I report (in the loosest sense of the term) on a new Gigapixel camera.

The bokeh of Canon's 70-200 2.8L IS II lens is sublime.

An intimate moment between a Cephalotes pusillus turtle ant worker and soldier as the sisters pass a bit of liquid food between them. Ants engage in this trophallaxis sharing behavior for social reasons as much as nutritional ones. The interaction spreads pheromones and other information around the colony. 

Incidentally, C. pusillus is one of my favorite ant species. They are both strikingly beautiful (click on image to view large!) and extremely shy. Rather than bite or sting when disturbed, they exhibit classic turtle behavior of sitting still and tucking their appendages up into their shells.

More turtle ant photographs here: http://bit.ly/LbWoXv

If you are in Chicago and interested in learning the dark art of photographing insects, I’m offering a day course on July 8th.

For #BuggyFriday  (curated by +Ray Bilcliff), a young cricket rides out the morning rain in the Atlantic coastal forest of Brazil.
+Sam Heads kindly identified this as the nymph of a conocephaline katydid. 

This photo was shot with a diffuse foreground strobe to light the cricket while a second strobe backlit the leaf behind.

Army ants are tough creatures, but none more so than Nomamyrmex . These thickly-armored insects are predators of other ants, and their exoskeletons are so strong as to withstand bites of the sharp-jawed leafcutters and the vice-like grip of carpenter ants. 

This individual was photographed in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

More photos here: www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonomic-List-of-Ant-Genera/Nomamyrmex/9352542_whnpw8 

Nomamyrmex on Antweb: http://www.antweb.org/description.do?name=nomamyrmex&project=worldants&rank=genus

A recap of our recent visit to Brazil, in pictures.

Among the more charming insects I encountered in southern Brazil was Acromyrmex disciger , a furry little leafcutter ant species. Here, a worker carries a cut leaf down a tree trunk.

Lighting this shot required a careful balance between fill and back flash.

For #wildlifewednesday , curated by +Mike Spinak.

After a month in the field and away from the internet, I'm back to blogging at Scientific American. Here's a short post on photographing honey.

I should note that Linden honey is tasty. One of my faves!