Rubus spectabilis, Rosaceae
Surrey Lake Park, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 35 mm f/1.8
March 31, 2013
Bombus sp., Apidae
Lighthouse Park, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 105 mm f/2.8
March 30, 2013
Ribes sanguineum, Grossulariaceae
New Brighton Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6
March 23, 2013
Ribes sanguineum, Grossulariaceae
New Brighton Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6
March 23, 2013
Oemleria cerasiformis, Rosaceae
Burnaby Lake Park, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6
March 23, 2013
Black-tailed Bumble Bee on Hooker's Willow
Salix hookeriana, Salicaceae
& Bombus melanopygus, Apidae
Burnaby Lake Park, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6
March 23, 2013
Salix hookeriana, Salicaceae
Burnaby Lake Park, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6
March 23, 2013
Lysichiton americanus, Araceae
Burnaby Lake Park, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Nikon D5100, 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6
March 23, 2013
Keeping with the theme of my recent posts I have put together a collection of the first spring blossoms. The past couple of weeks I have been surprised by the number of plants that are already in flower and in the last week I’ve noticed that many shrubs are almost completely leafed out. In contrast my native Alberta, while warming is still blanketed by snow. The plant phenology of the past few weeks reminds me of late April or early May in Alberta. While most of the flowers are from shrubs such as Indian Plum, herbs such as Pacific Bleeding Heart and the previously mentioned Western Skunk Cabbage are also in flower.
I’ve also been seeing Bumble Bee queens visiting these new flowers and managed to get a few pictures. When trying to ID these photos I discovered this great free guide to the Bumblebees of the Western United States. I was surprised by the number of species and the difficulty of identification. I think I may be collecting my photographic subjects in the future.
Lacking Sean’s two flash macro rig, I was having a real problem with falloff in this shot. With Sara’s help I was able to improve the falloff somewhat by having her hold a fern frond immediately behind the subject. Even with this trick, there are dark areas on the right of the photo and there are some unwanted shadows on the face of the bee. Looks like I might need to to put some effort into a more coordinated macro rig. Make sure to get out and enjoy the changing season if the rain ever lets up.
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