Over a couple of days I seemed to have interactions with some insects and pulled out my macro lens. Things that I learnt were that I need a better diffused light source (I'm in the process of rectifying that), it is hard to get focus on moving bugs and harder still to focus stack them, with a brighter diffuse light source I could use a smaller aperture, and I need a lot of practice!
On the wall of our house I saw a Circada (probably a Physeema Quadricincta - "Tick-tock" - a species endemic to Southern Western Australia). Circada are happy to sit still for extended periods which is a great convenience.



The next day I walked into the house and my wife noticed I had a ladybird on my shirt. Another photo opportunity. This ladybird was fairly static too, but now was in a relatively dark spot inside the house. I believe this is a Harmonia Conformis. My need for a diffuse light source is pretty apparent!


A day or so later I was washing the bird-muck and tree sap off my car and I noticed a strange distinctively coloured thing crawling across the bonnet. It's the larval stage of the type of ladybird I posted above - I had never seen one before. Not a particularly good image, but a sufficiently unusual looking beast that I decided to show the image.

The next day another ladybird of the same type attached itself to me while I was walking the dog - it stayed put until I got home but was much more mobile that the first one.

I can't remember the last time I saw a ladybird and seeing two and a larval form in a couple of days was a surprise - I need to keep my eyes open a bit more! All except the last one are focus stacks, stacked in Photoshop.
On the wall of our house I saw a Circada (probably a Physeema Quadricincta - "Tick-tock" - a species endemic to Southern Western Australia). Circada are happy to sit still for extended periods which is a great convenience.
The next day I walked into the house and my wife noticed I had a ladybird on my shirt. Another photo opportunity. This ladybird was fairly static too, but now was in a relatively dark spot inside the house. I believe this is a Harmonia Conformis. My need for a diffuse light source is pretty apparent!
A day or so later I was washing the bird-muck and tree sap off my car and I noticed a strange distinctively coloured thing crawling across the bonnet. It's the larval stage of the type of ladybird I posted above - I had never seen one before. Not a particularly good image, but a sufficiently unusual looking beast that I decided to show the image.
The next day another ladybird of the same type attached itself to me while I was walking the dog - it stayed put until I got home but was much more mobile that the first one.
I can't remember the last time I saw a ladybird and seeing two and a larval form in a couple of days was a surprise - I need to keep my eyes open a bit more! All except the last one are focus stacks, stacked in Photoshop.
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