Bald-faced Hornet

[centuryplant]

I take a lot of pictures of insects on goldenrod -- mostly because goldenrod attracts a lot of insects, but also because I like green and yellow. What I don't like is the way the tall, top-heavy flowers tremble in every breeze. Sometimes, when the wind just won't stop, I resort to holding the camera in one hand so I can stabilize the plant with the other one. Of course the camera shakes more, but image stabilization helps with that, whereas it can't do anything about subject motion, so I think I wind up ahead. Pollinators are usually too absorbed in their work to notice what I'm doing. Unfortunately this one did take exception to me, so I only got one shot, handheld with one hand at 1/30 of a second, before it dropped off the flower into the grass. That shot had no business working at all, but sometimes I get lucky.

Comments

[kore]

OMG those WINGS, wow. And there's something so jaunty about his head -- like he's wearing a fancy medieval helmet.

[centuryplant]

I love their heads -- they look so smooth, as if the eyes are just painted on.