Ornate Checkered Beetle on Sticky Purple Geranium – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
When my trips to the field are slow bird-wise there is always something else to focus on. Earlier this week it was an Ornate Checkered Beetle on Sticky Purple Geraniums. I stopped to photograph the Sticky Purple Geraniums (Geranium viscosissimum) because they were the first that I had seen flowering this year. Their pretty pink blooms drew my eyes straight to them.
As I focused on one of the flowers I saw a black and yellow beetle on it that I didn’t recognize so I wanted to be sure to take images that showed the beetle clearly. I saw a few more of the beetles on the other flowers but the one in this photo showed the beetle the best.
After I returned home I was able to use iNaturalist to identify this beetle as an Ornate Checkered Beetle (Trichodes ornatus) by exploring the beetles found in Summit County. I was tickled because this was a lifer beetle for me. Getting excited about a beetle or anything wild that is new to me is part of who I am.
Blooming Sticky Purple Geranium – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I took more images of the Sticky Purple Geraniums than I did the beetles. I saw and photographed these wildflowers before I moved to Utah on a trip out here from Florida in July of 2008.
When I am in the field I pay attention to practically everything I can see or hear because everything in nature is connected. There are photos in my galleries that I would never have been able to create if it weren’t for the approach that I take when I am out in the field. I observe and relish what I see, hear and find. I stop frequently, I linger and I love what I do.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my insect and spider images. Click here to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.
I love your focus on the natural world.
Beautiful photos. You should take a look at Scott Baxter’s FB. He has been on a macro insect interest, diving into the smallest insects he can find. His images are interesting and well done. He is doing his best to identify them.
My motto for taking photos is “anything that breathes”…..plants breathe, don’t they? Congratulations on your lifer.
Interesting plant and insect adaptations — thank you for including the links.