These guys are just about gone now, after a fairly heavy infestation this summer.

Why are they so bad? Consider this. Iowa is a major soybean state. Japanese Beetles do significant damage to soybean leaves, killing the plants. Treating a soybean field to kill off the beetles costs $20 per acre. Imagine you are a farmer with 5000 acres in soybeans. That is an ADDITIONAL $100,000 in unexpected production cost, out of pocket, up front.

katydid nymph on hydrangea

Si dice che l'incontro con la coccinella porti fortuna, allora, buona fortuna a tutti voi.

I'm off to some beaches in Bicol Province . . . hope to get some landscape and seascape shots!

But I'm bringing my laptop so I can still Flickr... lol!!!

There are no secrets better kept than the secrets that everybody guesses.

- George Bernard Shaw

© All rights reserved. Please do not use my photo without my express permission.

8/8/08 - © All rights reserved

493 / 77 / 214

#Nasturtium

~ happy day for us all~

thanks for all your wonderful comments !!!

.

We were at a wedding yesterday evening and when we came home I discovered the the moniter had died. After going into complete withdrawals (lol), I had to wait until this evening when the new moniter was set up. I will catch up with you all after dinner. This beautiful dragonfly landed on our Callistermon bush this morning as I was hanging out the washing, so I raced in an grabbed the camera and snapped a couple of photos before he flew off.

#118 on Explore on 13th October, 2008.

View Large On Black

A Bush Katydid let me do several shots before it turned back and flew !

katydid nymph on primrose

Click to see it large on Black

Explored

spotted cucumber beetle on a yellow rose petal with background flora bokeh

19 handheld images stacked in Zerene

macro of two ants on a peony

These badges were awarded by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Tanzlehrerverband (ADTV) — the General German Dance Teachers Association — as a formal recognition of dance proficiency. They represent achievement in four to six Standard and Latin dances, with participants allowed to choose some of the dances performed.

Despite being over 40 years old, the badges remain in remarkably good condition

As for size, a single badge diameter is 16 mm, so roughly 44 mm due to overlap, and approx. 50 to 60 mm in total with for the photo.

132 Zebra Longwing Butterfly

Garden snail

Cargol Bover

(Cornu aspersum / Helix aspersa)

a bee and a caterpillar share this fall daisy and presented me with a fantastic one shot opportunity. the bee was gone before the camera could reset.

aphid family on a white iris flower petal

Pinoy Macro EB - Ninoy Aquino Wildlife Park

July 4, 09

series #7

Explored - Jul 12, 2009

View Large On Black

Image info: cropped to emphasize texture !

Hydrangea Petals. (d)

Another wonderful flower image I decided to share with all my Friends. Taken in the village of Konjscina, Croatia, I have never seen a flower like this, with so much beauty.

I love the gold edged petals and the deep burgundy color, not to mention the awesome gold crown on top of this spectacular flower. Hope Y'all like it. Lol: Gaston.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all your wonderful support on my work in the art of Photography.

View in large size for awesome details of this wonderful capture

I have lots of photos of this little Guy. I found him on the side of the road upside down and thought he was dead. When I picked him up by the tail his wings started to flutter. I decided that perhaps he or she was nearing the end of it's brief lifetime and I did not just want to leave him on the side of the road. I would have perfered my finger not to be in the photo but he was able to hold on best to that. My handling him seemed to revive him from time to time but when I left him alone he seemed to just give up. The next morning I went to check on him and thought he was dead but after a moment I discovered he was alive but just barely. I really liked him and this is the longest time I have ever been able to spend with a Dragonfly.

For foamy coffee in the morning the full spiral is needed

One of my attempts for Macro Mondays, them tool.

Feel free to leave comments and constructive feedback. No P1/C1 or seen in group and similar.

Vi consiglio di non perdervi la visione in grande, credetemi!! Cliccate qui

Tiny garden spider spinning its web in a rose garden

Macro Mondays weekly theme contradiction.

leaf hopper on morning glory.

Fuji Sensia 100 asa

www.fotogravirus.nl

I've lost mine, be back when I find it........ I'm going to Mexicali on a business trip the 5th of next month so maybe a little gritty street photography will jump start me.

I'll still be in and out of Flickr because I really do enjoy the photography and your smiling faces! :-)

View On Black

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM/SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

All my public photos are free for personal use

Creative Commons license

Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand

aphid on an orange rose petal

Ladybug larva going into the pupal stage. The adult ladybug emerges from the pupa later in the life cycle. The larvae are very interesting creatures, eating constantly and looking very fierce with spikes running down the back

ant on unidentified yellow flower, from the archives

Autumn crocus

Explore 10/12/08, 379

Dandelion / Gewöhnlicher Löwenzahn (Taraxacum) - Large On Black

in our garden - Frankfurt-Nordend