Hairy Vetch – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Hairy vetch can be found across the United States This is an eastern bumble bee hanging upside-down on a flower known as hairy vetch. This strange named flower is also known as fodder vetch, winter vetch, or sand vetch. Although Wild Boyz Photography has written about eastern bumbles in […]
Eagle Creek Park They are known to have solitary nests, but they usually nest in social groups. I took this photo of an eastern carpenter bee on the same day that I took the photo of a goldenrod soldier beetle. Matt had been in Indianapolis visiting, and we went to Eagle Creek Park to take […]
Common Eastern Bumblebee – IUCN Conservations Status: Least Concern As they fly from flower to flower, the bumblebee collects pollen between the its hairs This might be the most common bee to see if you are an east coaster. The common eastern bumblebee is found across the eastern US, southern Canada, and the Great Plains. Their fuzzy […]
Wild Boyz Photography is proud to have Nick Ivers join us this month as a featured photographer. Nick currently finds himself living in Austin, Texas, where he is pursuing his graduate degree at the University of Texas. His focus is on disease within bee populations. As Ben’s brother, we are really excited to have him join the fold this month as a wild boy. His passion for nature and spreading nature education is unmatched, and we hope that we can convey his enthusiasm for the natural world around us. Let’s find out more about Nick Ivers.
The Galapagos. It was the most unique habitat that I have seen to this day. I was particularly taken back by the magnificent frigate birds. They would catch the wind coming off the shore, and fly alongside the boat. They can stay off land for a year. They also steal fish from other birds.
My lifelong fascination with tiny things that made me want to take pictures of things that are smaller than I could see.
Absolutely. Macro is my favorite style of photography.
I would go to Costa Rica. I have been thinking about going there recently. Do some surfing. Explore in the jungle. I would want to see everything that I could possibly find. It would be sweet to see a tapir. I have always been fascinated by that weird animal. I would do some scuba while I was there too. I would want to be both above and below the water.
Take more pictures. You’ll get better as you do. You don’t have to know what you are doing. I am shooting with a Canon 6D right now. I like taking my photos within a meter. The closer I can get the better. Photographing bees, they are always jumping around, so you have to keep your head on a swivel and take a bunch. I probably look like a crazy person in my front yard when I’m photographing bees in the native wildflower garden there.
Right now, it’s any desert. I really have enjoyed exploring the West Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico areas over the last few years. Again, it’s an environment that I have very little experience in, so everything is new and exciting. Cactus are crazy!
Here’s the fun fact that I learned today. The baobab tree is pollinated by bats.
I’m going through them. I have been partial to Paco’s Tacos. As far as the ones that I’ve been to, that’s the winner. My favorite is actually their “Paco’s Pick”. It’s got steak and peppers and a bunch of other stuff. The steak and peppers are the important part that make it so good.
This month Wild Boyz Photography is pleased to introduce you to the photography of Ben Acker. Ben is a fellow nature fan and photographer, based in New Hampshire. He loves to travel domestically and internationally–when not quarantined. Ben shoots topside as well as underwater. I had the opportunity to sit down with Ben and ask him a few questions.
Egypt. Above and below the water it was wild. From the pyramids to the diving, the old coral reefs, the old archaeology; it’s a different world, a different time, and it took you to a different place.
Most of my photos are landscapes. I don’t spend too much time on macro.
My next big trip is back to Egypt. I’d be there now, if I wasn’t quarantined. I’m also trying to go somewhere in South America for some good red wine and steak.
I spent a month and a half there, saw north, south, east, and west. There is so much more to explore, and so much to revisit.
Get an intuitive camera. Something not expensive to learn on.
Make free training videos so I can watch them.
Ozark. I’m also watching The Curse of Oak Island, South Park, Family Guy, and Always Sunny in Philadelphia. As you can see, there has been a lot of good TV watching to appreciate while staying at home.
When a sick bee visits a flower they may leave behind some infective parasitic spores This photo was taken during the early days of the COVID-19 quarantine when only essential trips like grocery shopping, or foraging for pollen and nectar at flowers, were permitted. Did you know that when bees forage at flowers they might […]
A week later I was on a flight to Alaska On my 30th birthday i slept in and groggily reached for my phone to reflex check the social world inside my facebook app. The first post I saw was from a former shipmate I worked with in Louisiana mentioning crew openings for some fishing boats […]
We believe nature is most beautiful when it is in nature. This bee is enjoying a California barrel cactus flower. This is a beautiful desert flower to encounter in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, located in southern California, not far from Joshua Tree. This is a beautiful environment, especially if you time it for when […]
I took this photo at Spring Mill State Park in Indiana. This bee took the time to hang out with me for a photo shoot in early July. I believe it is a Common Eastern Bumble Bee which is the most commonly seen bumble bee in North America. This bee species is an excellent pollinator […]