... or maybe I should say Cold wasp. Thought I would share this as a behavioral image. I found this Solitary Wasp (Ammophila spp) early one morning on a goldenrod stem when the temperature was only about 45 degrees F. It was completely immobile while I was taking photos. I saw that its legs were kind of dangling over the edge of the stem, but it wasn't until I downloaded the images that I noticed that it was actually tightly hanging onto the stem with its mandibles. I returned a couple hours later when temps had warmed up and the wasp was gone. These wasps dig single-celled burrows that they stock with paralyzed caterpillars and then lay an egg in the burrow. The caterpillars provide food for the developing larvae. 40D, Canon 180mm macro + 25mm ext., 1/60, f/8, ISO 400, macro twin flash, hand held, auto focus. Comments are welcome.
With the wasp and perch all in one plane, you achieved good DOF and even lighting with the flash setup. The background is a bit busy, but natural - I might suggest darkening or cloning out the yellow in the ULC. There seems to be a blur in the catchlight. Interesting pose, using the mandible to hang on. Keep those 40 degree temps up north for a little longer, Steve!
Love that little spot of pollen on its back leg! I also feel some cloning would be needed for this to be an artistic image but as a behavioral one it works great. Loads of detail and a very interesting capture!
Cool wasp
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