Yesterday's unexpectedly intense monsoon storms brought several inches of rain and flash floods to Tucson. Many of our desert ants cue their mating flights with the onset of the summer rains, and this morning the Forelius were flying, congregating in dense swarms that twirled and twisted above the desert floor.
Males emerge from the nest, ready to go:
photo details: (flight photos) Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens on a Canon 20D
ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/800sec exposure
(close-ups) Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens on a Canon 20D
ISO 100, f/13, 1/250sec exposure, twin flash diffused through tracing paper
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