In the Garden 2013
Although I live in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, I find I do not have to leave my backyard in order to capture some memorable images. All I have to do is to plant something in my small garden and greenhouse and be there with my camera as the plants grow and bloom and the creatures arrive.
This year, 2013, the first fragrant blooms were on the viburnum. However, it was still too damp and cool for the usual garden creatures to appear. At the end of the previous year, I planted some Crimson Clover in my flower and vegetable beds. When the clover began to bloom and the days got warmer, the bees began to appear.
I got my garden planted late this year and the garden has been a disappointment. The lupine I planted did not do well, so I only saw a few bumblebees. Later in the Summer, the mint blossoms did attract many honeybees and other flying insects. Perhaps the plant that gave me the most pleasure was a Chuck Hayes Gardenia: the small plant had numerous and very fragrant blossoms. The blueberry plants produced for the first time and it was wonderful to be able to eat them fresh as I picked them.
The following gallery contains images of some of what I have observed this year. I continue to be amazed at the diversity of what can be seen in just a small garden. It is only September, now, and there will still be opportunities to image the many creatures who stay in the garden through Fall and Winter. I look forward to being able to image them again in 2014, though, especially if I provide more flowering plants to attract them.
I hope you enjoy this collection of images.
Gallery
Plants
Viburnum burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’ Buds
Viburnum burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’ in Bloom
Gardenia augusta ‘Chuck Hayes’
Early Blueberries: Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Rubel’
Spiders
Greenhouse Visitor
Crab Spider
Orb Weaver 1
Orb Weaver 2
Orb Weaver 3
Crab Spider and Honeybee
Fancy Dress
Winged Insects
Dragonfly
Beewolf: Philanthus
Skipper on Mint
Bumblebee on Mint
Bald-faced Hornet: Dolichovespula maculata
Yellow Jacket
Four-Footed Visitors
Fluffy
Pacific Tree Frog
About the Images
The images were taken with my Canon Rebel T3i and many of them with a new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens. I have made an attempt to classify the subjects in the images but do not, in all cases, guarantee the classification.