Friday, November 14, 2008

Velvet Ant


I am not a macro photographer, nor do I own a macro lens. But, I do enjoy just about any type of nature photography. On a recent trip into the woods, I observed several velvet ants running along the forest floor. Their colors were intriguing. They seemed to be running around in this one small area of about 2-3 feet. They were constantly moving so I got down prone and waited. Using a 24-70 zoom lens, I was able to get close. After about 20 shots eventually captured one reasonable image. Velvet ants resemble ants but are actually wingless wasps. They are known for their painful sting and they can sting multiple times, so I didn't try to move them into camera range. Blue Skies.

9 comments:

Ivar Østtun said...

I cool shot , Ken. Macro opens up a new and exciting world.I can recommend a macro lens :-)

Twisted Fencepost said...

What an interesting little critter. I've never heard of them. Thanks for sharing that bit of into. And great shot of the velvet ant.

Brian Bastinelli said...

Ken,
Cool image. Never saw one of those little buggers before.

I enjoy reading your blog, makes me want to get back out west and shoot more...

Have a great weekend.

Brian

Willard said...

Super image, Ken and I like the elk shot in the previous post. Top notch work as always.

Ivar Østtun said...

Hi Ken. I use a 70 mm macro 1x. After reading about those two you talk about, I will say that the 180 mm looks good. But I'll guess it's more expensive :-(

Unknown said...

That's news to me. Wingless Wasps and you managed this beautiful shot with a 24-70 lens. Awesome Ken given the fact that you shot this with a 24-70...Thomas

Stacey Olson said...

lol been there and done that.. just not with wingless wasps. lol other bugs...great job

Anonymous said...

great photo. That is one scary looking ant wasp.

Anonymous said...

This is such a lovely shot of a strange but lovely creature!
Great shot :)