These Monarch's were a long distance and in the dark, so I used a Better Beamer strobe adaption and my 400 mm lens. Also used a tripod and a zoomed in live view to manually focus and then a 2 second shutter delay to stabilize the camera / flash apparatus prior to shutter release.

Thanks for your visit.

A Bee lands on a bud near a big Buttonbush flower.

Garden visitor.

Monarch preserve, Pismo Beach, CA.

Hoverfly Rhingia rostrata attracted by the bright colour.

Wings covered in pollen

A pair of Ruddy Darters rest before going down to the edge of the pool where they will start the dipping action as the female lays her eggs in the shallow weedy water.

Thank you to everyone who views, faves or comments on my photos, it is always appreciated.

I sat outside in the sun today, hoping to see Ladybirds in large numbers like last year, but I didn't see one!

Lots of hoverflies, bees and flies buzzed around me but none of which settled for a shot!

This image was from March last year when there seemed to be loads of ladybirds! Maybe this year just hasn't warmed up enough YET!

Hope you have all had a lovely Easter break and had some time for relaxation, photography and flickr :-)

Vale of Glamorgan.

Thanks for looking!!

Hoverfly Species-Eristalis. AKA Dronefly. Not exactly sure which though.

Pismo Monarch Preserve

Aeshna cyanea AKA Blue Hawker (Male)

A very obliging Libellula fulva

Keeled skimmer - Kleiner Blaupfeil - Orthetrum coerulescens

Found and photographed with a fisheye lens in a track of a path on a summer morning here in the south of the Eifel.

In this state, as seen here, dragonflies are flightless but did you know that they are the fastest insects in the world and can fly up to 50 km/h (31 mph).