We continue to enjoy the explosion of colour that is springtime in the desert. Our backyard is part of it and I’ve been able to capture some good shots as the different bushes and cacti blossom. Our Echinopsis cactus has just about run its course, producing a dozen blooms in a few short days. I noticed that the bees seem very attracted to these flowers, so it was pretty easy to catch them busy at work.
This is the wider view, showing two beautiful specimens of the Echinopsis cactus’ flowers in the early morning shade. One bee at work here.
I moved in closer for the next shot, using a 24-70 mm standard lens, at a focal length of 70 mm. Not a lot of magnification but this lens enables me to get in very close and still focus; it has a quasi-macro focus range built into it. I didn’t use any extension tubes to move even closer but I did do some serious cropping. Here’s the close-up.
The month of April is the peak month for the bushes, flowers and trees in Arizona. I look forward to sharing a few of sights via my photographs. Be thankful you don’t have to share the hay fever, the air is full of pollen right now. It doesn’t bother me, fortunately; I one of the lucky ones.
Very nice, Peter. I particularly like the close-up of the bee. Good focus and depth
of field; these shots are difficult!