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

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

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 :)

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

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Courgette | Cucurbita pepo | Cucurbitaceae

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

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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.

Field Forget-Me-Not | Myosotis arvensis | Myosotis

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

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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.

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

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2016.

Gatekeeper | Pyronia tithonus | Nymphalidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

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Common Blue Damselfly ♂ | Enallagma cyathigerum | Coenagrionidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

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

Oberbergischer Kreis, Germany

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

faves - I appreciate them all.

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.

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

Rock Cress | Aubrieta deltoidea | Brassicaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

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Spring is when flowers beckon

in every corner of your heart.

~ Bhuwan Thapaliya

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

* youtu.be/wmin5WkOuPw

"Eau de Cologne" Dandelion and Bluebell

Scurfy Twiglet | Tubaria furfuracea | Tubariaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

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

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

Pleated Inkcap | Parasola plicatilis | Psathyrellaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

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For Smile on Saturday theme 'Red Hearts'.

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.

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.

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.

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

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Double Daff | Narcissus 'Minnow' | Amaryllidaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

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Why do I always struggle with bells? Hmmpfff.

thanks for the theme suggestion, Tom:)

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

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Pelargonium | Geraniaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

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The Deceiver | Laccaria laccata | Hydnangiaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

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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.

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.

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

A wildlife photography I am definitely not. But when a couple of deer walked right in front of me as I was shooting close up with my macro lens, what was I to do? Go for it anyway! I kept walking closer and they didn't seem afraid at all.

Coneflower | Rudbeckia fulgida | Asteraceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2019.