December 2021 Favourite Uploads.

[aphperspective]

The full Moon was 1 of 30 images taken in my back garden and enhanced with "Registack" software. The trawler is my friends coming in at 3am (he called to say he had got suspicious munition in his nets and might be of local newspaper interest. All combined in PS getting the masks in the right order.

[Phil Robinson]

Posted these in November by mistake. Here they are again:

 

Wednesday

Yesterday

[cbimages]

More bugs from me. With some cute planthoppers and a spider thrown in for Gen.

I found a few of these on the same small bush over a couple of weeks.

 

this one was in my back yard

 

These little jumping spiders are so cute....and so damn fast

 

A bit of sex 

 

And murder! Shield bug nymphs sucking the juices out of this poor darkling beetle

 

 

 

[gvallee]

1 hour ago, cbimages said:

More bugs from me. With some cute planthoppers and a spider thrown in for Gen.

I found a few of these on the same small bush over a couple of weeks.

 

this one was in my back yard

 

These little jumping spiders are so cute....and so damn fast

 

A bit of sex 

 

And murder! Shield bug nymphs sucking the juices out of this poor darkling beetle

 

 

 

 

Love those, as always.

 

And don't those damn spiders like to jump on the lens or the tripod! Can't keep still. 

[cbimages]

1 hour ago, gvallee said:

 

Love those, as always.

 

And don't those damn spiders like to jump on the lens or the tripod! Can't keep still. 

They sure do, or turn their back so you can;t shoot those magical eyes. I nearly stepped on a lovely little snake this morning, quite small and trying to get some warmth after a few rainy days. Best guess is a baby brown snake, but it moved off quickly. I always feel lucky to see them, and even luckier that I actually see them before I put my foot down!

[NYCat]

Amazing world you are showing us!

 

Paulette

[John Morrison]

On 03/12/2021 at 19:49, aphperspective said:

The full Moon was 1 of 30 images taken in my back garden and enhanced with "Registack" software. The trawler is my friends coming in at 3am (he called to say he had got suspicious munition in his nets and might be of local newspaper interest. All combined in PS getting the masks in the right order.

 

Erm... shouldn't the moon 's reflection be directly undernath the moon... or am I not understanding something?

[aphperspective]

1 hour ago, John Morrison said:

 

Erm... shouldn't the moon 's reflection be directly undernath the moon... or am I not understanding something?

True you are correct I shall have to sort, thanks for the tip, that why we put stuff up. 🙂

[Michael Ventura]

Shot these Craspedia flowers this past weekend. Bought them at my Trader Joe's grocery store.  A sort of a "hipster" store with a smattering unusual and international foods.  Love that place.

 

 

[Ed Rooney]

 

 

I offered Eleanor some chips but she let the gull have them all.

 

 

[cbimages]

More bugs and beasties, I can't believe  what I'm finding in a small reserve around the corner from home.

Parasitic wasp, such a stunning thing to see.

 

And I recently learnt that ants actually "farm" aphids. The ants get the benefit of drinking the excess honeydew that the aphids produce from sucking plant sap. In return, the ants guard the aphids from predators.

 

 

[gvallee]

4 hours ago, cbimages said:

More bugs and beasties, I can't believe  what I'm finding in a small reserve around the corner from home.

Parasitic wasp, such a stunning thing to see.

 

And I recently learnt that ants actually "farm" aphids. The ants get the benefit of drinking the excess honeydew that the aphids produce from sucking plant sap. In return, the ants guard the aphids from predators.

 

 

 

Brilliant shots! We are so lucky to have so many fascinating little creatures readily seen if one cares to look.

 

Ants also farm and drink the honeydew from various hoppers (Hemiptera).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cbimages]

2 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

Brilliant shots! We are so lucky to have so many fascinating little creatures readily seen if one cares to look.

 

Ants also farm and drink the honeydew from various hoppers (Hemiptera).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great shots Gen. I love the middle one, what a great looking ant. I have a photo of the bottom hopper still to process, it has an ant with it. Some of the local foliage is starting to recover from the intense hail storm in mid October, and insects re-appearing. I'm trying to get out most days for an hour or two, but hubby won't let me go alone as I'm very unwell from the newest cancer meds and he's scared I'll pass out. And he's 81 and has an infection that is making him feel a bit lousy, so I have to cajole him sometimes. It's also very wet here, after weeks of almost non stop rain - we just rush out when it stops for a while. And lucky for me, the leeches seem to prefer hubby!

 

[gvallee]

36 minutes ago, cbimages said:

Great shots Gen. I love the middle one, what a great looking ant. I have a photo of the bottom hopper still to process, it has an ant with it. Some of the local foliage is starting to recover from the intense hail storm in mid October, and insects re-appearing. I'm trying to get out most days for an hour or two, but hubby won't let me go alone as I'm very unwell from the newest cancer meds and he's scared I'll pass out. And he's 81 and has an infection that is making him feel a bit lousy, so I have to cajole him sometimes. It's also very wet here, after weeks of almost non stop rain - we just rush out when it stops for a while. And lucky for me, the leeches seem to prefer hubby!

 

 

Photography is great for taking things off my mind. I get totally immersed into it. It can change my mood within minutes. I just hope that rain stops for you. It's the opposite here in Perth, blue sky, high temperatures with very hot winds. I never want to repeat the two weeks of monsoon we had in Cairns stuck in the motorhome. We were like drowned rats!

 

Leech you say? Hubby you say? Likewise here. I looked for hubby's blooded leg with leech attached but realised I haven't uploaded it to Alamy. Instead, here's a Tiger Leech from the Danum Valley in Borneo.

 

 

This is the favourite thread. Well, this thread did not exist at the time I uploaded those, so they were favourite at the time 🤣😇

[NYCat]

6 hours ago, cbimages said:

Great shots Gen. I love the middle one, what a great looking ant. I have a photo of the bottom hopper still to process, it has an ant with it. Some of the local foliage is starting to recover from the intense hail storm in mid October, and insects re-appearing. I'm trying to get out most days for an hour or two, but hubby won't let me go alone as I'm very unwell from the newest cancer meds and he's scared I'll pass out. And he's 81 and has an infection that is making him feel a bit lousy, so I have to cajole him sometimes. It's also very wet here, after weeks of almost non stop rain - we just rush out when it stops for a while. And lucky for me, the leeches seem to prefer hubby!

 

 

Just when I'm feeling very envious in my apartment in New York you mention leeches. Ecccch. I was upset by a big water bug yesterday. About as bad as it gets here. I suppose I should photograph them.

 

Paulette

[meanderingemu]

Snow day.  First storm of winter.  early this morning.

 

 

[cbimages]

On 09/12/2021 at 23:09, NYCat said:

 

Just when I'm feeling very envious in my apartment in New York you mention leeches. Ecccch. I was upset by a big water bug yesterday. About as bad as it gets here. I suppose I should photograph them.

 

Paulette

It was my turn for a leech yesterday Paulette! Luckily hubby saw its rear end as it disappeared up under my tee shirt. Photos still be processed......of it on a leaf, which is more preferable than my belly! 

[cbimages]

More bugs........
A small bug nymph, predating on pin head sized bug eggs. On a blade of grass, and was down near the ground, my bending skills were put to the test.

 

Another bug on a blade of grass.

 

 

A Tiger Moth, which has a body like a wasp

[gvallee]

3 hours ago, cbimages said:

More bugs........
A small bug nymph, predating on pin head sized bug eggs. On a blade of grass, and was down near the ground, my bending skills were put to the test.

 

Another bug on a blade of grass.

 

 

A Tiger Moth, which has a body like a wasp

 

Fabulous, as always.

[wiskerke]

On 09/12/2021 at 13:09, NYCat said:

Just when I'm feeling very envious in my apartment in New York you mention leeches. Ecccch. I was upset by a big water bug yesterday. About as bad as it gets here. I suppose I should photograph them.

 

Paulette

Don't go to Thailand.

ReeRay may chip in about Thai food. 😋🥵😝😋

 

wim

[cbimages]

More bugs and a spider.

This is a giant shield bug, also known as a stink bug, as they give off a foul smell if upset or scared. This is the largest I've ever seen and I saw it from a few meters away, sitting boldly in the sunshine. It took a while to ID, as apparently not very common. I've since been back to the tree and found a second one, plus some nymphs and instars (juveniles and babies), which look totally different, being pale green.

 

A planthopper

 

Orb weaver spider on a tree during the day.

[NYCat]

Amazing creatures. Wonderful shots.

 

Paulette

[gvallee]

1 hour ago, cbimages said:

More bugs and a spider.

This is a giant shield bug, also known as a stink bug, as they give off a foul smell if upset or scared. This is the largest I've ever seen and I saw it from a few meters away, sitting boldly in the sunshine. It took a while to ID, as apparently not very common. I've since been back to the tree and found a second one, plus some nymphs and instars (juveniles and babies), which look totally different, being pale green.

 

A planthopper

 

Orb weaver spider on a tree during the day.

 

Another good crop Carol. Isn't it nice when we spot something uncommon? Well done.

[cbimages]

3 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

Another good crop Carol. Isn't it nice when we spot something uncommon? Well done.

Thanks Gen. Sure is good to find something new, especially as we're only going to a small area just around the corner from home. Today's "treat" was found by hubby, an assassin bug nymph with a captive bee of some unknown species, not the normal honey bee. It was windy and very challenging to get a photo as the bug was on the move and on a tree with leaves that are white and hairy underneath. White leaves, black faced bug....ugh! Add to that the almost white pollen from the bee all over everything.........

[gvallee]

8 minutes ago, cbimages said:

Thanks Gen. Sure is good to find something new, especially as we're only going to a small area just around the corner from home. Today's "treat" was found by hubby, an assassin bug nymph with a captive bee of some unknown species, not the normal honey bee. It was windy and very challenging to get a photo as the bug was on the move and on a tree with leaves that are white and hairy underneath. White leaves, black faced bug....ugh! Add to that the almost white pollen from the bee all over everything.........

 

I look forward to seeing the results. We very often only realise it's breezy when we try to take macro shots. In your case, it sounded more windy than breezy. Insects are quite a challenge to photograph. That was the attraction for me in the first place.