Category: Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects

Sky Viewing with Muntingia Calabura or Aratiles Flower

By livelifeandlove on September 12, 2013

My habit keeps my mind active and physically occupied for a day. Photographing these wildflowers Muntingia Calabura has something to teach as well. This is just a short lived wildflower, it will only stay for a day and I just have to shoot it immediately before the sucking insects will arrive that it may caused discoloration.

The first bloom is lovely white in full sun although it was really small but, with fine quality once you’ll seen the result. This kind of flower may not be available during rainy season, they bloom more this time and less continuously.

Previously,I’ve published the first part of these images with the black background as it was glowing in the dark. I’m very passionate to do these things in the morning.Here’s the shots taken from day to day activities.

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Flowering Bulb

By livelifeandlove on September 11, 2013

What a pleasant surprised to see the first display in the garden, the gorgeous ”Amaryllis bulb flowers”. Theflower looks attractive with the combination of white and pink lined petals.These particular variety grown in partial shade enriched with our own home-composed soil. It’s quiet easy to grow but watering priority during summer droughts.

Sometimes, they become too crowded and compact, I’ve divided some and replant it all over again on the same place. I’ve photographed it to be my first gorgeous subject in the morning. Photographing a lovely subject is an entertaining ritual especially if it’s done first hour in the morning. It’s cool to do it especially if it goes well and appropriate for my time, more so for the enjoyment of nature. Here’s my angle shots!

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Yellow Hibiscus Flower

By livelifeandlove on September 4, 2013

Beautiful yellow hibiscus in the garden. We call it gumamela in the Philippines.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Black Background Images of Honeybees

By livelifeandlove on July 17, 2013

It was summer when I started to photograph the honeybees.Attempting to get a good picture was really tough at this time,got only few chances because the weather sometimes is unpredictable.A lot of times, when the day is supposed to be sunny, but it turned out to be foggy and windy.

Recently,I produced pictures of honeybees in a natural habitat,however this time, I want to change the setting from natural environment to black background.Attempting to get a good picture at a closer range using foliage as my background and keeping it to a bit darker is hard because it was done in a broad daylight. These honeybees were very active and aggressive coming too close and flew away. It was just a matter of patience to wait for the proper timing.Sometimes, I’m losing my patience and felt so uncomfortable under the sun.

Fortunately, Pollinating flowers was done many times,therefore, the honeybees will return again and again to the same flower and that I firmly memorized all their routes following them. As the result? I produced 15 pictures of honevbees pollinating flowers with a black background.Definitely, I’m changing moods, it might be unpleasant to see as it is noticeable with the presence of other pictures. I’m not a photographer, still learning some tecniques from you guys! Here’s the result !

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Bees and Caterpillars

By livelifeandlove on July 9, 2013

Lately,I’ve discovered leaves that was badly damaged, I was wondering who made these damages. Got 2 leaves to compare with. To my point of comparison,the first leaves was not fully damaged,it was cut off into an oval shaped and ring form.However, to my second discovery was more intense. How can you tolerate to see, it was all disrupted and destroyed.They totally ate all the leaves leaving only the veins and stems. I ‘ve photographed it for proof. Who’s to be blamed for these?

Damages done by the leaf-cutter bees.

The honey bees as leaf-cutter bees.

The Gypsy moth caterpillars.

Damages done by the gypsy moth caterpillars.They are considered as a pests. Almost zeroing everything,I guess, they are in the destructive stage at this time.I’m just wondering what made them crave to eat all the leaves.They will surely stop upon reaching the next stage of their life cycle.

Sometimes,the gypsy moth caterpillars with the whole family; father,mother,and children,they all gathered together to do the same activity for the day.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

White Butterfly

By livelifeandlove on July 8, 2013

Summer has passed,the same kind of butterfly visited our garden.For almost a month now, very few care to visit in the morning,I guess, it was it was driven by the constant rain showers in the morning and most of the day,it’s foggy and cloudy and that, the sun barely appeared.

Only these kind of butterflies has the courage to visit. I took some snapshots with different angles during their daily visit, I just don’t know it if it’s the same butterfly who came to visit yesterday. Previously, I’ve completed the photos of butterfly life cycle.It took some time for me to make the completion because it was hard to determine their real eggs.So far,I’ve gathered few to complete my details about species around.

These white butterfly has rounded wings which makes it different from other butterflies around. The butterfly was quiet small and very active, it was tough to photograph these tiny little thinge even though it is small, it looks bigger enough to view it in close-up.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Ants: Busy Life

By livelifeandlove on June 10, 2013

Soldier ant, take a closer look.You can clearly see the external features here; head,thorax and the abdomen.The strong mandibles ready to bite,it was wide opened.

A termites nest I’ve discovered.Ants live in colonies and underground.In these photos you can see all types of ants; worker ants,carpenter ants and the soldier ants.They are red and black in color.The soldier ants role, from the word,”soldier” itself, they are responsible to protect their queen and fellow ants, the worker ants getting busy to gather food all day long and the carpenter ants dig in the woods for more convenient and comfortable nesting site.They usually store foods for rainy days.During rainy days, ants can’t go out to gather food,this is the reason why,they store food in advanced or before rainy days. The foods was stored inside their nest and good enough to sustain the entire colonies.

Worker ants in large numbers.It is common to my place that you’ll see them everywhere.Their nest seems to be a very crowded place to live in.The annoying part is the pain bites injecting sting.

The soldier ants on duty.Ants also live in stems of the tree

The ants hill.

Carpenter ants live here.Master carpenters,they dig deeper inside the wood.You can just imagine how strong their jaws are.

Carpenter ants nesting place. Fully displayed revealing deep excavation. Whew ! I learned a lot from my own discoveries.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Harvest Man Spider

By livelifeandlove on June 3, 2013

Harvest man spider

A spider with long legged legs,feed on flies,mosquitoes and other tiny insects usually spinning web to catch all kinds of insects. I’ve found these harvest man spider while cleaning the house,I was lucky to discover it during daytime. Spiders usually hide by day,this one remains hanging and sleeping quietly on his own web.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Wildlife/Animals/Pets

Tweet-Tweet Wake Up

By livelifeandlove on May 15, 2013

Gray wagtail bird

Sounds of gray wagtail bird wakes me up,singing and chirping rhythmically outside the window early in the morning.I was trying to figure it out what’s happening outside.It seems they are trying to get me do something for them. Quickly,I get up and run outside,I saw these gray wagtail birds eating and enjoying slices of bread left on the table yesterday.

Originally,The gray wagtail was alone,making some noises calling her mate, and minutes after, her mate has arrived to join her. It’s a bird behavior during food sharing.

What a morning excitement,these is how birds behave when they see something good in the morning.It was just a morning surprise for them. Nevermind, chirping has the power to wake you up, cheer you up, and makes you happy.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Curling Millipede

By livelifeandlove on April 20, 2013

They are Antropods.You can clearly see here the 2 pairs of legs in each segment.Being curious with their slow crawling and curling movements,I took few shots. Check how they curl up when being disturbed.

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While crawling,

When being disturbed,

Rolled up to protect the legs.

the ability to comouflouge and pretending to be dead.

Ended up in a rounded curl,looks like an elegant bangle.

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