Photographing the Cosmos: 2023
Tall Yellow Sulphur Cosmos. Scientific Name: Cosmos sulphureus. We have been growing these flowers in our garden for a long time, and they have always been very popular within our backyard insect community. I have also been taking pictures (to the best of my ability, using an iPhone 6) of these little visitors for a couple years now, but I decided to begin uploading the pictures and notes online rather than let it sit in my phone, or simply writing it in my journal. Also, the identification of all species on this post is done to the best of my ability using google, and mistakes are absolutely possible. Once this season’s photography is complete, I will upload that as well! Until then, enjoy the best insect pictures of 2023.
Goldenrod Soldier Beetle: Chauliognathus pensylvanicus. This beetle is a common visitor every single year. This image shows off its underbelly, striped like a bee’s. The Yellow Sulphur Cosmos is the only flower in our garden that attracts this beetle.
Northern Corn Rootworm: Diabrotica barberi. Just look at those beady little eyes! This green one was hiding under the petals and was half covered in all the other pictures I took of it. Good thing it decided to sunbathe for a little!
Carpenter Bee: Xylocopa. At first I thought it was a bumble bee, but first, this guy isn’t hairy enough all around, and second, there seems to be a hairless patch on the back where the wings come from. According to my research (google), these traits line up more with a carpenter bee.
In this image, a similar Carpenter Bee is showing off its pollen basket, attached to its leg. The purpose of this structure is to carry large quantities of pollen back to the hive, where it is used as a source of food. I guess not all the pollen a plant makes is used for reproduction!
Sweat Bee: Halictidae. You might not be able to tell from the scale of the image, but this insect is the size of the white part of a fingernail. It is TINY. I had to do some rapid focusing with my phone camera to take this image before the bee flew off, but I am so proud of how the picture turned out. This bee is sitting on the flower of a mint plant.
Cabbage White Butterfly: Pieris Rapae. The butterfly is a white blur in the image, because it was going way too fast! This species is common in the greener and less flowery parts of our garden.
Long-Legged Fly: Dolichopodidae. I wish the flies inside our house were this pretty. Though this guy was really tiny, the colorful shine made it easy to spot. The hardest part was focusing the camera to take a detailed picture. Fortunately, this fly was staying still, basically posing for me!
Candy Striped Leafhopper: Graphocephala Coccinea. This was the coolest insect of the season. It’s hard to ignore an insect that’s bright pink and green! This guy specifically stayed still for long periods of time, but then started jumping so fast it looked like it was teleporting. Unfortunately, it turned out seeing this leafhopper wasn’t a good thing because this species can damage plants and spread disease.