This is it; the last of nine post of photos taken in my garden during a prolific five days of shooting.
Rudbeckia
Skipper on a cosmos
These next two photos are of a male (I think) monarch butterfly; first on a coneflower and then on a cosmos.
There appear to be some large milkweed bug nymphs on the stem of the cosmos bud in the lower left of the photo.
Swamp milkweed starting to bloom
Hoverfly on a rudbeckia
I think the insect hanging on to this leaf is a crane fly. Love its tenacity. And I wish I had a grip like that.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
David
It's Complicated 
Very nice shot of the hoverfly!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you. I did have to hover around him until I got the right angle. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You got a very nice garden. By the way, it looks like you are mastering the D7100 and does seem as complicated as before, good job!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Ziggy. I think I have a pretty good handle on the D7100, but just for macro photography. For everyday, family and friends photography I am pretty much a klutz. There is so much more I need to learn about how to control exposure for normal everyday shooting.
LikeLike
It’s like everything else. There is so much to learn. I been riding a motorcycle for over 20 years and learn new technique.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I have tremendously enjoyed this series of nine of the flowers in your garden.
Just awesome.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am glad you enjoyed the photos and I really appreciate your comments.
LikeLike
A different and nice perspective on the eating fly, the last picture a real cliffhanger.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Hans. I always wonder if hanging like that puts a strain on the insect or if its just as normal as standing up.
LikeLike
…or just need some stretching.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, those colors are exactly what our sunless winter needs over here in the north!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The photos were taken on the first day of September of last year so right now I could do with some of that warmth and color too. I’m afraid that with the pandemic and various restrictions it’s going to be a long four months till we can start spending any significant time enjoying the outdoors; at least for me as I am not a winter person. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not a winter person either!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful shots, David. Nice to revisit a bit of summer on this chilly winter day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Eliza. I still have material for a few more late summer garden posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent Close ups. Gr Stef
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your garden posts have been very heartwarming during these gloomy, cold winter days. I do wonder how many shots you took in total and how much time you spent photographing. Something tells me that the editing and curating part were more tedious and time-consuming. In any case, WE greatly appreciate it. 2020 is almost over and for many of us the highlight of this year has been reconnecting with nature and witnessing fleeting moments of beauty – even if sometimes this was done remotely, via screens.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for those kind comments. A rough guess of photos I’ve taken intended for the blog would be around 700 a year.
Of course not all make it to the blog.
Many get deleted while still in the camera during a quick review to see what I want to load into the PC. Quite a few more (but probably not enough) get deleted as I view than on the computer screen. As I am editing the individual photos I will delete small number right away when I see a glaring error (usual poor focus), and an even smaller number will get deleted when I realize I’m spending too much time trying to fix a bad photo.
Yes, the editing is tedious and if I were a better photographer with regard to technical skills, I would not have to do so much post processing. While just pushing the shutter button and hearing the noise it makes gives me pleasure (a Pavlovian thing no doubt), there are time when the processing give me the greatest pleasure.
Less often than I would like, I think the tweaks I make really transforms the photo from a nice documentary shot to something I actually created. The fact I keep doing it even though the ratio of attempts to rewards is small is probably a B.F. Skinner thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi David, nice shots. Your crane fly is actually a robber fly (there’s a certain subset of robber flies (Asilidae) that are known as “hanging thiefs”). Hope all is well…
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 10:05 AM It’s Complicated wrote:
> David posted: “This is it; the last of nine post of photos taken in my > garden during a prolific five days of shooting. Rudbeckia Skipper on a > cosmos These next two photos are of a male (I think) monarch butterfly > first on a” >
LikeLike
Excuse me, “thieves” haha…whoops! Usually it’s just one hanging at a time. 🙂
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 10:05 AM It’s Complicated wrote:
> David posted: “This is it; the last of nine post of photos taken in my > garden during a prolific five days of shooting. Rudbeckia Skipper on a > cosmos These next two photos are of a male (I think) monarch butterfly > first on a” >
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Michael, I always appreciate input pointing out correct identifications. It’s nice to hear from you and I hope everything is good with you and yours too. My wife and I and our two grown children and their spouses have all received full vaccinations so we are feeling better about getting together in larger family units than we had been.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great to hear, David. My family is almost through with our vaccinations as well (I’ve got one more shot, can’t wait). I’m looking forward to more relaxed get togethers, and all the rest. Hopefully my long neglected blog will rise again too. Goodness knows I still have the bug photos to share. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person