I am so happy to announce I made into the top 250 for the NANPA Showcase Competition this year!! Thank you to everyone for all the support when I started out and on my continuing macro journey, it really does mean a lot to me.
This year was my first year being a NANPA member in my continuing journey to be a conservation photographer. Two of my favorite insects were chosen, the first being a jagged ambush bug nymph, which was on of the early bugs I photographed not having a clue to what it was, propelling me to find out and keep on my path of learning. They are common, mostly overlooked, and totally wild looking.
The second is a native bee, fairly common in our area, yet totally under appreciated as most people don’t know much, if anything about the vast number of native bees we have in North America (that does not include the honeybee which is a non native) and the import roles they have in our ecosystem.
Keep the native flowers and plants going (you sometimes call them weeds), stop using pesticides, be a little messy in your gardening/landscaping, and you will be surprised at the life that will be there right outside your doorstep.
Go check out the other top 250 winners here
You can follow my work on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/josephferraro/
Halictus ligatus Female on Blanketflower – © joseph ferraro
Jagged Ambush Bug Nymph on Blanketflower – © joseph ferraro
