I appreciated how this volunteer sunflower glowed against the darkly shadowed background yesterday morning after the sun rose above the trees.
Sunflower, shadows and bugs
The vibrant yellows of the sunflower would have stood out even without the shadows in the background. But with them, those yellows positively popped and seemed to vibrate through my viewfinder, and I knew they’d do the same in my photos too.
What I wasn’t expecting?
Sunflower, shadows and bugs with inset
The tiny and not-quite-as-tiny bugs my photo would show. There can be a universe full of insects in a single blossom, and we need those insects now.
The inset above shows a Lateral-lined Sharpshooter, Cuerna costalis, a member of the leaf hopper family. Leafhoppers are small, sometimes colorful insects.
Another thing, leafhoppers remind me of cicadas. Some of them even look like tiny cicadas!
The other small white circles show some of the ants on the blooming sunflower. The largest of the white circles shows another leafhopper, where I didn’t have enough data about it to ID.
Instead of water-sucking, sterile grass that needs constant mowing and maintenance, why not plant wildflowers or even cultivated flowers like these volunteer sunflowers that draw in insects?
A simple row of sunflowers provides plants for the insects to eat, insects for the birds to eat, and seeds galore.
I hope more people plants flowers. Small steps help.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.
More info on cultivated sunflowers: Cultivated Sunflowers and Their Wild Relatives
What a wonderful sunflower pic! Once again, I marvel at your incredible vision. How you found the leafhoppers and ants on the flower truly amazes me. Thanks Mia.
Great idea. And we certainly do need more insects (though my preference is for no more of the varieties that delight in biting me).
So beautiful! Perfect lighting! Hi little buggie