PAPER WASP/FLATWOODS PLUM Exclamatory Paper Wasp (Polistes exclamans) nectaring on Flatwoods Plum blossoms (Prunus umbellata) A series of images combined on 4 layers. Caption by Mark Deyrup: This Exclamatory Paper Wasp is collecting nectar from a plum blossom. Later, she might hunt for caterpillars to feed the young of the colony. This species is a bit more defensive around the nest than other Florida paper wasps, so the “exclamation” might have come from the first person to collect specimens. Away from the nest this species does not attack humans unless it is grabbed (or sat on as it cleans a bit of jam off a patio chair). The yellow tips of the antennae are diagnostic of this species.

These images were exhibited in three venues in Pinellas County in 2006 and 2007. They are available as framed or unframed prints. See the links below for prices. Other sizes are available in some cases, please inquire if interested. All the images were taken in my suburban yard (less than 1/4 acre) over three years time (2005-2007). They show some of the beauty and diversity that can be found in a landscape planted with Florida native plants.

LINK TO FRAMED IMAGE PRICES: http://cgstudios.smugmug.com/gallery/1466565/1/109333535/Original

LINK TO UNFRAMED IMAGE PRICES: http://cgstudios.smugmug.com/gallery/1466565/1/109333544/Original

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Christina Evans (cgstudios) > PAPER WASP/FLATWOODS PLUM

Exclamatory Paper Wasp (Polistes exclamans) nectaring on Flatwoods Plum blossoms (Prunus umbellata)
A series of images combined on 4 layers.
Caption by Mark Deyrup:
This Exclamatory Paper Wasp is collecting nectar from a plum blossom. Later, she might hunt for caterpillars to feed the young of the colony. This species is a bit more defensive around the nest than other Florida paper wasps, so the “exclamation” might have come from the first person to collect specimens. Away from the nest this species does not attack humans unless it is grabbed (or sat on as it cleans a bit of jam off a patio chair). The yellow tips of the antennae are diagnostic of this species.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > CERAUNUS BLUE/PINELAND HELIOTROPE

Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus antibubastus) on Pineland Heliotrope (Heliotropium polyphyllum)
A series of images combined on 16 layers.
I've found these pretty little jewels most often in winter—this one was shot two days after Christmas. They generally perch with head down as shown, and sometimes with wings open—the males displaying their shimmering blue top side.
Pineland Heliotrope is a rambling, low-growing, drought-tolerant plant with gracefully curving flower spikes that seem to be always in bloom. It comes in two flavors—yellow or white.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > LONG-HORNED BEE, FRONT

A male Long-horned Bee on stalk of dwarf Fakahatchee Grass (Tripsacum floridanum)
A series of images combined on 14 layers.
Caption by Mark Deyrup:
When a male Long-Horned Bee looks you in the eye, you have to be impressed by his long antennae, his glowing eyes, and his attractive yellow face, especially if you are a female bee. The yellow coloration of the lower part of the face (technically called the clypeus) is a feature that occurs in males of a wide variety of bees and wasps. It probably signals the sex of the insect, both to females and to other males.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > SCARLET SKIMMER

A male Scarlet Skimmer (Crocthemis servilia) on stalk of dwarf Fakahatchee Grass (Tripsacum floridanum)
A series of images combined on 9 layers.
No need to ask where this dazzling dragonfly got its name. The Scarlet Skimmer is another species introduced into Florida—from Asia in 1975.
You may notice a number of insects are shown perched on dwarf Fakahatchee Grass. A patch of it, mixed with other grasses and wildflowers, hosts a multitude of diverse insect life in my front yard. When I want to take photos, I often sit in the midst of these 3-foot tall grasses and simply wait for a subject.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > COREOPSIS/TAMPA VERVAIN

Tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii) and Tampa Vervain (Glandularia tampensis or Verbena tampensis)
I like the sense of natural, imperfect, yet beautiful chaos in this image of the yellow Coreopsis and purple Tampa Vervain.
Although this picture does not do justice to the flowers, Coreopsis, or Tickseed, is a showy, beautiful wildflower that reseeds itself and so blooms nearly year round.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > HYACINTH GLIDER

A male Hyacinth Glider (Miathyria marcella) on a faded Blazing Star bloom spike. (Liatris spicata)
A series of images combined on 5 layers.
A beautiful male Hyacinth Glider found its way to my yard last October. They are often associated with what I call "the beautiful, but evil" introduced South American Water Hyacinths that choked Florida's waterways for many years (and likely would again if vigilant control efforts were ended).
These dragonflies are also an introduced species in Florida, first found here in 1934. I do not think of them as evil—only beautiful.

PAPER WASP/FLATWOODS PLUM

Exclamatory Paper Wasp (Polistes exclamans) nectaring on Flatwoods Plum blossoms (Prunus umbellata)
A series of images combined on 4 layers.
Caption by Mark Deyrup:
This Exclamatory Paper Wasp is collecting nectar from a plum blossom. Later, she might hunt for caterpillars to feed the young of the colony. This species is a bit more defensive around the nest than other Florida paper wasps, so the “exclamation” might have come from the first person to collect specimens. Away from the nest this species does not attack humans unless it is grabbed (or sat on as it cleans a bit of jam off a patio chair). The yellow tips of the antennae are diagnostic of this species.