Sunday, August 28, 2011

Starlings

North of Powell. August, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Sunrise during fire season

The west end of Polecat Bench. August, 2011

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Sunset during fire season

Sunset over the Beartooths. Smoke plume is from a fire near Clark. August, 2011.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Mourning Doves

North of Powell. August, 2011.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sunflowers

North of Powell. August, 2011.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Leafcutter bee "hive"

Leafcutter bee hive. North of Powell. June, 2011.

The rectangular shelters located in the occasional alfalfa field around Powell house leaf cutter bees. Smaller than honey bees, leafcutter bees are used to pollinate seed alfalfa crops. Leafcutter bees are not social; they don't gather in hives, although female leafcutter bees will nest close to one another. The shelters house boards which have been grooved and fitted together to form small "tunnels" where the bees lay their eggs. The bees then pack the eggs in with leaf fragments they have chewed off. The boards are protected during the winter, and the next season the eggs hatch out and the cycle starts again.



Friday, August 5, 2011

Plains, planes, and trains

Early morning, just south of Frannie. August, 2011.