Check this out

Shot in the garden this week

I cannot imagine how you got this shot. Pretty amazing.

I zoomed in with the digi Caro, then cropped it close to bring out more detail. Wish I had shrunk it more, cause it’s a bit fuzzy at that size. But then, so is that critter – whatever it is! He is built like a wasp, in bubble bee drag and apparently a predator of the poor honeybee. I wasn’t able to find him in the books. Anyone know anything about this creature?
We have never seen one in the garden before,,, but interesting enough, there are definitely fewer bumblers and honey bees around here this year. This might be the reason.

Brilliant photo Maggie, talk about caught in the act. Murder one for that boy.

Great picture Maggie. Are you going into hiding under the wittness protection act?

I'll ask Ray tomorrow if he knows what it is. He has read all sorts of stuff on honeybees since we have a couple of hives.

Terriff MK. Tell him - i forgot to mention - that it took off with the bee still in its clutches after I snapped it.

This one made me come out of hiding, Maggie. Although I've not seen one in person and can't really see the front end well, could it be a Golden Northern Bumble Bee? 7/8" long. Pointed snout? It does seem odd that it has attacked a honey bee but nature constantly surprises. Found an identifying pix in "Dragonfly Beetle Butterfly Bee" by Maryjo Koch. Anyone else who has this book, see if you agree...

Gail Who? ;-)

Ray didn't get a chance to look at the picture but said there are different bees that attack other bees.

Hmmmmmm.. Gail....the name rings a bell....

okay, okay, it's Gail too-lazy-to-log-on Morris. I'd promise to be better but I know that I won't since I cut off my second phone line. I do come by and read ya'll some I just have nothing inspirational to share these days. Sorry, I'm a bum. But enjoy seeing your posts. xoxo to all of you.

Well, stop and say hello more often !
Here's one just for you Gailfriend oxoxoxm

Gail.....Who??? I have not seen you since last year!!! as a matter of fact I have not seen Caro since last year.....and then there is always BJ who I have not seen....well, lets just say, not seen.....I think Maggie will have to have a party at her house for me to see all of ya'll AGAIN!!!!

Thanks Maggie. We must have the same animules. I had one of these in my yard this last weekend. It sat for so long I had to touch it. I woke it up! David, what's going with the Arlington Club these days? Were ya'll off for the summer too?

Hello chaps. George my extra garden help keeps bees so I asked him about this critter. He said that it if it was eating the honey bee it must be a wasp because bees are not carnivores they only feed on pollen. I bow to his superior knowledge as I know nothing about bees, nor much else come to think of it :-)

Gail, You will have to come to one of our meetings sometime....You know last Thursday of the month......

Nicola, DO NOT CUT YOURSELF DOWN !!!! You should know by now it's our job!!!

Gail, I think Terry even has this same dragonfly guy in his garden, across the pond. Did I see one just like it (or sorta) on your site Terry?

I just read on the package of a soundwave-mosquito-deterant thingie that "dragonflies are the mosquito's biggest predator". Surely that means they eat mosquito larva developing in standing water - and unfortunately, not the adults.
On the bee-killer pic - George's take sounds good to me Nic, because my first impression was that it looked like a wasp, decked out in bumble camouflage.

You just make sure you pop by from time to time Gail.
Don't have any quite like that one Maggie. The adults may take mosquitoes on the wing and the larvae will take them in the underwater stages.
Not easy to get them to stay for the close ups, so you done well again.

I love the constant learning experienced by living in a garden. Just saw a nature show on dragonflies this weekend Terry, confirming that they do eat mosquitoes on the wing. Strange how I had never realized it before. Then I walked outside with the camera to find this one, perfectly coordinated with the ‘black and lime green bed’

But the coolest one we have around here is an amazing scarlet red. They are more scarce and seldom seem to light. I would be esp pleased to catch it with the digi! Am realizing how photog has a similar lure as ‘the hunt’, but much more humane.

We also get a big red one with a 4 inch wing span, straight out of Jurassic Park. I see water on those leaves Maggie, don't tell me you had rain. Have you seen the larvae of the dragonfly in action, it has a sort of extendable jaw beneath it's head which shoots out and captures it's prey, very gruesome.

We had the largest dragonfly I've ever seen buzzing the kitchen window the other night. It was attracted by the light. The first time it hit the window, I thought it was a hawk moth, it was so huge. Then when it lit on the window sill, I called the boys to come look at the enormous dragonfly.

Not having a pond, I had never seen a dfly larva in action Terry, until that doco. Gruesome is right!
That's true homeschooling, isn't it Caro. Gardener's kids get to meet nature beyond the books. There is a dragonfly on my window sill right now, but it is because I bring the expired ones in from the pool and set them there for a while - just to admire um at close range! Its a mom-alert thing, but I know they enjoy it too ;-)

Here's one of my favorite 'insecticides'
The zipper spider.

She's been taking care of the hedgerow bed all summer.

It is truly amazing all the stuff that gets caught in those gigantic webs....humans holding their first cup of coffee of the day.....

Of course, sometimes the humans remember there might be a huge web they cannot see, so they begin the interesting batting action with their arms against invisible foes.

Have you also noticed how they are more inclined to snare you when your hands are full?

oooo that's a disaster waiting to happen
We also have a jumping spider. Fortunately, it jumps away from humans when we approach it face on, but I have noticed it can't see me when I come from behind it.

Esp for you Terry...

Aagh!!! I hate snakes! Especially that kind! You "have" heard my "rattle snake in the bathroom" story, haven't you? Tell me this one was NOT in your backyard!

I remembered your lack of affection for snakes Caro, so I have him guarding the pink lycoris ;-)

The pink lycoris is quite safe then.

now is that a real snake or am I missing something? guarding the lycoris?

It is a real rattler MK, but it actually lives many miles from my garden. In fact, its home turned out to be only a few feet from where we pitched a tent recently. :-0
Lars wouldn't let me really bring it home, so I just had to get a close up. Notice how he was parked in the morning sun to warm up enough for a mid air strike. Just as lars yanked me away, (because they can leap from the coiled position) the rattler sprang off the 4ft ledge, right onto the spot where I had been filming him from. whew, that was too close. It was way too early for a 911 in the boonies.

Holy Moly! Had you lost your mind!?!?!? I hate snakes, hate them, hate them.....

Good timing on Lars' part.

Doesn't that new camera do a good zoom - Thank goodness for Lars!

non-poisonous snakes are fine, I even work around them so they can stay in the garden and eat slugs - our son raises snakes and says they eat slugs But anything with rattles, butterfly patterns on the back, or a white cotton mouth give me the willies. I definitely do not want to pitch a tent anywhere within milesssssss of them!

Sure looked a little rocky to pitch a tent!!!!!Nice picture!!! Rattle snakes serve a purpose, and I tend to leave them alone, Cottonmouth or Copperheads it is open season, I just nate them!!! Seems as thou the rattlesnakes want to get away from you the other two will come FIND you......

And at least the rattler is good enough to warn you before it kills you. Nice shot Maggie, I love most wild things and snakes don't bother me, but even I would not have got within 20 feet of that one.

Aw you guys would be no fun at a rattler roundup
He was a whopper - prob close to 5' long

I've waited years to find one in the wild. He was awesome

And now for something slightly different, found nearby.

We have smaller versions of this un in the garden, but I have never been able to get a shot of one as easily as the green ones.

Congrats on the lizard shot. They are difficult to see, much less photograph. Its sure tough to get a good lizard population going when there are cats around.

Did you know that the mongoose can kill cobras by the dozen with no problems but is killed on first contact with a rattlesnake, they are so much faster. Obviously Maggie is faster than the mongoose.

You got it Terry. Notice he turned tail and fled after missing me on the strike.
He must have gotten wind of my long ago reputation. My sister used to say, "Don't tangle with her - she's small, but fast" ;-)

We've had enough dry weeks that I'm having to fill the bird baths again. The white wing doves won't let me forget. They seem to perch here every evening like buzzards, waiting for a fresh refill before coming down for a pre-bedtime drink.

Talk about a guilt trip

Maggie, your snake pix just confirms what I previously suspected...you are NUTS!

He is beautiful but soooooo dangerous. One time when we were camping, I stepped on a copperhead. I dont' care what they say about stand still until the snake goes away -- I was running like a roadrunner! eeeekkkk!

Nuts? No, I just like to do my 'native gardening' in nature, where it is really real