Urban nature part deux

Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) feeding on Thistle. Pentax * istD, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f:4 Macro lens... hand-held.

The beetle species Popillia japonica is commonly known as the Japanese beetle. It is about 15 millimetres long and 10 millimetres wide, with iridescent copper-colored elytra and green thorax and head.

Darrell Larose
Ottawa, Canada

More urban nature.

Moved away from the Paper Wasps, now checking out Grasshoppers and Locust.









Darrell Larose
Ottawa, Canada

The Hive!

I have been watching this hive of Common Paper Wasp (Polistes dominulus), Interesting creatures. Normally these wasps are not all that agressive which allowed my good macro-photography. 

 

Common Paper Wasp (Polistes dominulus), Pentax *istD, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f:4 Macro lens, hand-held. Closer shots with a Pentax 2X teleconverter added. Shallow Depth of Field is because my working distance was 2.5" (63mm) from the front of the lens. All shot @ f:11.

Darrell A. Larose
Ottawa, Canada.

 

Urban Nature

Ottawa makes it easy to do nature photography.

We have Mud Lake Conservation Area,



Mud Lake, from the balcony during a heavy rain. Here is the next day walking around the lake.



Immature Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), Mud Lake, August 5, 2013. Pentax * istD, SMC Pentax-M* 300mm f:4.



Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata), Mud Lake, August 5, 2013. Pentax * istD, SMC Pentax-M* 300mm f:4.

Ottawa also has our share of rabbits. The Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)






Darrell Larose
Ottawa, Canada

Seen from up here.

I have always enjoyed the sky.  Here are some recent sky images.



 



What I find handy is the SunCalc website, that shows me exactly the position of the Sun during the day.
http://suncalc.net

Darrell Larose
Ottawa, Canada.