A few shots from the garden: details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 7D ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, diffuse flash
Posts under ‘illinois’
Urban Ants of the Midwestern United States
Spring is springing here in the midwest and the ants have tunneled out from their winter hibernation. The start of anting season is the perfect time to present a guide to the common urban ants of the region. This post does not show all the ants from the midwest (you can find a comprehensive list here). Rather, [...]
Illinois students: learn beekeeping this summer!
Turns out that the Introduction to Beekeeping class I taught last summer was so successful the University of Illinois decided to offer it again! Here are the details: IB 496, Introduction to Beekeeping Instructor: Alex Wild (alexwild [at] life.illinois.edu) Dates: Summer Session II, June 13 – August 8 2011 Syllabus: click for syllabus Lecture: Monday, [...]
March is a fickle beast
The first flower of the year, a delicate white crocus I planted in late fall, opened Friday morning: The same flower this morning: photo details: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens Canon EOS 7D ISO1000 f/10-f/11; 1/200-250 sec ambient light
2011 Insect Fear Film Festival: Killer Wasps
If you are within travel distance of central Illinois next weekend, you DO NOT want to miss the famous Insect Fear Film Festival, now in its 28th year. The festival is great fun. You’ll play with giant grasshoppers, watch live bumblebee colonies, see BugScope probe insects at insane magnification, and get your face painted in [...]
A photo from warmer days
photo details: Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens on a Canon EOS 7D camera. ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/250 sec
Sign of the Times
May Berenbaum, the chair of UI’s entomology department, with her library of printed scientific articles on the way to the recycle bin. May’s literature collection is now entirely electronic. photo details: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens on a Canon EOS 7D ISO 100, f/4, 1/160 sec, indirect strobe bounced off ceiling
And now, a spider
I do apologize for the lack of blogging this week- I’ve been busy with lab work. Until things free up, here’s a spider: She set up shop across our back stairs at the perfect height to snare a human. Ambitious! I took this photo for the forensics folks in case we go missing.
The Battle for Clinton Lake
Even the most epic moments of ant warfare can seem inconspicuous from the towering height of our human eyes. The fisherman above, for instance, didn’t even flinch at the hostilities at his feet, even after I pointed out the boiling mass of angry ants. “Someone must’ve spilled something there,” he grunted as he moved on. [...]
Ant-hunting at Clinton Lake
I took the camera to nearby Clinton Lake yesterday afternoon looking to add some photos to the North American ant guide project. Here is some of the catch.
A personal weblog by Illinois-based biologist and photographer Alex Wild.
