"Queen" Asian Paper Wasp building a nest.

Tried to get a better photo with a macro lense but the thorax
is out of focus. This 'queen' is building a nest inside the leg
post of my excercise glider outside on my deck. See next
photo.

Inside the post.

This took some major back light enhancement to pull
out this photo.
It's the best I could
do but can you see the nest she's
building inside the
hole at the top? The queen starts
the nest, then the workers
take over and can build a nest
that can hold up to 500 wasps.
I'm not sure how long I'm going
to keep 'queeny' as a neighbor.

Now....I'm not a big "insect" fan....

but click on this
photo to see the
awesome detail in
this creature of God.
Amazing!! 

"Echinacea" or the "Purple Cone Flower"

Echinacea has been contributed
with the ability to boost the body's
immune system and to ward off
infections, particularly the common
cold. Bought in drugstores, along
with zinc, echinacea really does work.
At the first sign of a cold setting in, or
feeling run down, zinc and echinacea
really knock it out of you. 

"Rose of Sharon" and

a bumble bee.
It's hard to see it
because it is so
full of pollen. Look
on the lower left.
Can you see it?? 

The ants go marching one by one.....

 

When they say
"Soft as a Rose Petal"...
I think they were
referring to this rose.

 

Not enough
food in these
little flowers.
Better keep
searching. 

Look at the iridescent colors in the wings!

The pinks and purples are
reflecting off of the wings.
So beautiful!! 

Let's try a bigger flower!!

 

This Bumble Bee loaded up with dinner.

 

Bumble bee carrying too much pollen.

This fella had to land a couple
of times to readjust his pollen.
He lost a big chunk flying from
the flower to the deck. He sat
there rearranging the pollen in
an effort not to lose anymore. 

Beautiful Honeysuckles in neighbor's yard.

Wasp on a Honeysuckle flower.

Asian Paper Wasp.

Caught this little bugger in flight!
Appears to be an "Asian Paper Wasp" -
Polistes Chinensis. One of the benefits
of wasps is they kill flies and spiders.
Only female wasps sting. Their venom
contains histamine

Click on this photo to see him closer up. 

Good Morning, Mr. Cardinal!

 

Bumble Bee filling up for dinner.

Bumble Bee on a Day LilY. See below for close up.

Our Neighborhood Bumble Bee.

You must click on this to view larger. This insect is awesome!

A Yucca Flower.

Click on this....doesn't the pollen look like ice crystals? 

A Thistle.

 

Yellow Rose of .......Chicago!!

 

Don't know what this flower is. It is shrubby like a lavender shrub...but is not a lavender. Any help would be appreciated. See below for a closer-up view of the individuals flowers. 

This is one of the teeny flowers from the branch above. I'm going to work on getting a better photo of the inside. It is only about one-half inch long. 

Don't know what this beauty is....if you know...please tell me.

Day Lily in Chicago, IL backyard.