A Bug's Life
For Macro Mondays theme 'Hobby' (gardening).
My Hellebores have a low-growing habit that helps to protect against the wind and are the only thing blooming in my garden at the moment. I selected one flower and brought it inside (out of the wind and rain!) to photograph for the theme. While zooming in on live-view to focus, I realised there were bugs on it - aphids! I quickly added three extension tubes to my macro lens and went in as close as possible. This image is an uncropped 15-shot focus stack taken at f8. The largest aphid is a wingless female that has just given birth to live female nymphs. As this is only January, this seems rather early in the life cycle, but the weather has been very mild. Aphids suck sap from plants and can cause a great deal of damage. However, I will not use pesticides of any kind in my garden.
No aphids were harmed in the making of this photograph - when I was finished I returned the flower to the garden.
A Bug's Life
For Macro Mondays theme 'Hobby' (gardening).
My Hellebores have a low-growing habit that helps to protect against the wind and are the only thing blooming in my garden at the moment. I selected one flower and brought it inside (out of the wind and rain!) to photograph for the theme. While zooming in on live-view to focus, I realised there were bugs on it - aphids! I quickly added three extension tubes to my macro lens and went in as close as possible. This image is an uncropped 15-shot focus stack taken at f8. The largest aphid is a wingless female that has just given birth to live female nymphs. As this is only January, this seems rather early in the life cycle, but the weather has been very mild. Aphids suck sap from plants and can cause a great deal of damage. However, I will not use pesticides of any kind in my garden.
No aphids were harmed in the making of this photograph - when I was finished I returned the flower to the garden.