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This Praying Mantis had just caught a honeybee and was trying to eat it when a group of very small flies landed on the Praying Mantis’ head. This group of flies was actually eating food right out of the Praying Mantis’ mouth. I have not seen this behavior before.
I love to watch and photograph flowers and insects. Now the opportunities in this area are not so good. But if you see what is still asleep on the hard drive, you get smooth in image processing and summer mood :-)
Ich liebe es, Blumen und Insekten zu beobachten und zu fotografieren. Jetzt wird das Treiben auf diesem Gebiet ja draußen jahreszeitbedingt weniger. Aber wenn man mal so schaut, was alles noch auf der Festplatte schlummert, kommt man glatt in Bildbearbeitungs- und Sommerlaune :-)
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Delphinia picta. When I first saw this insect I thought it was a small wasp. I am sure this mistake is to the evolutionary advantage of the fly. About 10 mm long. It habitually moves its oddly patterned wings in a rowing motion.
Tiger cranefly., Natural light. focus stacked using zerene. See www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/27175633054/ for a 3D version
Pretty much the same setup as the first image in this series, but I'll list it all again here.
Tech Specs: Canon 70D (F16, 1/50, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (> 2x) + a diffused MT-24EX. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.
Technique: It was windy and the bee could not tell the difference between the vibration induced by the breeze and me grabbing onto the stem of the flower (with my left index finger and thumb). I then rested the lens on my left hand, so that subject and camera were on the same "platform". I set the shutter to 1/50 to pick up some color in the background. The flash was the primary light source on the subject, so I was able to use the short duration of it to freeze what little motion was left and get a sharp image. I was also shadowing the subject, but the critter was more hungry than afraid of me. Once I got close and set up I stayed close, turning the stem between my finger and thumb as the subject moved so I could keep it looking toward the camera. Once I take the camera away the subject will fly off.
The blue mormon [Papilio polymnestor Cramer, 1775] is a large swallowtail butterfly found in South India and Sri Lanka. It is the second largest butterfly in India.
The butterfly is most common in heavy rainfall areas, such as evergreen forests. It is also common in deciduous forests and wooded urban areas, primarily due to the cultivation of its host plants, i.e. the Citrus species.
This butterfly frequents forest paths and streams. The male is fond of sun and avoids the shade. It frequents flowers especially of Mussaenda frondosa, Ixora coccinea, Jasminum species and Asystasia gangetica. Periodically raids thicker forest patches, especially where Atalantia species are to be found in search of females to mate with.
It has a rapid unidirectional flight and frequently changes course, hopping up and down in its flight path. Difficult to catch. Known to bask in the sun. Attracted to damp patch and has greater tolerance to other butterflies and humans while lapping up the mineral rich moisture. Known to visit animal droppings.
The blue Mormon has been recorded as a pollinator of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). It is known to mud-puddle.[
Reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_polymnestor
I have been looking for Hoverflies to photograph. This is not what I was hoping for, but spiders have to eat I suppose!
Some images taken with the macro lens assisted by a Canon Macro Flash System to compensate for the poor light. Hope you find the images interesting.