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18 Comments
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myphotoscout
Guest
14 years ago

Such intricate design. If you look closer, more detail will be revealed. Nature is fascinating in its infinitely complex yet simple and visually appealing design.
Wonderful capture.

Tj
Guest
Tj
14 years ago

ahhhh. very satisfying.

eric
Guest
14 years ago

Once again Kym, excellent shot!

forkboy
Guest
14 years ago

Exceptional!

Mr. Nice
Guest
Mr. Nice
14 years ago

This is excellent. You have taken two things that I despise—cucumber beetles and California poppies—and turned them into an image that I enjoy.

This gives me ideas for some other shots.

White fly and scotch broom.
Spider mite and pampas grass.
Spittle bug and dandelion.
Black rat and blackberry.
Gopher and yellow lupine.
Fungus gnat and ice plant.

Staff
Member
14 years ago

Mr. Nice–cucumber beetles, okay. Nobody’s that fond of them but poppies? They are joy personified!

Thanks everyone. After looking at the photo again, I’m wondering if I should have called it TAKE A BITE OUT OF LIFE?

Mr. Nice
Guest
Mr. Nice
14 years ago

Exotic flowers are good, not weeds. I’m not overjoyed when tens of thousands of weeds come up on my property no matter what color their flowers are. Although native to California, these poppies are invasive and I have learned to start eradicating at the first sign of young plants. I use a blowtorch, it works well. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love most wildflowers.

And I like take a bite out of life title.

Ernie's Place
Guest
14 years ago

Every year during poppy bloom, I make it a quest to find a white poppy plant.

I already found this years plant!

silverstar98121
Guest
14 years ago

I think “Hanging on to Joy” is the perfect title for this picture. Wonderful image.

Staff
Member
14 years ago

Mr. Nice, I have to confess that I love yellow lupine and scotch broom but having once scattered seeds of the later and now weeding industriously for years after I hacked down the mother plant, I still have seedlings popping up. I learned my lesson on the non-natives (Thank you, Kyle) but I let the native ones take over. I should take a photo of one of my garden beds. Every free space glows with poppies both the native yellows and the orange ones that made it here in some wildflower seed mix.

Ernie, Where is the photo? I want to see it. I’ve only seen one once.

Silverstar, thank you.

Ernie's Place (Branscomb)
Guest

Last years turned out fuzzy but I’m going to work on this years rare treasure tomorrow. I’ll share.

Ben
Guest
Ben
14 years ago

I have almost every known invasive species on my place. Scotch Broom, English Ivy, Vinca (periwinkle), Buddlea,an acre or so of Himalayan Blackberry and tons of Poison Oak. It’s hard for me to imagine blowtorching California Poppies. My latest species is the wild onion that is growing everywhere this year. I give up. The blackberries make jam. The Buddlea brings butterflies. The blue flowers of the periwinkle are cute and I enjoy the huge number of bees and wasps that come when the Ivy blooms. You can come get the Scotch Broom and the Poison Oak any time.
This is the only beautiful Cucumber Beetle photo I have ever seen. Congratulations.

Toni
Guest
14 years ago

I think the title is perfect as is. Such a gorgeous shot, which brought a smile to my face when I saw the little beetle.

bluelaker4
Guest
bluelaker4
14 years ago

I have never seen a cucumber beetle before, and he/she looks pretty cute to me, all dressed in his/her itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini, or whatever.

I hadn’t thought of using a blow torch before, either, although it sounds pretty good in getting rid of my neighbor’s ivy, and those dang Himalaya berry vines. I am presently nursing several viscious scratches on my thumb and hand from today’s attempt at pulling weeds intermixed with berry vines. Thank goodness I have no poison oak on my property. (“Property” makes it sound more land-ownerly than plain old “city lot”.)

Nice shot, Kym.

olmanriver
Guest
olmanriver
14 years ago

a few decades back some friends of mine rescued a wounded baby black headed grossbeak and let her live “free range” in the house. every window in the house had a bird stick situated above a shell that was an ordure catchment basin. she was adorable and spoiled. we would fill a jar with the c. beetles from the garden and release them in the house to her squeaking delight as they would instantly fly to the windows where she could easily rehunt them. she had plenty of birdseed, but her favorite foods were the cucumber beetles, the oak worms that dangle in the spring, and tofu “cheesecake”. she would land on your shoulder and fight your fingers for small pieces of the cheesecake. try and take it back and she would put it down and charge your thievin’ fingers with her beak. quite cute.

MJEAN
Guest
MJEAN
14 years ago

How much prompting is it going to take to get you to enter some of these photos in the County Fair? I would vote for this one in a heartbeat even if I wasn’t your mom.

Staff
Member
14 years ago

Ben, I think yours is the right attitude–Give up and enjoy. I love Himalayan berries on cold cereal and my family is a huge fan of pies made from them. I say live and let live…sorta. Mosquitoes are still my enemy!

Toni, She cracked me up when I was photographing him–struggling over the lip so gallantly.

Aunt Jackie, the beetle has now become a she–itty bitty teeny weenie bikini fit perfectly!

OMR, What a great story. I would have loved to have seen her. ALthough, even with the shells the housecleaning must have been a chore!

Mom, I think I might have to enter this one. Right now it is my new favorite. I knew when I took it. The colors on the poppies were perfect–they caught warm spring day exactly.

Maggie
Guest
14 years ago

Great use of macro! You really captured the flower very well.