Pages

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Monday, August 22, 2022

Ambush Bug Enjoys Take Out, Not Takeout, Meals

Lying in wait the ambush bug strikes with its strong hooked forelegs,
holding its prey while injecting it with a paralytic saliva from its beak.
Using digestive enzymes the ambush bug liquefies its prey's tissues,
then its beak acts as a straw to consume its meal.
Isn't nature just wonderful? 

 

Friday, August 19, 2022

Swarming Cluster


(Click on image for expanded view.)

 

PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY - 8/19/22

© 2022 Luke T. Bush

Way up in a downtown tree the object appears to be a beehive. But closer inspection with a telephoto lens reveals it’s really a mass of honeybees in a large cluster. When a nest becomes overpopulated a new queen and some worker bees leave the nest in a huge swarm to establish another colony. The queen emits pheromones after landing in a tree to draw her followers to her, forming the temporary cluster. The tree swarm waits as scouts go out to find a new location for a nest. 

When this photo was taken part of the cluster had been carefully removed, a second relocation effort to follow with the remaining honeybees.

 

Monday, August 15, 2022

Fighting Bees

 

"This sunflower isn't big enough for both of us!"

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Splooting

 

 

On a hot day a squirrel will spread out like a bear rug to cool off.  After splooting for a while this guy sat up and enjoyed his peanut.

Saturday, August 06, 2022

New Parking Meters Installed Downtown

 


PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY -- 08/05/22

No more timed spaces downtown.  New smart meters will be in operation.  Don’t forget: convenient free parking at the mall and other shopping centers not downtown.