Black Widow

Found this black widow spider in my sons playground.  After showing her to my son to help him recognize them in the future I moved her away from the house.  This is number this year.  We found about 20 last year.  They seem to be all over the Double Oak area.

Sackens Bee Hunter Photograph

This is a Sackens Bee Hunter.  I came across this insect by accident one day.  I thought it was a Bumble Bee at first but I quickly realized it was a bee mimic.  I took a few photographs and began my search on the internet.  I have never seen one of these and I have lived in the same house for 25 years.
It turns out I took photographs of a Sackens Bee Hunter.  These bee mimic will capture and eat other bees.  They blend in and using the same color patterns are Bumble Bees.  They are stripped yellow and black but are not as wide bodied as a Bumble Bee.  They also stand differently in a different posture.
I have not been able to get much information on the internet as these seem to be elusive and not very common.  I found some articles that state they can bite of sting and that it is quite painful.  They are not aggressive and would only sting you if captured or maybe stepped on.  These insect are very good at mimicking bees.  If I wasn’t trained to notice details on insects because of my fascination with macro photography I would have dismissed this Sacken’s Bee Hunter as just another bee.

Purple Flowers

These are two purple flowers I took some photographs of.  The first is a Cat Claw Sensitive Briar.  These are wild and grow all over the north Texas area.  When you touch the leaves they will close.  I lined my shots up and turned the lights off.  I used a Canon MT-24EX flash unit to get the light.  When the lights off the only area illuminated where the areas the flash hit so it created a nice black background.

I have no idea what this second flower is.  But I thought it would make for some interesting photography.

Black Widow Spider

The Black Widow Spider is one of the spider from the United States that is considered dangerous.  There are only two other species, the Brown Recluse and the Hobo spider that are also considered dangerous.  The Black widow spider is identified by the female being solid black in color with a red hour glass on the belly.  She can have a red marking or hour glass on her back as well.  Black Widow Spiders are not aggressive and rarley bite unless in self defense.

For my information click -> Black Widow Spider
Video of a Black Widow Spider

Black Widow Spiders are one of the easiest spiders to identify.  They have a unique shape and the red hour glass is a positive identifier.  If bitten by a Black Widow you should immediately go to the hospital.  Quick care can really save a lot of pain and possibly prevent death.

Orange and Black insects on Bluebonnets

These are some macro photographs or orange and black insects on bluebonnets.  I took these macro photographs with a Canon 5d Mark II and a Sigma 180mm lens.

http://www.gather.com/viewSlideshow.action?albumId=35861

Unknown Red and Black Beetles

I found these ed and lack bug nymphs in my back yard.  They were in 5 clumps and each clump had hundreds of bugs.  I am not sure what species they are.


http://www.gather.com/viewSlideshow.action?albumId=35947