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November 2021 favourite uploads


Alan Beastall

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10 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

Ha I love planthoppers, there are so many species of them. I look forward to seeing your pictures.

My luckiest find was when I was 'spidering'. I lifted a leaf and instead of a spider was a Cotton Harlequin Bug sitting on its pink eggs.

JP2WKA.

 

Careful when spidering you don't one of those Redbacks attacking you from their hiding places.

 

Allan

 

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14 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

Ha I love planthoppers, there are so many species of them. I look forward to seeing your pictures.

My luckiest find was when I was 'spidering'. I lifted a leaf and instead of a spider was a Cotton Harlequin Bug sitting on its pink eggs.

JP2WKA.

I've been amazed at the variety of planthoppers/leafhoppers too. I especially love those ones with the fluffy bums. But so very small. I also love the Cotton Harlequin bugs, we used to have a big tree in the front yard and there were always lots there, but that was in the film days, and I've never seen once since.

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7 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Careful when spidering you don't one of those Redbacks attacking you from their hiding places.

 

Allan

 

 

A few years back, I had a knock on my door. The neighbour is holding a small jar with a live spider inside it. "I was sitting on my couch and this spider crawled over my neck. I'm not sure if it bit me, could you check my neck please?". I look at the jar and to my horror I realise it was a redback. Her neck is red because she's been scratching it but I can see no bite. We wait a while, ready for a hospital dash, no symptoms. Phew! She left the jar with me, knowing I loved to photograph little things. I scratched my head. What to do? It was my first redback ever. I posted on the expert spider FB page, what should I do with it? No response. So I couldn't resist. I took it to the garden, opened the jar and with a stick prodded it out. Then took shots.

 

GD7DGK.jpg

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23 minutes ago, gvallee said:

 

A few years back, I had a knock on my door. The neighbour is holding a small jar with a live spider inside it. "I was sitting on my couch and this spider crawled over my neck. I'm not sure if it bit me, could you check my neck please?". I look at the jar and to my horror I realise it was a redback. Her neck is red because she's been scratching it but I can see no bite. We wait a while, ready for a hospital dash, no symptoms. Phew! She left the jar with me, knowing I loved to photograph little things. I scratched my head. What to do? It was my first redback ever. I posted on the expert spider FB page, what should I do with it? No response. So I couldn't resist. I took it to the garden, opened the jar and with a stick prodded it out. Then took shots.

 

GD7DGK.jpg

Disappointed in you, Gen. Dontcha know the only good spider is a dead spider? 😁 teasing, of course. But I do have a bit of arachnophobia. Actually, more than a bit. The funny thing, though, with a camera at my face, somehow I can stand to get closer. Heaven forbid one should jump toward me while doing that. The ensuing wreck would not have been pretty.

Great shot, and you have to take the opportunities handed you.

Edited by Betty LaRue
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30 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Disappointed in you, Gen. Dontcha know the only good spider is a dead spider? 😁 teasing, of course. But I do have a bit of arachnophobia. Actually, more than a bit. The funny thing, though, with a camera at my face, somehow I can stand to get closer. Heaven forbid one should jump toward me while doing that. The ensuing wreck would not have been pretty.

Great shot, and you have to take the opportunities handed you.

 

I love spiders. I search for them for hours in bushes. I find them fascinating. 

I think I mentioned it before, I even did a book on spiders https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7815431-s-p-i-d-e-r-s

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1 minute ago, Michael Ventura said:


Wonderful book Gen!

 

Thank you Michael. Spiders are fascinating creatures indeed. Especially the peacock spiders, the size of a match head. 

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3 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

I love spiders. I search for them for hours in bushes. I find them fascinating. 

I think I mentioned it before, I even did a book on spiders https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7815431-s-p-i-d-e-r-s

I already have the link to your book Gen, love it. And still waiting for the first red back this season, they are generally around me late summer. We had a lovely lady living in our garage, but she disappeared in autumn last year, I think died of old age. but her babies must still be around.

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I looked up the redback. It's a horror show...  Don't read further if you often have nightmares.

 

" It kills its prey by injecting a complex venom through its two fangs when it bites, before wrapping them in silk and sucking out the liquefied insides. Often, it first squirts its victim with what resembles 'superglue' from its spinnerets, immobilising the prey by sticking the victim's limbs and appendages to its own body. The redback spider then trusses the victim with silk. Once its prey is restrained, it is bitten repeatedly on the head, body and leg segments and is then hauled back to the redback spider's retreat. Sometimes a potentially dangerous victim can be left to struggle for hours until it is exhausted enough to approach safely."....

 

I love nature but... !!!?????

 

Paulette

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3 minutes ago, NYCat said:

I looked up the redback. It's a horror show...  Don't read further if you often have nightmares.

 

" It kills its prey by injecting a complex venom through its two fangs when it bites, before wrapping them in silk and sucking out the liquefied insides. Often, it first squirts its victim with what resembles 'superglue' from its spinnerets, immobilising the prey by sticking the victim's limbs and appendages to its own body. The redback spider then trusses the victim with silk. Once its prey is restrained, it is bitten repeatedly on the head, body and leg segments and is then hauled back to the redback spider's retreat. Sometimes a potentially dangerous victim can be left to struggle for hours until it is exhausted enough to approach safely."....

 

I love nature but... !!!?????

 

Paulette

Ewch.

I once watched a house spider truss up a wasp and that was traumatic enough🤩

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11 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

I love spiders. I search for them for hours in bushes. I find them fascinating. 

I think I mentioned it before, I even did a book on spiders https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7815431-s-p-i-d-e-r-s

 

Great book. Well laid out and photographed.

 

Problem is I do not like spiders like some others on here and who I know.

 

I do not kill them when I come across them, just catch them and release them away from the house.

 

Allan

 

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10 hours ago, NYCat said:

I looked up the redback. It's a horror show...  Don't read further if you often have nightmares.

 

" It kills its prey by injecting a complex venom through its two fangs when it bites, before wrapping them in silk and sucking out the liquefied insides. Often, it first squirts its victim with what resembles 'superglue' from its spinnerets, immobilising the prey by sticking the victim's limbs and appendages to its own body. The redback spider then trusses the victim with silk. Once its prey is restrained, it is bitten repeatedly on the head, body and leg segments and is then hauled back to the redback spider's retreat. Sometimes a potentially dangerous victim can be left to struggle for hours until it is exhausted enough to approach safely."....

 

I love nature but... !!!?????

 

Paulette

 

It's not only spiders Paulette. Here is an Orange Potter Wasp carrying a paralized caterpillar to its nest for its young to feed on. This image has sold.

 

2BKDFYX.jpg

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31 minutes ago, cbimages said:

What a fabulous image Gen.

 

Taken during the very first lockdown in Alice Springs. The nest was actually on the wall of our ensuite bathroom outside our awning. I have the complete series of its build, storey after storey. 

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34 minutes ago, cbimages said:

A few more from my latest upload. Some spiders for Gen.
2H869AW.jpg

 

I was after the X web for this image, as it's not too common to get such a perfect one

2H869B4.jpg

 

And some flies
 

2H8699J.jpg

 

2H86996.jpg

 

Lovely, thank you. 

 

What's interesting about the X shape of the St Andrews spider web, is that juveniles of that species build a completely different shaped web.

 

EJR101.jpg

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3 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

Lovely, thank you. 

 

What's interesting about the X shape of the St Andrews spider web, is that juveniles of that species build a completely different shaped web.

 

EJR101.jpg

 

 

They sure do Gen, and  I uploaded one of those too....just didn't include it above

2H869BH.jpg

 

Edited by cbimages
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39 minutes ago, cbimages said:

 

 

They sure do Gen, and  I uploaded one of those too....just didn't include it above

2H869BH.jpg

 

 

Fabulous! Your spiderweb is much more defined than mine. Good luck! 

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3 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Boy oh boy, you nature girls are amazing!

 

Here in the city world, I've been doing a lot of night shooting.

 

liverpool-town-hall-and-castle-street-li

 

Good saleable image in many respects.

 

Which camera were you using Ed?. Would be interested in the settings too.

 

Allan

 

Edited by Allan Bell
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3 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Good saleable image in many respects.

 

Which camera were you using Ed?. Would be interested in the settings too.

 

Allan

 

 

It was lightly raining but the camera was under my baseball cap. I used my Sony RX100-V at 24mm set at Full-Auto, the orange Superior-Auto setting. I can shoot RAW with that. I've found this works well for hand-helded night shooting. Sometimes I go back to Aperture Priority. You can see it's raining in the shot below.

 

bar-htte-and-hearts-filled-christmas-tre

 

Edited by Ed Rooney
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