Female Pompilid wasps are spider hunters. After a suitable species of spider is found, it is stung, and it soon becomes largely immobile. If it has not already done so, the wasp will make a burrow in the sand and then drag the stunned spider to the nest and lay an egg on it. When... Continue Reading →
Macro Monday: Mating Bronzed Tiger Beetles
Looking back to warmer times... The Bronzed or Shore Tiger Beetle (Cicindela repanda) is a common tiger beetle in Alberta, but this was the first time I was able to photograph a mating pair, up on a sandy terrace above the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton. I tried to obtain shots of individual specimens, but... Continue Reading →
The Van de Veldes at Greenwich
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England that has the world's largest collection of works by the Van de Velde's. Now, knowing the history of the family, I can see why. On the 2 March 2023, The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea exhibit opened in the Queens House, now part of the Royal Museums at Greenwich.
Macro Monday: Pine Tussock Moth Caterpillar
As a method of encouraging myself to blog more regularly, I bring to you Macro Monday. I'll use this space to share images of interesting critters that, over the years, have been foolish enough to subject themselves to the Great Eye. The first subject for Macro Monday is a Pine Tussock Moth Caterpillar. Dasychira grisefacta,... Continue Reading →
Ideas on a Sunday: Rebellion as a way of life.
Trigger warning: this article will touch on the subject of suicide. Absurdism in a nut shell:Albert Camus believed that it was absurd to try to find meaning in a meaningless universe. If one accepts that life is meaningless, there may appear to be only two responses, either a physical suicide--the deliberate ending of your own... Continue Reading →
Stump-stabber. An Ichneumon wasp at work.
While our daughter volunteered at Fort Edmonton on a weekend in May, 2010, my wife and I roamed the river valley around the fort. As usual I carried my camera equipment with me, setup for macro photography with diffused flash. While we paused to rest at a bench, I noticed a slender wasp 'feeling' its... Continue Reading →