They are about 25mm in length.
This particular one is forming a ball.
I used to see them hovering among plants but now they are everywhere.
Someone must have told them I like critter shots...
...and they passed the message to one another.
It took me quite a while to have 3 of them in focus while a few were hovering around me because I was in their way.
They are on a very serious mission to collect wood to complete their nest.
So, please do not try this at home.
Like bees, they love the nectar.
Their diet consists of other insects and perhaps they are here to get rid of papaya fruit flies so that I get a chance to consume my papayas again.
On hot days, they quench their thirst at my lotus flower pot.
No wonder the water has been depleting quickly.
(Ok. I have heard of evaporation.)
There are many types of hornets.
The Lesser Banded Hornet or Vespa affinis has 2 orange bands covering the first and second segment of its abdomen while the rest of the abdomen is black.
It is true that they have grown in numbers, hence the title as such.
But it is not meant to be a scary post.
I am entering this last photo in Gardening Gone Wild's 'Picture This Photo Contest' with the theme Late Summer Garden.
I used to find it cumbersome to carry a camera and never bothered to take any photos during my travels.
What prompted the change and the beginning of this Journey in Photography was the birth of the puppies about 2 years ago.
(Clifford was one of them.)
They were so cute and growing extremely fast that I decided to keep some memorable captures before it was too late.
While I was at it, naturally I snapped a few photos of flowers but was not happy with the outcome.
It was frustrating trying to focus on the pistil or stamen with a point and shoot camera.
It was close to impossible trying to shoot a spider web with auto focus.
Now I appreciate a camera with manual focus as it allows us the choice as to what we want to focus on.
I enjoy experimenting with the camera; shooting from different angles.
Sometimes, I need to contort my body to achieve a preferred outcome.
I find these body stretching exercises a whole lot more fun than doing yoga.
Although I am finally happier with my captures of flowers these days, I would still experiment with some extreme editing to see what can be accomplished from it.
I have learnt a lot from many of you through your comments and photos and I want you to know that I appreciate your sharing.
A few days ago, I met this man who used to be an award-winning photographer.
He came up with masterpiece after masterpiece.
He was delighted with each masterpiece but not for long.
He kept pushing himself to improve which he did repeatedly.
Finally, he accepted the fact that he will never ever be fully contented and gave up his career as a photographer for models and brides.
He renounced the world and live his life as a forest monk, walking 4000km barefooted over a period of 14 years, having only one meal a day.
I enjoyed his humorous but true stories.
He even captured some beautiful shots of the forest to share because words cannot describe the beauty he experienced.
Above is a 6 min slide show of beautiful yet unusual sights of the lifestyle of monks living in the forest of Thailand.
We would not possibly get to see these sights in any other way since the forests are making way for development and it is also highly unlikely for a photographer to follow the monks in their journey just to capture some photos.
I am certain you would enjoy these breathtaking scenes.
After listening to his sharing and understanding his message, I am still looking forward to my first masterpiece.
Send in your captions for the mushrooms latest by this week.
All comments are welcomed too.
Here's wishing you a happy week ahead!
p.s. In reply to Andrea's question below, I did not add the eyes to the mushroom.
Mother Nature is beautiful and full of pleasant surprises.
All I did was looked around for images suitable for Monday Photo Caption and found this mushroom grinning at me with grains dropping out of its mouth!
The lotus flower is a symbol of illumination for some.
The lotus plant has its roots in mud, yet it rises through murky water to blossom cleanly and brightly, without a tinge of mud.
This reminds us that although we live in a rather chaotic world with illusions, we may strive to rise up and move towards illumination, just like the lotus flower.
May you be filled with inner peace just by admiring this delicate and beautiful lotus flower.
There are many meanings to the word 'fair'.
Today I'm sharing some of the meanings of 'fair' pictorially.
There are 3 sets of meanings to this four-lettered word below.
Monday Photo Captions wouldn't be as much fun without your wild ideas.
I appreciate all of you who submitted your captions and especially those who came back when ideas struck after being stuck.
My kindhearted teenage neighbour rescued these abandoned kittens over a week ago. Now that they have been fattened up a bit, they are available for adoption. Don't they look adorable?
Send in your captions for the kitten photos and stand a chance to win a kitten of your choice!
How about that?
All selected captions will be posted next Monday with a link to your respective blogs, with or without a kitten.
For those who didn't have enough of the kittens, here is a mosaic of them.
