I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.

John Burroughs

Butterfly -

All rights reserved ©Pix.by.PegiSue

Taken in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

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

Taken in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

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

Butterflies are back at Meijer Gardens :) The Giant Glasswings are so much easier to spot than the much smaller Clearwings. I got lucky, this butterfly was just released, the lower wing was not quite fully dried yet. It was on a orchid that was close to the walkway.

Helios 44-2 58mm lens

Shoot52 - 2020

Week 9

Thanks for comments and favs :)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I've never seen one of these very colourful flies before so I asked around and a friend seemed pretty sure that it is a male phasia-hemiptera usually seen in the southern part of the country during the summer months. I saw this beaut about a week ago at Tring Nature Reserve (College Lake) Have a great day HFDF!!

Shoot 52 - 2020

Week 27

Thanks for comments and favs :)

The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. It is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa. This species occurs as a spring overshoot north of its range, with occasional breeding in northwest Europe.

The genus name Merops is Ancient Greek for "bee-eater", and apiaster is Latin, also meaning "bee-eater", from apis, "bee".

These bee-eaters are gregarious—nesting colonially in sandy banks, preferably near river shores, usually at the beginning of May. They make a relatively long tunnel, in which they lay five to eight spherical white eggs around the beginning of June. Both male and female care for the eggs, which they brood for about three weeks. They also feed and roost communally.

During courtship, the male feeds large items to the female while eating the small ones himself.

Most males are monogamous, but occasional bigamy has been encountered.

Their typical call is a distinctive, mellow, liquid and burry prreee or prruup.

European Bee-eater adult spring_w_5304

Papilionidae

Graphium sarpedon sarpedon – Oriental Common Bluebottle

Hammock Skipper (Polygonus leo)

love these little dudes

I'm using my new EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens on my very old Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. Despite the fact that the camera hasn't been used in eight years it seems to be working well with the new macro lens. This saves me the trouble of constantly switching lenses on my 7D.

The butterfly was visiting Mountain Mint in my garden.

Bumblebee gathering pollen at a wild bergamot flower in my pollinator garden. Backyard photography.