Harlequin | Harmonia axyridis | Coccinellidae

Samsung NX300 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens | Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2016.

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2017.

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2017.

in our backyard. Asheville, North Carolina. Shot through condensation on a window, and using, of all things, a macro lens.

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2017.

Thank you very much for your visits, faves and nice comments. I really appreciate it!

Ich möchte mich ganz herzlich für eure Besuche, Sternchen und netten Anmerkungen bedanken. Ich freue mich sehr darüber!

Green Bottle Flies are common throughout North America. They are a type of blow fly that may lay their eggs in rotting meat. Historically, blow fly maggots have been used for "maggot therapy" in necrotic tissue, such as in infected, untreated wounds. With widespread availability of antibiotics, "maggot therapy" is seldom used currently. However, with antibiotic resistant bacteria becoming more common, maybe we will see hungry blow fly maggots used again someday :-))

Coreopsis spp. are naturally occuring wildflowers. Two species (or varieties) are planted in my "wildflower" garden.

We are in the midst of another arctic outflow and it's been snowing like crazy. This was in the back yard a couple of days ago after 25cm (10") of snow, with the sun shining. Got up this morning, and there is almost that amount all over again and still coming down.

I've been off Flickr for about a week - I have a lot going on. I hope to get to your latest images today :)

Courgette | Cucurbita pepo | Cucurbitaceae

Samsung NX300 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens | Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2016.

Field Forget-Me-Not | Myosotis arvensis | Myosotis

Samsung NX300 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens | Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2016.

Samsung NX300 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens | Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2016.

A pair of Steel-blue Cricket Hunter Wasps circled my yard for several days. The only place they would stop was on the orange flowers of the Butterfly Weed.

They strongly resemble Blue Mud Dauber Wasps, which have a longer pedicel (the "stalk" that connects their thorax to their abdomen).

Butterfly Weed is a native plant species, and my favorite Michigan wildflower. Ironically, I have never seen a butterfly land on the flowers, although it does attract a variety of wasps and hornets.

A side view, with wings lifted is included in the first comment below.

Mealy Bonnet | Mycena cinerella | Mycenaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Common Blue Damselfly ♂ | Enallagma cyathigerum | Coenagrionidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

Gatekeeper | Pyronia tithonus | Nymphalidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

Oberbergischer Kreis, Germany

Thank you all for visiting and your kind comments, awards and

faves - I appreciate them all.

Taken in my garden and showing off his comma. A lot of these in the garden this year.

Possibly a Wrinkled Shield | Pluteus phlebophorus | Pluteaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

This is a gerbera plant which I bought yesterday. I do like gerbera flowers as they are full of vibrant colour and emit such a happy vibe 😊

Happy Wednesday!

Dwarf Bell | Galerina pumila | Hymenogastraceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

For Smile on Saturday theme 'Red Hearts'.

Simply Red ... if you don't know me by now ...

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

This is one of many teeny weeny flowers from a flowering succulent I recently bought.

* youtu.be/wmin5WkOuPw

Spring is when flowers beckon

in every corner of your heart.

~ Bhuwan Thapaliya

Rock Cress | Aubrieta deltoidea | Brassicaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

"Eau de Cologne" Dandelion and Bluebell

The garden delight just now is the flowering of azaleas and rhododendron... the range of colours is amazing. The white hedge of rhododendron has flowers with multiple 'heads' ... so I picked just one flower-head here to get in really close. There's a shot of a full flower in the first comment field,

"Looking close on Friday" - "a single white flower"

Macro-Looking Close: Here

My Azaleas & Rhodies set: Here

From the garden Here

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2017.

Why do I always struggle with bells? Hmmpfff.

thanks for the theme suggestion, Tom:)

Scurfy Twiglet | Tubaria furfuracea | Tubariaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

Pleated Inkcap | Parasola plicatilis | Psathyrellaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Small Copper | Lycaena phlaeas | Lycaenidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2019.

Small Skipper | Thymelicus sylvestris | Hesperiidae On Orange Hawk Bit | Pilosella aurantiaca | Asteraceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Speckled Wood | Pararge aegeria | Nymphalidae

Explored on 9th May 2022 #462

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

Snowdrop | Galanthus nivalis | Amaryllidaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Pelargonium | Geraniaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

The Deceiver | Laccaria laccata | Hydnangiaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

Garden Spider | Araneus diadematus | Araneidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

Common Daisy | Bellis perennis | Asteraceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Double Daff | Narcissus 'Minnow' | Amaryllidaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.