One of the ideas that I promote is not just looking at things but actually seeing them.  I call it backyard scuba because it is what people are willing to do underwater but forget to do in the backyard unless reminded.

The new small digital cameras allow us to see the wonders in our own back yards in details that even a few years ago weren’t possible.  For instance here is a picture of a climbing rose by our backdoor.

Note the bee on the right of the center of the Rose.

The image was good enough that I could use the zoom feature on the computer

And now you can really see the bee working.

One more zoom and you can see the load of pollen she is carrying in her leg sacs.

Wow!

More pictures of the same bee working on Flickr

My camera is a Canon S90 that is a couple of years old now.  But in reality you can do the same thing with the built-in camera on you smart phone.