Once you have visited the popular, centrally located London Parks like St James's, Green Park, Regent's Park and Hyde Park, to name just a few, and you happen to have some spare hours, maybe even between flights, head north west. Take an underground train to Willesden Green (zone 2) or Dollis Hill (zone 3) both on the Jubilee line.
Grab a hot drink from the coffee shop just outside the station and take a pleasant walk to Gladstone Park which boasts a view of the popular Wembley stadium. But leave the cityscape behind and do not hesitate to enter the walled rose garden on top of the hill here. It is free to visit and provides home to plenty of plant species and wildlife.
Bombus lucorum white-tailed bumble bee foraging on eryngium commonly known as sea holly.
Camera: Nikon D5600 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/160 Aperture: f/5
The botanical walled garden in Gladstone Park open to the public. Volunteers look after the flowers and shrubs.
Camera: Nikon D5600 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ISO: 220
Shutter Speed: 1/250 Aperture: f/3.6
I popped in here one late afternoon last summer and was lucky to get the soft evening light on the purple see holly prickly flowers. But I wasn't ready for what happened next as I started photoing the lilac flowers. I was certainly pleased to figure out that they were a bumble bee's favourite.
Meant To Bee.
Camera: Nikon D5600 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/160 Aperture: f/5
Camera: Nikon D5600 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/200 Aperture: f/5
So I ended up photographing the cute fluffy bees for nearly two hours, bending over the sea holly blooms as that day I had only a wide angle lens on me. I was so close to the flowers, carried away taking photo after photo so with time the buzz started to feet like a tune, a song. A happy statement - we are here. Still here.
Camera: Nikon D5600 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/160 Aperture: f/5
I didn't reply in the same manner but didn't leave either. I was approached numerous times by nosy kids and playful dogs none of which managed to distract me from my delicate, always on the move, subject. The many bumble bees just carried on being busy and couldn't be less interested or bothered by me standing there.
Camera: Nikon D5600 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/160 Aperture: f/5
I then decided to also make our patio garden a more bee and butterfly friendly area, so earlier this spring I planted forget-me-nots, yarrows, marigolds, loosestrifes, red campions, musk mallows, chamomiles and cornflowers.
Seed balls are an innovative way of protecting the seeds before and during their early growth. The clay acts as a protective case from birds and insects.
Camera: Nikon D5600 Lens: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ISO: 720
Shutter Speed: 1/125 Aperture: f/4.4
Don't miss the little things and their beauty which surround us.
Day 5 of 14 Days Diving by @bambuka.
This has been posted as a "50/50" but I commit myself to transfer SBD to SP to Power Up 100% based on the program's rules.
That is great, I love the park, it is important to have our busy friends to work so that we have some fruits at the end of summer. Beautiful close up capture :)
You post is nominated for „Wold of xpilar“ Community Support Program, @booming account upvote. Only the posts that are not cross posted, original and posted from community page are eligible. If your post gets approval, then you get upvote within few days. Good luck!
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Hi @stef1 It is lovely to hear from you. I am glad that my post caught your eye and I am pleased that you like the bee close ups I took in the park.
The post I put together this afternoon while having a cuppa on an unfortunately soggy day and hasn’t been posted on any other communities. So fingers crossed that the booming upvote will follow.
Thanks again for nominating my post and enjoy your evening.
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A wide-angle lens in the right hands is almost universal. From landscape to macro. Moreover, you have the option of 55mm. This is almost a portrait version.
Nice pictures, congratulations :)
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Thanks a lot @bambuka You are very right about the wide-angle lens which is usually my first choice when I go out on a photography mission. By the way, talking bees, I love the last bee photo - the extreme close-up on your Unexpected guest post.
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