Bees and other critters buzzing in the garden

So thrilled to see so many bees returning this year. I was getting worried. Every day there are plenty of photo opportunities of different flying critters just in my own yard. Here are some from this past week.

I wish I knew what this bug is. It is a super tiny critter and I see them every year anywhere I go to take photos in Virginia. They seem to love the rudbeckia (black-eyed Susans) in my yard.

Honey bee lands on the rudbeckia.

Bumble bee on yellow flowers. I do not know what they are called but I believe they are one of the flowers considered to be native for Northern Virginia.  They spread like crazy, grow in both dry and flooded conditions and attract lots of flying critters. 

 Peek-a-boo bumble bee

Geese at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park on a spring day

During spring break we visited many places. One place I'd never spent any time at was Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, which is located in Chantilly, which is located on the western end of Fairfax County. During our afternoon we saw numerous critters - land, water and air. 

Over the next few posts I'm going to highlight some of the wonderful nature we saw. Today I wanted to share some photos of geese that were chilling out in the pond.

I liked how the reflections came out in this one

Swimming over to shore

"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you!", says the goose

Time for lunch!

Goose swimming in the tidal basin gives a wave

Took this photo of this goose "waving" at the crowd. One of those rare moments I catch wildlife in motion. This shot was taken during the cherry blossom peak down in Washington, D.C.

'Mailbox bees' share a kiss

Every spring carpenter bees come live in our mailbox post and drill another hole or two. Not too long ago I watched them dance around a bit (there were four of them) and I caught these two "kissing" repeatedly. I wasn't quick enough to catch them in the act by the time I got my camera out, but came close. 

We call these flying critters our "mailbox bees". 

Busy bees at Ticonderoga Farm

Last week we had such beautiful weather, it felt like summer - yet looking around the visuals were all about fall. We spent at day at Ticonderoga Farms and I spotted a number of bees working and decided to take a few shots.

I spy with my eye...lots of butterflies!

The last few posts I did on this blog about butterflies were taken at the Smithsonian's Butterfly Pavilion. It's a fabulous experience! But today I wanted to focus on butterflies spotted in the wild over the past year.

In Photos: Gardens at the Home of FDR

The Hudson Valley region of New York is both beautiful and historical. In addition to its lovely mountainous landscapes and deep roots connected to the Revolutionary War, there are many other historical buildings and landmarks that remain throughout the region. One such place is the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, located in Hyde Park.

I went on a tour of this home in July 2014 and found it quite interesting.  It has also been wonderfully preserved. Also remarkable were the gardens at the home of FDR. Summer was a good time of the year to catch a variety of flowers in full bloom.

The garden is large, you can see a variety of flowers in each section.

Flying critters were also aplenty in this garden, most particularly bees and butterflies. Although a family member of mine did spot a hummingbird moth too (I missed it!).

 
All in all it was a wonderful visit! I'd love to go back again someday.

 

In photos: Flying critters at Monticello

Today's post takes a summer visit to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. Usually during a visit, I like to spend some time seeking out bugs, butterflies and birds in the gardens. This is some of what I captured during a 2012 visit.

Visiting the Smithsonian's Butterfly Pavilion

The Smithsonian Museums have a lot of neat things to see. One of my favorite places is the Butterfly Museum located in the National Museum of Natural History. If you can catch it on a day that isn't too busy, you can spend a lot of time getting up close and personal with the butterflies. It's an amazing experience. These were taken during a 2013 visit.


(If you'd like to see more photos and information on this exhibit, I've posted a more detailed article on my other DC region blog)

I spy with my eye . . . lots of flying critters

Today's post highlights a few of the many various flying critters I've encountered over the years throughout the region. Most of these I've tried to capture with my camera on purpose, with one exception. This first photo was totally unintentional, I didn't even realize I captured it until much later when I was going through some photos I'd taken.  

Thanks for visiting!

I zoomed in to this plant and got the additional bonus of this tiny insect - taken on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Valley

This one was taken at Chatham down in Fredericksburg, Virginia

I spotted this bird while approaching the Tidal Basin during the National Cherry Blossom Festival

This hummingbird moth was spotted outside Mount Vernon's gift shop in Northern Virginia

Also spotted in Fredericksburg - I believe this too was at Chatham, but am not 100 percent sure

Leigh's photos: Bee on flower

My first post in this blog highlights one of my favorite topics to photograph - flying critters.This one was taken in July 2014 at the Franklin D. Roosevelt home in Hyde Park, New York. Typically I am afraid of bees, but when it comes to photographing them, oddly I seem to lose that fear.

Thanks for stopping by!

Photo credit: Leigh Goessl/All rights reserved