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Mosquito? Or Mosquito fly? Pollinating jaboncillo in FLAAR garden, Guatemala
Flora and fauna research

Mosquito? Or Mosquito fly? Pollinating jaboncillo in FLAAR garden, Guatemala

Male mosquitos are often hard at work pollinating (while their girlfriends are working hard to get blood to help raise their next generation). Snag is that there are many flies that mimic mosquitos (and scores of insects that mimic the colors of bees).

Here in the Mayan Ethnobotanical Research Garden of FLAAR, in Guatemala City, today the mosquito or mosquito-like flies have been busy all weekend and today (Monday) I was able to get a photo of these fast-moving characters. Actually female mosquitos are also after nectar when they don’t have to think about a fresh brood of baby buggies. There are two plants in Guatemala with the common name of jaboncillo; this is Phytolacca icosandra.

Nikon D5 camera, hand held (since the flowers are blowing in the wind and I have to move quickly from flower to flower), ISO 2000, speed 1/500th of a second (because there is no realistic way to focus on the mosquitos when they are in flight, so faster speed is not that much help). F/9 to get depth of field. Lens: AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED. Would be better next time to use 100mm because if you get too close with the 60mm you scare away the pollinator. So the lack of 1:1 of the 100mm is not that much a disadvantage.

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