Even though backyard birds are scarce during the dog days of summer, there’s still lots of action out there. So I grabbed my macro lens one afternoon last week and had a look see. This Bucket is long on photos and short on text.
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I’m in SE Michigan, in a metro Detroit suburb, and have a perennial flower garden in the backyard. There were many many more buzzers and flitterers out there that escaped focus or sometimes even the viewfinder. I have a very rudimentary garden insect guide, so any corrections or assistance with ID is welcome.
Posted a few weeks ago, but still lighting up the evening — Fireflies.
A very frequent visitor — Common Eastern Bumblebee on a Hosta flower. Zoom
Western Honey Bee, another frequent visitor, here on Moonbeam Coreopsis.
Question Mark on the left and Honey Bee sharing the Hydrangea.
Question Marks are rare visitors. This one had seen better days, but was undisturbed by my presence and showed the trademark silver question mark (middle of the lower outer wing). Our most common butterflies are Cabbage Whites, Azures and Monarchs, with an occasional Swallowtail.
Even the lowly fly can be jaw droppingly beautiful. This is a Long-legged Fly on a Hosta leaf. Zoom
Same for the ubiquitous Greenbottle Fly. Zoom
Flesh Fly. Not my favorite insect, but still an amazing creature. Zoom
Large Green Metallic Sweat Bee on Coreopsis. Zoom
I’ve got a few unknowns. I think these next two are bees and not flies.
This may be some kind of sweat bee — metallic color, oval eyes to the side, long antenna, and looks like it has 4 wings (versus 2 for a fly). Zoom
Looks like a very small bee, with the pinched waist forming an hourglass shape, long antenna, and oval eyes to the side. Zoom
Last, a couple more unknowns, I’m thinking wasps.
Beautiful colors on this one, who was shy and nectared high up in the hydrangea, generally staying out of sight. Zoom
I got three views of this last one. I really liked its colors. Zoom
I didn’t notice the copper color until I uploaded the photos. Zoom
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Now it’s your turn! What’s buzzing in your neighborhood?