Most people have never encountered a natural honeybee hive in the wild. Mainly honeybee hives are contained within Langstroth hives, the bee boxes that contain the vertically hung, movable frames on which honeycomb is built. There are also top bar hives, that look like standard gas grills except that they are built entirely out of wood, and at the top are bars on which the honeycomb is built with the idea that the honeybees will spend more time near the warmer top, since heat rises, and help the population survive the cold winter months. Before these hives were designed, the common beehive structure was the skep, the typical upside-down wicker basket structure that is still used to pictorially symbolize the beehive today. But honeybees do also build hives out in nature, though mostly these are found within tree stumps or rock crevices, where the hive is hidden behind what is generally a small fissure opening in the wood or rock. Less common, and usually only in warmer climate locations, a honeybee hive can also be found in an open style hanging from the bough of a tree. In south central Louisiana, the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest wetland swamp in the United States, is an ideal location for honeybees. Since the climate this far south and at sea level altitude is much warmer than the rest of the country, honeybees here are more likely to build the exposed aerial type of hive. The Wild Images Team has spent a few days exploring the Atchafalaya Basin by boat, and on this day we encountered a natural honeybee hive hanging among Spanish moss. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images in the Atchafalaya Basin such as the alligator with cypress tree reflections, a group of alligators with dragonflies, a very large cypress tree and Spanish moss, a thick cypress tree grove reflects in the still water, a large swarm of dragonflies congregate on a marsh plant, a very red sunset through the cypress trees, and a reflective sunset through the Spanish moss, each of which is available for sale in our store. Another image captured further away to the south along the Gulf of Mexico coast is this very remote cemetery near Cote Blanche Bay, and much further away to the north up the Mississippi River is the Myrtles Plantation front yard walkway, each of which are available for sale in our store. We have also documented much of our time in Louisiana in many different blog posts such as in the Atchafalaya Basin where we encountered an open style honeybee hive and Spanish moss and down near the gulf coast with another view of the remote cemetery near Cote Blanche Bay. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images much further away to the east in New Orleans including the prominent Hotel Monteleone and surrounding buildings, beautiful French Quarter ironwork view through the cornstalk fence, intricate designs of a house facade and lamp shadows, nice reflection of a bridge in the Louis Armstrong Park, dynamic view as a Canal Line streetcar passes a St. Charles Line streetcar, the eerie nighttime view of Pirates Alley of the French Quarter, an example of an urban art sign stenciled on the wall, the distant building and colorful lights of the French Market, chance encounter with a teddy bear silhouette in French Market window, more north can be found an ornate mausoleum of Greenwood Cemetery, elsewhere is a heavenly scene over Cypress Grove Cemetery, more south was a sunset over the Mississippi River delta, all of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts of New Orleans document the midnight crowd at always busy Cafe du Monde, the dimly lit stocked shelves of Loa Bar in the International House Hotel, the colorful French Quarter Wedding Chapel at night, the happy couple leading a wedding procession on Chartres Street, far down the French Quarter where intricately colorful balconies stand above Chartres Street, the moment when entertainers welcomed crowds to the Jax Brewery, the street performer human statue Uncle Louis poses with a visitor, the pink hues of a rare colorful mausoleum in Greenwood Cemetery, the long shadows of bikes chained to old pump lamp posts, reflections of the bus commuters in front of a St. Charles Line Streetcar, a view of the city reflected in the Steamboat Natchez searchlight, the nighttime view of lighted tugboats along the Mississippi River, the steampunk view of the PBF Petroleum Refinery along the Mississippi River, the St. Charles Avenue Irish House Guinness Toucan Time For A Pint clock, the humorous but serious condominium listing warning that the place for lease is haunted, the listing that creates relief by being not haunted, our always entertaining Team Coordinator Christina in Cafe Maspero, and again our Team Coordinator under the Guinness Toucan clock.
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