide concrete path bounded on either side by tall trees and undergrowth except for a strip along each side where the undergrowth is regularly mowed. The trail starts in the bottom frame, turns to the right and then sharply to the left about mid frame where it disappears behind the trees and undergrowth. The trees and undergrowth have lost all their leaves and are darkened by the moisture in the air as well as the denseness of the growth. The path is well lit and where the path disappears the trees are brighter due to light diffusion from the fog, the distance from the viewer, and less dense growth allowing in more light from the bright gray sky above. The areas in the foreground are in sharper focus than those in the background which are also more vague and ghostly due to the denser fog that surrounds them.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

Monarch in my garden last yr.

Too busy w/ the garden to take many 📷📷 this summer.

Sometimes 📷📷 feels like trying to chase after nature rather than enjoy it. Another monarch was in the same spot yesterday. No pics. Just enjoyed its company while I dead-headed old blooms 👍👍

#Photography #AltText

Closeup photograph of a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) standing atop an orange Mexican sunflower in my garden last year with out of focus flowers and vague greens and grays in the background. The monarch is facing right in profile leaving only its right side visible and it has its proboscis inserted into one of the flower's orange-yellow florets. Monarch butterflies have orange wings with black and white patterned edges and black veining, black bodies and heads covered with white polka dots and fine black hairs, large black compound eyes, two long, black antennae, and six black, segmented legs.
🦅🦅RichKeller Photography🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
@Rihilism@toot.community

The Guardian's website was kind enough to feature a photo👇👇 I submitted for their reader submissions.

I thought that was cool! First time I've had someone publish a submission let alone featuring at the top of the page. Luckily a friend told me because I'm on a news blackout for awhile.

The other readers' submissions are fantastic (especially the mammatus clouds👍👍). Here's the link is you want to take a look.

https://www.theguardian.com/community/gallery/2024/jul/03/a-busy-bee-and-stormy-sea-readers-best-photos?embedded_webview=true