John Mitchell Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 1 hour ago, spacecadet said: Well the Tamron is out of my league and quite a bit used but I hear good things about the old Minolta 100. Meanwhile I've just hacksawed and chiselled (don't ask) myself a 150 from the same stable as the 100. Quite a good lens looking at the chart. Working distance is a bit far though. Haven't seen the darkling beetle again yet. I wouldn't dream of doing anything unpleasant to an insect. Ooh. Just seen a 90 for about £120. Perhaps it's time to show it to someone special as it is my birthday soon. From Japan though. I have "automatic" (with electrical connections to camera) extension tubes for my Sony e-mount cameras. They were inexpensive on e-bay and work well. I like them because they allow me to take advantage of image stabilization, which comes in handy when I don't happen to have a tripod in my back pocket. A macro lens would be nice, but I probably wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 24 minutes ago, John Mitchell said: I have "automatic" (with electrical connections to camera) extension tubes for my Sony e-mount cameras. They were inexpensive on e-bay and work well. I like them because they allow me to take advantage of image stabilization, which comes in handy when I don't happen to have a tripod in my back pocket. A macro lens would be nice, but I probably wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost. Ah yes but my version doesn't involve expenditure- bellows from the Illumitran and pennies for the lens.. My IS is kaput anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 6 minutes ago, spacecadet said: Ah yes but my version doesn't involve expenditure- bellows from the Illumitran and pennies for the lens.. My IS is kaput anyway. Too bad about the IS. I bet the bellows don't fit in your pocket, though. 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Sally R said: That's fantastic to see your setup Gen. It looks very comfortable and great you could park right near the termite mound. Having the motor home means you can bring your home to natural settings and just be in them and ready for photographic opportunities. You are so inspiring me to do something similar one day! The termite mound was a coincidence. We parked first, then spotted it and saw its photogenic potential. This vehicle is a little frustrating for photography. Being a minibus, most windows don't open at all or only slightly. I cannot use it as a hide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 27 minutes ago, gvallee said: The termite mound was a coincidence. We parked first, then spotted it and saw its photogenic potential. This vehicle is a little frustrating for photography. Being a minibus, most windows don't open at all or only slightly. I cannot use it as a hide. I understand the window thing. We had a motor home for awhile and it was useless for shooting from. Oh, if we were going down the road and saw something to pull over for, I could roll down the front window and shoot through it. As far as not killing insects. If they bite or sting me, they probably will be dead. A spider doesn’t even have to bite. Just crawl on me. It’s instinctive. A wolf spider bit me on the top of my toe once and brought a quite large bead of blood. Hurt like the devil, like being touched with a red-hot poker. Caused panic. I have a bit of arachnophobia now. I kinda freak when I accidentally walk through a spiderweb in the dark, especially if it snaps. That means a big’un. Beat my hair and stripped off some clothes once when that happened, much to the amusement of my husband. But I never chill or kill for a photo. That said, if there is a chilly morning during butterfly season, they will be motionless until they warm up. I came across some butterflies in torpor one morning in Michigan, where the overnight temps are cooler than here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Not sure if cultivated plants fall into this category, but the Mrs and I were blown away by this lovely Chinese Dogwood, seen in the quarry at Belsay Hall, Northumberland 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizBrown Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Sloth in a forest in the Nicaraguan highlands. Alamy has cuter sloth pictures taken closer up, but I thought I'd upload this anyway because it's a sloth in its habitat. Taken at El Jaguar Nature Reserve. First sloth I've seen though a few sloths live in the trees of a municipal park here in Jinotega. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 I like your sloth MizBrown. For a long time, this sloth of mine was my best seller. I saved it while it was crossing a busy road in Costa Rica. I picked it up from behind, it was hissing and trying to hit me with its claws, its arms describing a semi-circle at a super slooooow speed. Not much of a threat there. Its fur was crawling with insects. Yuk! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Evergreen bugloss (John?) with a yet-unidentified greeblie. I think they live inside the flower but they declined to confirm it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Richmond Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 25 minutes ago, spacecadet said: Evergreen bugloss (John?) with a yet-unidentified greeblie. I think they live inside the flower but they declined to confirm it for me. Yes, evergreen bugloss or green alkanet, Pentaglottis sempervirens. I can't be sure but I think your tiny greeble is a thrip, a tiny sap sucking insect. They can do a lot of damage, especially in greenhouses. I'm seeing a lot in the garden this year due to the hot weather earlier in the year. Oh, and just realised I've spelt Pentaglottis wrong on my own Alamy shots of the plant. We all make mistakes 😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizBrown Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 On 16/07/2020 at 17:49, gvallee said: I like your sloth MizBrown. For a long time, this sloth of mine was my best seller. I saved it while it was crossing a busy road in Costa Rica. I picked it up from behind, it was hissing and trying to hit me with its claws, its arms describing a semi-circle at a super slooooow speed. Not much of a threat there. Its fur was crawling with insects. Yuk! Thanks. They have a resident moth that lays eggs in their feces, which they deposit on the ground once a week. The moths end up back in the sloths' fur. And they probably have some other resident insects besides. One of the local park sloths got into electrical and phone wires outside the park and was rescued. Friend videotyped the rescue. Yours is one of the cuter ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 1 hour ago, MizBrown said: Yours is one of the cuter ones. Thank you but it's also a terrible tranny scan. I'll have to go back to Costa Rica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizBrown Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 15 hours ago, gvallee said: Thank you but it's also a terrible tranny scan. I'll have to go back to Costa Rica. Come to Nicaragua while you're there. CR's highlands are higher, but we've got Lago Colcibolca. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 On 19/07/2020 at 04:55, MizBrown said: Come to Nicaragua while you're there. CR's highlands are higher, but we've got Lago Colcibolca. Twist my arm... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 What do sloths do for fun on a Saturday night? Twist and shout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizBrown Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 12 hours ago, Betty LaRue said: What do sloths do for fun on a Saturday night? Twist and shout? I have no idea which day they pick for the weekly trip to the ground to let their moths off for some ovipositing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) Linaria purpurea, purple toadflax. This is growing in some profusion at the end of the drive since it doesn't get driven over very often just now. Now it's a couple of feet high it is definitely going to suffer when we're out and about again. We don't have it elsewhere, so I wonder if it would mind being transplanted..........John? Edited July 22, 2020 by spacecadet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Richmond Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 1 hour ago, spacecadet said: Linaria purpurea, purple toadflax. This is growing in some profusion at the end of the drive since it doesn't get driven over very often just now. Now it's a couple of feet high it is definitely going to suffer when we're out and about again. We don't have it elsewhere, so I wonder if it would mind being transplanted..........John? Yes you can transplant or divide it. Autumn or spring is the best time. Seed propogation is the normal way of growung it. Once you've got it it tends to crop up all over the place. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 15 minutes ago, John Richmond said: Yes you can transplant or divide it. Autumn or spring is the best time. Seed propogation is the normal way of growung it. Once you've got it it tends to crop up all over the place. Well, if it happens, it will be now, to save it from being driven over! It won't find much light near where it is now so I was hoping to negotiate some space in the herb bed out back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Richmond Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 Just now, spacecadet said: Well, if it happens, it will be now, to save it from being driven over! It won't find much light near where it is now so I was hoping to negotiate some space in the herb bed out back. Transplant it with as much rootball as possible (never bare root at this time of year), cut it back a bit to reduce water loss and keep it well watered for this year and it should be OK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, John Richmond said: as much rootball as possible Not much chance of that!- the drive is very gravelly so it was a bit of a scrabble, but I've done my best and hope it's not spoilt with the potting compost I put in the hole. Anway, now sitting happily by the pond (the toadflax, not me) we'll see in due course if it's worth moving any more. Edited July 22, 2020 by spacecadet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 I have images of wild yellow toadflax. Did not know that there was a purple toadflax. Is the purple cultivated? Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Allan Bell said: I have images of wild yellow toadflax. Did not know that there was a purple toadflax. Is the purple cultivated? Allan Not by us We just get what turns up, in this case, in the middle of the drive! But yes, apparently you can buy them. It's not native, Italian apparently, which may be why it's not in all the books. The older ones anyway. Edited July 22, 2020 by spacecadet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) This little American robin fledgling sat on the window well cover to my basement window. It was totally unafraid and allowed me to get quite close. Such a cutie! Patiently waiting for mom or dad to stuff a worm down its gullet. As you see, it still has the sharp tip on its beak that it used to peck its way out of the egg. Edited July 23, 2020 by Betty LaRue 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Beastall Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 A day out to Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire. Puffin. Gannet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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