golden orb weaver
Filed in Spiders, 16 January, 2009, 1:25 pmArgiope aurantia
This spider has many aliases. Some of them include: Golden Orb Weaver, Yellow Garden Spider, Yellow Orb Weaver, Writing Spider, Black & Yellow Argiope, and the Corn Spider. I called her “Awesome”.
The top spider lived on our front porch (Holly Springs, NC) for a few weeks. The bottom spider made it’s home at the [...]
Sweat Bee
Filed in Bees, 8 January, 2009, 12:37 pmLasioglossum (Dialictus)
I really liked these photos because the archive size shows the thick sticky globs of pollen on this bee’s legs so well!
These photos were taken at the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC.
Mountain Laurel
Filed in Flowers, 5 January, 2009, 5:37 pmKalmia latifolia
Commonly called Mountain Laurel or Spoonwood; but also known as Ivybush, Calico Bush, Sheep Laurel, Lambkill & Clamoun. They are not, however, related to Bay Laurel.
These blooms were photographed in the spring at Pilot Mountain in North Carolina on one of our rock climbing trips. The top photo came out strange, but both were [...]
Pink Azaleas
Filed in Flowers, , 1:28 pmAzaleas make up two subgenera of Rhododendrons (evergreen & deciduous). Since I didn’t photograph other parts of this flower and there are so many hybrids, I’m having difficulty identifying the flower beyond the general Azalea tag. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC.
While bugs are getting easier for me to identify – flowers and plants are becoming [...]
Leaf Leg Bug
Filed in Bugs, 4 January, 2009, 11:02 amLeptoglossus oppositus
Though these bugs and their relatives are prolific, I never encountered them until we moved to North Carolina. These two were found in our yard in Holly Springs, hanging out near the magnolia tree. I poked at them a bit as they appeared harmless.
