“Bumble Bee Candy” by Deborah Rees

Plant(s): Bumble bee on liatris aspera
Photo Story: It seems our resident bumble bees love Liatris Aspera! This is one of their many visits.
Equipment: NikonD3100
Photo ID: 32948

“Monarch Caterpillars on Swamp Milkweed” by Dana Kohlmeyer

Plant(s): Swamp milkweed (Asclepsis incarnata)
Photo Story: My butterly house has been home to a number of monarch caterpillars this summer. While usually spread out, I found these three close together happily munching on the swamp milkweed I cut from my garden for them.
Equipment: Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Photo ID: 32954

“Monarch Chrysalis” by Dana Kohlmeyer

Plant(s): Swamp milkweed (Asclepsis incarnata)
Photo Story: Concerned that some of the chrysalis in my butterfly house were dying because they looked very dark, I got up close for a better look. To my surprise, it was a preview of the beautiful monarch wings before the butterfly emerged. Nature is amazing!
Equipment: Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Photo ID: 32955

“Hummingbird on Royal Catchfly” by Ed Buchs

Plant(s): Silene regia – known as “Royal Catchfly” is the red flower in the photo and target for the hummingbird.
Photo Story: Spotting a hummingbird foraging is mostly luck. When Royal Catchfly are in bloom in my native garden, I usually give myself a five minute pause while I stand still and wait for the lucky chance to see the hummingbird at the flower. This photo is the result this year. The hummingbird is the main pollinator of this plant which has been in my garden for the last 10 years.
Equipment: Canon R6
Tamron 18-400 telephoto lens
Capture 1 software to process RAW photo.
Photo ID: 32959

“Vibrant Summer Sunday” by Amy Williams

Plant(s): Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Photo Story: In the last couple of years I began transitioning my landscape to as many natives as possible. I have a few annuals for pollinators, but hadn’t had a ton of luck attracting them. That has completely changed with the addition of all our native plants. It fills my heart with joy!
Equipment: My husband’s iPhone!
Photo ID: 32960

“Monarch Butterfly on Meadow Blazingstar” by Ed Buchs

Plant(s): Liatris ligulistylis – Meadow Blazingstar
Monarch Butterfly -Danaus plexippus
Photo Story: This plant attracts monarch butterflies each year. This year due to drought the plant was not as strong as other years and while I usually see 14 or more monarchs, this year the most seen at one time was 4. This monarch provided an opportunity for a good close-up picture worthy of entry in the photo contest.
Equipment: Canon R6
Tamron 18-400 Telephoto Lens
Software for Raw processing Capture One.
Photo ID: 32961

“Brown Belt in Pollination” by Roger Sorensen

Plant(s): Brown belted bumblebee Bombus griseocollis, Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis
Photo Story: In summer my garden is always active with several species of bumblebees. Last summer (2022) was my first time have a Brown belted bumblebee visit with the Indigo was in full bloom.
Equipment: iPhone
Photo ID: 32966

“Monarch Flutter” by Barbara DeGraves

Plant(s): Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) & Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Photo Story: Several years ago, I received a Swamp Milkweed seedling from a Wild Ones SoKY member. It grew well, producing some seeds that I harvested. That next winter I pushed some of the seeds into the wet ground near the original stem. Now, we have a nice cluster of about a dozen milkweed plants. Each summer I see a couple more Monarch Butterflies visiting the fragrant pink flowers. While photographing this female, I even got to watch her lay some eggs on the underside of the leaves!
Equipment: Canon 90D, 1/1600 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 2500, Canon EF-S Lens 18-135 mm
Adobe Lightroom
Photo ID: 32976

“Natives in the Front Yard” by Amy and Ryan Cutrell

Plant(s): Cup plant
Photo Story: Teen Advocates for Natives. Ryan spent time each day watching the various blooms and captured this beautiful butterfly. Ryan is at DePauw University in his first year of college studying Environmental Biology. Joining the Wild Ones helped Ryan to “blossom.”
Equipment: cell phone
Photo ID: 32982

“monarch and coneflower” by Anne Bartels

Plant(s): Monarch butterfly on a purple coneflower
Photo Story: I like taking lots of photos in my gardens, and this monarch was very tolerant of getting its picture taken and staying still. This photo was submitted to a city contest for decorative wraps covering electrical boxes and it is now on an electrical box at a major intersection in downtown Marinette, WI.
Equipment: Canon powershot G7
Photo ID: 32985

“Swallowtail on Golden Alexanders” by Anne Bartels

Plant(s): Black swallowtail larva and Golden Alexanders in the garden
Photo Story: I take lots of photos in the gardens, and this guy was on the plant, making his way up to the flowers.
Equipment: Canon powershot G7
Photo ID: 32986

“Bharti-Katbamna-Hovering-Calligrapher-On-Bellflower-Stigma-2023” by Bharti Katbamna

Plant(s): Tall Bellflower (Campanula strum), Eastern Calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus)
Photo Story: This magical image was taken at the Portage Creek Bicentennial Park in early July 2023 when hover flies are buzzing around the gorgeous bellflower stigma.
Equipment: Nikon D3200
Photo ID: 32995

“Who, me?” by Nancy Mathias

Plant(s): Butterfly weed and monarch caterpillar
Photo Story: This butterfly weed was nestled into a small sunny spot between raspberries and traditional landscaping bushes on the south side of the house just for the monarchs. This little caterpillar posed in a question mark for a late afternoon photo.
Equipment: iPhone SE
Photo ID: 33000

“Pollinators busy on a native cone flower” by Brian McDonald

Plant(s): Carpenter bees and cone flower
Photo Story: Wild Ones membership is a household membership under Taylor Hixson ID: 99159
Equipment: samsung SM-S536DL
Photo ID: 33002

“Pollinator busy inspecting a cone flower” by Brian McDonald

Plant(s): Carpenter bee and cone flower
Photo Story: Wild Ones membership is a household membership under Taylor Hixson ID: 99159
Equipment: samsung SM-S536DL
Photo ID: 33003

“Heads or Tails” by Nancy Mathias

Plant(s): Butterfly weed and monarch caterpillar
Photo Story: Photo taken in side yard, in tiny garden beside raised raspberry bed. This little caterpillar found the butterfly weed planted just for him.
Equipment: iPhone SE
Photo ID: 33004

“Hummer on Flame Azalea” by David Carson

Plant(s): Ruby throated hummingbird on flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) which is an endemic native to this area.
Photo Story: This beautiful bird and plant found while walking the paths in the native plant collection of the Connecticut College Arboretum.
Equipment: Nikon D5000 with 300 mm telephoto
Photo ID: 33007

“Janet-Chen-Golden-sand-digger-on-mountain-mint – 2023.jpg” by Janet Chen

Plant(s): Mountain mint (Pycantheum) with Great Golden Sand Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus)
Photo Story: I was visiting the gardens of Jessecology on a Wild Ones garden tour on Saturday August 19th. The gardens were alive with insects – this particular species was a new one for me. Great Golden Digger Wasps look like creatures from a sci-fi movie, and behave like them too. They paralyze their prey and move them to hidden, underground chambers. There they deposit an egg on their catch and seal the chamber. Upon hatching, the young devour the still living prey.
Equipment: Apple iPhone 14
Photo ID: 33013

“Poppin and Pollen” by Krista Rakovan

Plant(s): Xylocopa virginica (Eastern Carpenter Bee) on Passiflora incarnata (Maypop)
Photo Story: I work at a native plant nursery and the Maypops had just started blooming a few days earlier. My manager said that it appeared like the bees were getting drunk, they seemed so happy on the flowers. And I got this shot of a bee just loving it.
Equipment: iPhone 11
Photo ID: 33018

“Bharti-Katbamna-Hovering-Calligraphers-On-Bellflower-2023” by Bharti Katbamna

Plant(s): Tall Bellflower (Campanulastrum americanum), Eastern Calligrapher (Toxomerus germinatus)
Photo Story: This is another majestic image during a beautiful July afternoon showing numerous hoverers busily pollinating bellflowers!
Equipment: Nikon D3200
Photo ID: 33020

“Pollinating Asters” by Elizabeth Tamagni

Plant(s): Sticky Aster (Machaeranthera bigelovii) and Painted lady butterfly.
Photo Story: Late summer days in the garden are filled with pollinators.
Equipment: Nikon D5100
Photo ID: 33022

“Perfect Landing” by January Kiefer

Plant(s): Monarch on swamp milkweed
Photo Story: I’m not sure what you mean by “photo story.” I am over 18! My name is January Kiefer (you may also have me listed as Janet Kiefer as I go by both names. My preferred name is January.)
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 33028

“We Can Share” by January Kiefer

Plant(s): bees on swamp milkweed
Photo Story: Over 18, I am a member and I took the picture. January (Janet) Kiefer
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 33029

“Monarch Enjoying the Milkweek” by SUZANNE ATKINSON

Plant(s): Monarch Butterfly – Danaus plexippus, Common Milkweed – Asclepias
Photo Story: While on vacation at Lee Lake with my family. I took an early morning walk with my daughter along the small road that circles the lake. I had my camera along and was hoping to spot some deer. As we were walking I noticed that the road was lined with a lot of milkweed. It didn’t take long to spot several butterflies enjoying the milkweed blooms.
Equipment: Nikon Z5
Photo ID: 33035

“Tiptoe” by Kristin Wilson

Plant(s): Spring Beauty and Spring Beauty Minor Bee – Claytonia virginica and Andrena erigeniae
Photo Story: The spring beauty miner bee is solitary and ground nesting. They’re in a committed relationship with the spring-flowering wildflower, spring beauty. The pollen is powdery pink so the larvae are nurtured by pink sweetness.
Equipment: Nikon D850 f/16; 1/500sec; 105 mm
Photo ID: 33045

“Lobelia Bee Butt” by Jennifer Geist

Plant(s): Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia siphilitica), Bumblebee (Bombus sp)
Photo Story: The blue cardinal flower is always abuzz! Mostly with various bumblebees, their legs loaded with pollen. I find their bee butts so cute! It’s also a favorite of hummingbirds, though I am never fast enough with either my phone or camera to get a good snap of them.
Equipment: Nikon D90, 70mm-200mm lens
Photo ID: 33052

“Monarch Respite” by Jennifer Geist

Plant(s): Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Sweet Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
Photo Story: One of my “stretch goals” with native plant gardening, in addition to all the other pollinator and avian benefits, has been specifically to attract monarch butterflies. We went from never seeing any monarchs to seeing multiple every day since we planted swamp milkweed and butterfly weed last fall! I’ve seen some laying eggs, but no caterpillars yet; the wasps must be getting them first. But it is still nice to provide both the nectar source the adults need as well as the foliage the caterpillars need to survive, to hopefully help in one small way to keep them from the brink of extinction.
Equipment: Nikon D90, 55-200mm lens
Photo ID: 33056

“Swallowtail Splendor” by Nathalie Shanstrom

Plant(s): Eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus, on Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa
Photo Story: After admiring the caterpillars, the adults came to feast on our Butterflyweed!
Equipment: Samsung Galaxy 22 cell phone
Photo ID: 33059

“Bumble-Bee-in-Blue” by Anita Willbrand

Plant(s): Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica
Photo Story: I am slowly incorporating natives to my garden areas and have been pleasantly surprised at the number of tiny bees and bumble bees that nectar daily on this blue lobelia. It is a delight and sometimes a challenge to capture these winged insects on a mission!
Equipment: The camera on my iPhone 13.
Photo ID: 33060

“monarch-on-common_milkweed” by Cecilia Devlin

Plant(s): Paw paw-Asimina triloba, Common milkweed-Asclepias syriaca, Hazelnut-Corylus americana (top left of photo)
Photo Story: The photo was taken in my backyard.
Equipment: iPhone8
Photo ID: 33063