To be honest, this has been a pretty slow week for me. I’ve been catching up on some projects that needed attention but also taking some time off and just hanging around the house. I did manage a quick trip to our family prairie last night and got a few photos, even though the clear cloudless sky meant really intense sunlight right up until the last 5-10 minutes before the sun dropped below the horizon. Here’s a selection of those. Have a great weekend!
Common milkweed flowers silhouetted against a leaf on the same plant. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 320, 1/160 sec, f/13.These stink bugs were working on creating more stink bugs on the opposite side of this leaf. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 320, 1/80 sec, f/16.This chonky crab spider was poised for action if/when an insect visitor came to this black-eyed Susan flower. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 320, 1/100 sec, f/13.Bergamot, aka bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) is just starting to bloom. This was one of the few flowering heads that had fully-emerged florets. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 320, 1/80 sec, f13.This is a photo from Lincoln Creek Prairie, here in Aurora, last weekend. This beautiful little robber fly posed just long enough for me to use my tripod like a monopod and creep closely enough for a shot. Nikon 105mm lens. ISO 320, 1/320 sec, f/13.
The Prairie Ecologist 
Beautiful as always! I especially loved the shadow pictures on the leaves. And the glamour shot of the robber fly!
That fly! Very nice.
I always love to see how flowers are in different parts of the country. My Bee Balm won’t be flowering for a while.