Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

[Harold Gough]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Nice work on the Hoverfly larva Harold did you get one of it eating an aphid?

Thanks, Alf. No. I did what I could but, although there were hundreds of green aphids on the undersides of leaves, I never saw the larva again. Of course, it could have been of pupation size.

Harold

[Wreckdiver]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Went for a walk yesterday afternoon by the Wilts and Berks canal at Pewsham, Chippenham and saw this female banded demoiselle. Managed to get a few shots before she flew off.

Sorry, no metadata attached as I copied the photo from Facebook. Camera was: EM-1 mk1, 50-200 SWD with MMF3. ISO was 800 IIRC.



Steve

[art frames]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread


Blue-tailed Damselfly eating lunch by Peter Willmott, on Flickr
The 60mm macro with nice light is good for damselflies. This Blue-tail is eating a greenfly. I like the dropped tail pose.

[Harold Gough]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

[url=https://flic.kr/p/UMFyp5]
The 60mm macro with nice light is good for damselflies. This Blue-tail is eating a greenfly. I like the dropped tail pose.

Nice one, Pete.

This afternoon, I saw a Common Blue Damsel, over our lawn, catch a small Mayfly in mid air but have to drop it.

Harold

[art frames]

Re: Stick Insect

Among some foliage this chap would be well hidden but on my garden hose reel he was easily spotted. [SW France]
Taken with my recently acquired 12-40mm, thanks Thomas.
Stick Insect by Ken Croft, on Flickr

Off to Hungary and France this Summer. Hope to see some exotic insects myself. I have a soft spot for Stick insects and Praying mantids. If you have them on plants that would be a good follow up post,

[art frames]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

And also today was a good day for flower beetles. This one I believe to be Oedemera nobilis.


Flower Beetle - Oedemera nobilis by Peter Willmott, on Flickr

[alfbranch]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Thanks, Alf. No. I did what I could but, although there were hundreds of green aphids on the undersides of leaves, I never saw the larva again. Of course, it could have been of pupation size.

Harold

I did once

Hover-fly-larvae-eating-aphid by Alf Branch, on Flickr

[alfbranch]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Nice one, Pete.

This afternoon, I saw a Common Blue Damsel, over our lawn, catch a small Mayfly in mid air but have to drop it.

Harold

I have seen them catch a few things mostly crane flies

[Harold Gough]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Nursery Web Spider with a Nice Folium

This spider is common in my garden. In the warmer months I can find several withing minute or two. The marking vary greatly between individuals and to dark mark "folium" on the abdomen is very variable in the depth of pigmentation, Sometimes being absent. This one is as dark and well-defined as any I have seen.

Olympus EM-1, Olympus 4/3 x2 TC, Olympus 4/3 50mm f2, 1/160 sec at f11 , sunlight, hand-held.

Harold

[Harold Gough]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

I did once

Alf,

That doesn't look like one of the common ones. Do you have any dorsal views?

Harold

[alfbranch]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Alf,

That doesn't look like one of the common ones. Do you have any dorsal views?

Harold

I will have a look when I get back to my computer Monday.


Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Harold Gough]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Bumble Bee Mimic Hoverfly Male: Narcissus Fly Meredon equestris

This is one of several insects photographed by natural light yesterday.

Olympus EM-1, Olympus 4/3 x2TC, Olympus 4/3 50mm f2 macro, 1/125 at f13, hand-held.

The stereo is crosseye.

Harold

[alfbranch]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Alf,

That doesn't look like one of the common ones. Do you have any dorsal views?

Harold

Well here is the best I have from nearly 4 years ago when I was still on the early part of the steep learning curve for macro

Hover-fly-larvae-eating-aphid 2 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

[Harold Gough]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Larva of the Comma Butterfly Polygonia c-album

This is one of a number of species of insect I have photographed in natural light in my garden during recent, sunny days. The circumstances with this one were such that multiple flash (I like to use at least two) was impractical.

I was looking around our fruit and vegetable plot for anything of interest when I saw this caterpillar on a leaf at the edge of a blackcurrant bush. The sun was at such an angle that, by twisting and bending the leaves, I could get various angles fully lit. The use of my hand to do this precluded it holding a second flash gun. So I proceeded with sunlight. At first I had trouble because its head was tucked down but I eventually got a reasonable set.

The species is instantly recognisable by the change of dorsal colour from the reddish brown of the thorax to the brilliant white of the abdomen. The spines are typical on the Nymphalidae, butterflies such as the Red Admiral, Peacock and various Fritillaries.

Olympus EM-1 in aperture priority mode, Olympus 4/3 x2 TC, Olympus 4/3 50mm f2 macro, f11-14, hand-held.

All images have been cropped.

Harold

[alfbranch]

Re: Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

Nice work on that very hairy caterpillar Harold
It sounds like a bit one handed macro was needed.