Tag: Wasp

Thursday (16-July-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Anti-Gardener — This squirrel is eating a Daffodil bulb in the cloth pots. Probably thinks it is one of the black walnuts it hid last fall.

Squirrel eating Daffodil bulb. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Squirrel eating Daffodil bulb. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Birds of the Day: Black-capped Chickadee, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, and House Finch.


Birds of the Day. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Butterflies of the Day: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.


Butterflies of the Day. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

There definitely are two types of Clearwing moths were present. They prefer pink to purple flowers (Bee-Balm, Lemon-Mint, Bergamot, Larkspur, Delphinium). The Clearwing Hummingbird moth (Hemaris thysbe) is larger, and has light-colored front legs. The Clearwing Snowberry moth (Hemaris diffinis) is smaller, and has dark/black colored front legs. I am trying different camera lens combinations to see which is the best to capture images of these moths.


Clearwing Hummingbird Moths (Hemaris thysbe) captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Clearwing Snowberry Moths (Hemaris diffinis) captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

I noticed Yellowjacket Wasps hunting both Butterflies and Clearwing Moths. Possibly to lay eggs in the victims.


Yellowjacket Wasp attacking an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Yellowjacket Wasp attacking a Clearwing Snowberry Moths (Hemaris diffinis)captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS VIEWING THE SLIDE SHOWS PLEASE TRY A DIFFERENT BROWSER AND LET ME KNOW WHICH BROWSER YOU ARE USING. THANKS!!!

Daily Electric Energy Used (47.5 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (55.2 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. More clouds. A surplus of 7.7 kWh.

Two-Years Ago (21-July-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Time-Lapse Video: Day in the life of paper wasps. Images taken every 30 seconds with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (+ TC-E 20 III and SB-910 flash). You can see the larger larva stick their head out for a meal.

One-Year Ago (21-July-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Paper wasps working at the nest. Eggs and larvae at various stages of development.  Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash.

Paper Wasps Working at The Nest. Eggs and Larvae at Various Stages of Development. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III teleconverter) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash. (David J Mathre)
Paper Wasps Working at The Nest. Eggs and Larvae at Various Stages of Development.  Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III teleconverter) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash. (David J Mathre)

Friday (16-May-2014) — Texas

South Texas Birding Photo Safari with Jason Odell Day 1.

Wasp and Reflection — Walking on Water and Taking a Drink. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 800, 600 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Nik Define, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. This is a 100% crop as the wasp was in the middle of the pond.

Wasp and Reflection -- Walking on Water and Taking a Drink. Pond at a Ranch in Southern Texas. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 800, 600 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Nik Define, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014. This is a 100% crop as the wasp was in the middle of the pond. (David J Mathre)
Wasp and Reflection — Walking on Water and Taking a Drink. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 800, 600 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec). (David J Mathre)