More Photos Of Nature Up Close

The flowers are in full bloom here in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the waters of the streams and ponds warmed up, so I knew it wouldn’t be long until the insects, dragonflies and butterflies appeared. Walked back out to the local ponds with my macro lens this afternoon and took some photos of the insect world. 

One thing I  noticed was the decreasing number of bees in our area. Growing up, the flowers were covered in bees this time of year. You could here the bees on the  rhododendrons and comfrey plants from many feet away. Not anymore. They are getting to be few and far between on our flowering plants. There are many explanations but none of them bode well for us. Sad. 

I did capture one and a number of other insects. Also came across some young acorns, grapes and elderberries. Spring just is marching on.

At the ponds the dragonflies are just starting to crawl out of the water, where they spend the early parts of their life cycle as nymphs. They are delicate creatures and I love watch them hovering around the ponds. They are also very territorial and chase off all intruders to the ground they claim as their own. 

The ponds were also filled with the tadpole stage of many species of frogs. Easy prey for the dragonfly nymphs. It was a nice visit to the ponds on this sunny afternoon. No snakes or spiders but a pleasant way to spend a day in May. 

Here is the link to some more photographs from my afternoon hike. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-5/nggallery/blog-photos/railroad-and-pnds-macro-hike-may-209-2015

I dressed and went for a walk – determined not to return until I took in what Nature had to offer.”
–   Raymond Carver