Another ghastly grey, gloomy and grizzly day (All dull words begin with G), looking back to images I have not uploaded yet and this one of a Common Darter put a smile on my face. I'm hoping to get some macro done soon, but must say I am enjoying doing a bit of HDR stuff and will be re entering the realms of bokeh, benches and fences at some juncture. It's a whole 12 days since my last Dragon upload :o)

  

I'm hoping there is still a chance of a few last Darter shots, I did see a Migrant Hawker hunting in the gloom of yesterday which was a most pleasant surprise. Looks like the gloom is set to last until Friday at the latest and Saturday is looking good, fingers crossed that Friday will be OK :o)

  

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A Deuterosminthurus pallipes revival, really just messing about with colours and a pseudo studio looks here, I kind of miss these colourful guys, will have to wait until next year to photograph their antics again, but that is just the way it goes, for something so small they just ooze personality, I love 'em.

 

These two may seem alone, but with macro it can be easy to isolate subjects, especially as they are so small (O.6-1mm), in reality these guys were surrounded my a multitude of dancing Deuterosminthurus pallipes, I just liked these two as they seemed to be taking a moment together, maybe contemplating the meaning of their existence or just waiting for a dance partner :o)

 

Weather is absolutely miserable again today, not sure if I'll get out with my camera tomorrow as I have a society meeting that I should really attend.

 

I wish everyone a most excellent weekend, have fun :o)

 

A MUST VIEW ON BLACK

Old drawing I found from early 2008 when I was tidying the studio.

These are from a week ago, I went to Wilford Claypit to see what was about in the Springtail Arena, well still lots of activity, looks like these guys are a year round feature. I think these are Sminthurides schoetti, as always Frans please correct me if I'm wrong. I've included a selection in the comments, I'm pretty sure the bottom image is a Sminthurides signatus though. All the females were about 0.7mm in length, the male was about 0.4mm, the juvenile was about o.4mm as well, taken with the MP-E with a 1.4x teleconverter and 36mm of extension tubes :0)

 

Well looks like we are going to lose another High Street Photography store, we already lost Jacobs last year and now it's not looking too good for Jessops. That will leave only one dedicated photography retailer in Nottingham, the London Camera Exchange.

 

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This was possibly one of the coolest finds I had for 2014, this is Sminthurinus minutus, this is most likely an imported species, brought in on plants for the glasshouse at the Sheffield Botanical Gardens. Sminthurinus minutus is actually an American species. This was the first time this species has been found in Europe. Kind of cool I don't have to travel too far to see an American species, saves on an airfare LOL :o)

 

Anyway, went back today, a spur of the moment decision. I was lucky enough to get a few shots of these. So thought I'd show an image of a juvenile on the left (about 0.4mm) and a fully grown adult on the right (about 0.8mm). It appears the adults do get to a reasonable size, bigger than I first thought, they do have a habit of jumping as soon as you find them, so I was lucky with this one.

Please note the images are not to scale.

 

BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE

 

I have added the single shots as extras in first of comments.

This is a rather small Sminthurinus sp Globular Springtail, closely resembling S.aureus, I find these at Melton Country Park, they just seem a little different to the S.aureus I find in other places. This little one was about 0.8mm long and is actually next to a rivet on a park bench, it had escaped from the bit of wood I was trying to photograph it on.

 

Springtails get their name from the use of an appendage called the furcula found on the fourth abdominal segment, it enables the Springtail to launch itself into the air and is used as an escape mechanism,

  

this is what Wiki says :o)

 

The furcula, or furca, is a tail-like appendage shaped like a fork, found ventrally on the fourth abdominal segment of springtails. Present in most species dwelling the upper soil layers, it is used for jumping when the animal is threatened. While at rest, it is retracted under the abdomen and held there by a structure variously called the retinaculum or hamula, located on the third abdominal segment. When the retinaculum releases the furcula, it springs open and hits the substrate, propelling the springtail into the air. This mechanism is not used for locomotion, but only for escaping from predators or severe stress.

 

One reason not to use it for locomotion is that its action is extremely unpredictable; when the furcula is released, the organism is sent tumbling through the air on an unpredictable trajectory, and lands practically randomly.

 

Not surprisingly, some species, such as the intertidal marine inhabitant Anurida maritima do without an organ that might get them into more trouble than it rescues them from. Some other species, such as in the genus Hypogastrura have only a very short furcula. At the same time the device is hard to predict and is versatile. Even a springtail drifting on the surface tension layer of water often can jump successfully. Also, most predators of springtails are small and often have little power of sight, so if the prey leaps in time, the chances are that from the hunter's point of view, it simply vanishes.

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Tried to go out and do some photography today, failed miserably, it was more like Winter, cold, grey and windy, with occasional drizzle thrown in for good measure, did not even get the camera out of the bag, a big BOOOOOOO!!!!!!! to British weather :o(

 

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I had a quick trip into my macro world today and found this rather splendid individual grazing on the ground. This one was about 1mm in size and was a dark purple/violet colour, I think I have finally found a Stenacidia violacea female. It was actually almost visible to the eye, this was taken at x7 magnification :o)

 

Really too hot and bright to be photographing these today, when the sun went behind a cloud I could see alright, as soon as the sun was out, I could hardly see anything on my screen and the live view was too bright, I can only really see stuff in the shade.

 

This was found in the small area of ground I search, the same place I have found my most recent Springtails, I'll be interested to see what it yields later in the year :o)

 

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Well this is going to be one of my little projects this Winter, focus stacking Collembola, with this I decided to try using my 1.4x teleconverter and my MP-E at x5, so in all this was a x7 magnification handheld focus stack of just 6 images at F/6.3. I'm hoping to get deeper with the stacks as the Winter goes on.

 

It really is a very hit and miss affair with these guys, sometimes they will stay perfectly still and then sometimes they are always moving, especially those antennae, but I was reasonably fortunate that this female stayed put for just long enough, anyway an ongoing project and with the numbers increasing I think it quite achievable, the main thing is refining the technique :o)

 

I hope everyone in the Southwest has a safe day, apparently going to get very wet again and then I hear that next week temps are going to drop to -15C, well at least it will slow down the Globular Springtails a bit LOL :o)

 

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So pleased to find one at last, they are such stunning flies and this being a male (Only the females bite) I knew I was safe, this is commonly known as the Cleg (Horsefly), they have been known to send livestock running and the females bite can be pretty painful, believe me I know LOL :)

 

5 image stack CombineZP (camera was handheld)

 

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Taken in a field by my driveway. I've seen a few around recently. Thanks to Eddie the Bugman for the possible ID: a male Bibio lanigerus (Bibionidae).

Info from www.naturespot.org.uk/species/bibio-lanigerus: Length 5 to 8 mm. This is one of a group known as March Flies. The adult males have large bulbous eyes. It is identified from similar species by the fact that it has reddish legs, and thanks to rockwolf for further ID information (it may not be lanigerus).

I was so very pleased to finally find some these, on my morning walk I walked past a small pool in the hollow of a tree stump, so I stopped and had a quick scan with my x4 Loupe, well there they were and they are so tiny it is unbelievable, less than 1mm and in some cases less than 0.5mm.

 

ID on the main image and other pale coloured Collembola, Heterosminthurus insignis

 

ID on small red one possibly Ptenothrix atra

 

Thanks to Frans :o)

   

Funny thing, the tree stump the pool was in was right next to a road and boy was I getting funny looks, I was lying down on the mud with my head in a tree stump LOL :o)

 

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I was quite amazed to find such a gathering when I turned over a small bit of bark on the ground. I have seen a few Isotoma viridis on the same piece of bark before, but I have never seen them in such a large concentration, there were a good hundred or so on this one piece of bark, getting the best DOF for a shot like this is not easy, this was the best I managed.

I reckon there must have been something very tasty on this piece of bark :o)

  

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I found a new pair of courting Sminthurides today, I'm not actually sure which species it is, so for now Sminthurides sp is as far as I dare go.

 

These were found on a small patch of ground at Wilford Claypit, they were everywhere and look a bit different to the usual inhabitants, there were lots of the males wandering around, so I'm hoping Frans can give an idea to what species they are. I had a bit of a Collembola day today, I have been ill for a few days with a nasty cold, so decided to take it easy today, so Collembola photography looked like an easy bet :o)

  

ID most likely Sminthurides schoetti nominal form thanks to Frans, this is the third species of Sminthurides courting I have captured :0)

 

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This was another pleasant surprise from the Sheffield Botanical Gardens on Monday, This is Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov. another exotic import, these are especially colourful Collembola. This species also shows sexual dimorphism, the males shown in the images above are black and orange, the females are mainly black and white. These are about 1mm long and I found these on fallen leaves around the Rock and Water Gardens, they really are one of the prettiest species. I have also found these at the Sensory Garden at Wollaton Hall.

 

It turns out that my previous upload is possibly an American import Sminthurinus minutus and it is the first record of this species in Europe.

www.flickr.com/photos/odonataman/15683089438/

 

I am hoping to return to Sheffield in the next few weeks, it really does hold a few macro surprises and I wonder what will be found next time :o)

 

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What I love about Damselflies, they have personality :)

This was another pleasant surprise from the Sheffield Botanical Gardens on Monday, This is Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov. another exotic import, these are especially colourful Collembola. This species also shows sexual dimorphism, the males shown in the images above are black and orange, the females are mainly black and white. These are about 1mm long and I found these on fallen leaves around the Rock and Water Gardens, they really are one of the prettiest species. I have also found these at the Sensory Garden at Wollaton Hall.

 

It turns out that one of my previous uploads is possibly an American import Sminthurinus minutus and it is the first record of this species in Europe.

www.flickr.com/photos/odonataman/15683089438/

 

I am hoping to return to Sheffield in the next few weeks, it really does hold a few macro surprises and I wonder what will be found next time :o)

 

A 7 image focus stack :o)

 

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Well my first Dragonfly of the year and it so happens it's one I've not seen before, this is a female Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva). I was visiting family in St Neots and went for a walk along the River Great Ouse, I saw a few Damselflies and Demoiselles, but this was definitely a highlight and I've wanted to see one for so long.

 

The adult male has a bright blue abdomen with patches of black, while the adult female and juvenile male each have a bright orange abdomen. It is about 45 mm in length with an average wingspan of 74 mm. It is distributed throughout Europe. This dragonfly is considered a species of special concern in Great Britain due to loss of its specific ideal habitat.

 

This species lives on floodplains and marshes with dense, abundant vegetation, and females deposit their eggs in slow-current streams. Once deposited by the female, the eggs lie embedded in the mud of the riverbed and the larvae develop underwater for usually two years. Adults live from May to August, during which time they mate and lay eggs.

 

I think this one is a female, immature males have similar colouration, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

If anyone is wondering why I'm shooting with the Canon 1000D, well I had an accident with the 5D MKII and it is no more, well and truly dead, so I'm hoping to get something new very soon. So my photography might be on a bit of a back burner for a short while.

 

VIEW LARGE OR ZOOOOMMMM

I found a colony of these Tullbergiidae living in amongst the roots of an Orchid that is kept in the utility room. These are very small Collembola and ranged from 0.3mm-0.5mm long at a guess, but look at the width less than 0.1mm. I was messing around with extension tubes etc, some were taken with my MP-E with the 1.4x teleconverter and 108mm of extension tubes and a few with the teleconverter and 168mm of extension tubes.

 

I have no idea what species these are, I'm not even sure if they are a UK species, as they most probably came in with the Orchid, I suppose it depends whether the Orchid was grown in the UK or was imported.

 

I have included a few extra images in the first comment, including a macro setup image and size reference.

 

I'm guessing that this is possibly a Mesaphorura sp.

 

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Abigail was quietly happy that her dinner party was going so well, she just wished that the guests had left the kids at home.

My Damsel fix for today, I am hoping to get out early tomorrow for some more macro mayhem, not sure how early yet, but it will be early. Really am hoping to see a few more Dragonflies soon, not seeing many at all at the moment, I think I need to move somewhere more productive, hoping Common Darter numbers start increasing :)

=The World Cup Opening Ceremony, Beast has invited Gaige and co. to his private quarters to watch it=

 

Anatoli- Gaige!

 

Gaige- Hello Anatoli. You remember Walker, right?

 

Anatoli- Yes, yes. *in Russian* Everybody, this is Doctor Gaige. Now, this man, this man is my favourite American!

 

Gaige- You're too kind. May we talk somewhere in private?

 

Anatoli- Yes, of course. Come.

 

Gaige- How was London?

 

Drury- London?

 

Gaige- Anatoli's 'work' often means he has to venture abroad. He was in London a couple of months ago

 

Drury- I'm sorry but it seems like you're saying-

 

Anatoli- It was pleasant as always. The food, while expensive, was delicious as ever. And those shows... Those shows were magnificent.

 

Gaige- I'm glad

 

Anatoli- Of course, my enjoyment was somewhat deminished upon hearing of their survival

 

Gaige- These things happen, don't be too hard on yourself

 

Anatoli- Hmph. I know you're after more than just to see the World Cup. Roman Sionis came to me in May, recruiting for that childish Society

 

Drury- Sionis is a member?

 

Anatoli- Don't be ridiculous. From what I gather he is only a partner of them, no more important than Doctor Alchemy or Crazy Quilt

 

Drury- Sionis, I get but why would Dekker partner up with them? That doesn't seem right.

 

Gaige- I wish you'd let me know, I had unfinished business with Roman

 

Anatoli- He mentioned that. He showed me the scar.

 

Gaige- Heh. I wouldn't think the Society would like people rejecting their invitation

 

Anatoli- Perhaps. If it were the speedster or monkey I imagine I would not have escaped unscathed. Sionis is a businessman after all, he would be wise not to make an enemy of me

 

Drury- I mean you say that but-

 

Anatoli- But what?

 

Drury- You'd have found out quicker if you didn't interrupt me

 

Gaige- Just get on with it!

 

Drury- Well... doesn't my shadow look a teensy bit wierd to any of you?

 

==Gotham City, a crime scene==

 

Bats- What's the situation Jim?

 

Gordon- Victim's name is Bartholomew Meagan. Sound familiar?

 

Bats- Doctor No-Face.

 

Gordon- The very same. So many of these crooks I've forgotten about. Or in others cases wish I had forgotten about... We found a body following his M.O last year. One of the Three Devils- The other two perished in the Signal Man crisis... Speaking of-

 

Bats- Yes?

 

Gordon- Well... I was wondering... just where were you? For Christ's sake, an entire city was destroyed.

 

Bats- I was off planet. There was an uprising on Warworld.

 

Gordon- Right. As I was saying, we hadn't seen any sign of Meagan since. In fact, the house here was apparently leased by another old friend- Ted Carson.

 

Bats- Carson...

 

Gordon- He's been presumed dead for years, aside from the odd conspiracy theorist saying he's alive. Care to prove me wrong?

 

Bats- I would if I could.

 

Gordon- Well, neighbours reported seeing Carson out and about. At 5:00 AM, loud shrieks were heard coming from within. Ten minutes later Meagan, was being loaded onto a stretcher. The logical explanation would be that Meagan was impersonating Carson.

 

Bats- And now? Is Meagan still alive?

 

Gordon- Yes but ... Detective Bullock called it karma...

 

Bats- What is it?

 

Gordon- His face Batman. We came on the scene to find Meagan without a face. Someone else has Carson's face and we've no clue what they want with it...

A few weeks back I found this little male Dicyrtomina saundersi floating about on the surface of a small pool in a hollow of a felled tree. I think it had accidentally jumped in, apparently although these guys look quite happy spinning about on the water surface, they are far from happy and if they can't escape then that could be disastrous.

 

Anyway, as this one was sheltered from any breezes I managed to do an 11 image handheld focus stack at about x4 magnification, this was just one of a series of stacks of this little one, in some it moved its antennae, but on the whole he stayed completely still :o)

 

VIEW ON BLACK, BUT WELL WORTH VIEWING ORIGINAL SIZE :O)

The movie starts a few months after the first one, as Drury Walker is getting ready to marry his girlfriend Miranda Gaige. When Miranda doesn’t turn up at the altar, Drury grows concerned and goes to her room to check on her, only to find her in bed with Paul Dekker AKA Crazy Quilt, who had somehow survived getting blown up in the first movie (his survival would never be explained, and would become a running joke throughout the movies, with Dekker claiming the universe is willing him back to life due to his sexual allure). All of a sudden, Miranda expresses a desire to break up with Drury and abandons him then and there, leaving him devastated.

 

Seven years later, Drury is a bitter and unhappy man, working as muscle for loan shark Danto Twag. He hasn’t seen Miranda since the wedding, and she seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. One day, after being fired by Twag for letting his old friend Garfield Lynns AKA Firefly get away with owing Twag money, Drury engages in a night of heavy drinking, Drury considers packing things up as Killer Moth entirely. However, before Gar can burn up his suit and cocoon gun, they are approached by the enigmatic Larry Loman AKA the Squid. Loman offers them a place in his vastly growing criminal enterprise, arguing that an ‘A-Listers’ like them would be right at home amongst his crew. With little else to do, they accept, becoming the face of Loman’s criminal enterprise, though find themselves becoming more brutal and cold as a result.

 

After a month of working for Loman, Drury, now living a fairly lucrative life, is suddenly approached by a beaten-up Lenny Fiasko AKA the Eraser, a former ally of his from the first movie. Lenny explains that someone is trying to kill him, having already murdered Noah Kuttler AKA The Calculator, and will likely come after Drury and Gar too. Drury initially doesn’t believe Lenny, thinking he’s paranoid, until a rain of bullets peppers his apartment from a distant sniper, killing Lenny. Drury pursues the killer, whom he recognises as Ted Carson, a member of Loman’s crew. Realising that Loman is the one killing Drury’s old crew, Drury returns to his apartment, only to find it burnt down, with Lenny’s body missing. Drury goes to Gar’s apartment and tries to warn him that Loman is killing them off, only to find Loman already there. Gar reveals that he knows what Loman is doing and is loyal to him, having been the one to burn down Drury’s apartment. Drury shocked by the betrayal, is caught by surprise when Loman shoots him in the stomach and leaves him for dead.

 

Drury, having bled heavily, awakens in a city dump to find Tiger Shark, Miranda’s father tending to his wounds . Tiger Shark explains that due to his despair over his daughter leaving, Loman managed to absorb his own criminal enterprise, the two having been fierce rivals in their youth, leaving him destitute, and has been watching Drury since he found out that he was working for The Squid. Drury proposes that the duo work together to take down The Squid and Tiger Shark agrees but argues that the two of them would almost certainly fail. Drury then suggests that they form a team of villains to do so.

 

Tiger Shark uses the few strings he has left to pull and organises a breakout from Arkham Asylum so that Drury can form his super group. However, a timing issue results in every major villain having gotten away by the time Drury gets to Arkham, with only three somewhat lackluster villains remaining: Thomas Blake AKA Catman, a deluded villain who thinks he’s a hero; Chancer, a coked-up Gambler villain who supposedly possesses luck powers and Julian Day AKA Calendar man, a surprisingly competent villain who has found himself alienated from the villain community due to his rather ridiculous gimmick. With only these villains to work with, Drury, with the help of Police officer Clancy O’Hara (who since the first film has been bumped down to a beat cop after inciting a brawl between police officers and government agents), begins training the unlikely group.

 

Having trained them as much as his patience can take, the team, calling themselves the misfits (after an insult Loman used towards Drury) prepare to parachute down and attack Loman’s compound, having been flown in by Tiger Shark. Immediately, Calendar Man is killed mid air when Carson, wearing a suit combining the tech of Gar and Drury, incinerates him. While Catman and Chancer prepare to infiltrate the facility, Drury enters an intense, high speed and CGI-heavy aerial duel. After busting one of his wings, Drury begins to fall towards Loman’s compound, dragging Carson with him. Upon crashing through the glass ceiling, Drury is injured, and Carson prepares to kill him, only for Gar to appear and burn him unconscious. Gar apologises for betraying Drury for his own ascension, even after Drury lost his former job for him. The two make up, and Gar tells Drury he has a surprise for him…

 

Gar takes Drury to a room in Loman’s compound, where he meets Miranda, who is surprisingly happy to see him. Miranda reveals that she didn’t sleep with Dekker, but rather had been made to lie to Drury by Loman as part of his deeply laid plans to sabotage his life due to a pathological illogical hatred of him. Miranda also reveals that she and Drury have a daughter named Katherine (pet name: Kitten) who Loman has taken hostage. Now with more to motivate him, Drury gets ready to take down Loman.

 

At the tank of his pet squid; ‘Gertrude’, Drury, Gar, Miranda and Catman confront Loman, who has salvaged parts of Carson’s suit. Loman threatens to kill Katherine unless they leave. Drury tries and fails to trick Loman into letting her go, resulting in him attempting to kill Kitten, only for Tiger Shark to appear and tackle Squid, taking the hit for her and allowing her to run into Drury’s arms. Loman gets into a fight with Drury causing the glass beneath them to crack, and Loman to fall into the squid tank, with Gertrude tearing him apart (a fact he makes sure to yell out for all to hear). The reunited family embrace, comforting Tiger Shark as he succumbs to his wounds and dies.

 

Mid-Credits-Scene: A month later, Drury and Miranda once again prepare to marry. However, as the priest (Catman) asks if anyone objects to this union, a figure dressed in green and yellow flies in through the ceiling and declares ‘Hell Yeah’.

 

Post-Credits-Scene- A badly burnt and naked Carson wanders through Loman’s devastated compound and runs into Chancer (who ran off during the battle). Chancer moans about how annoyed he is that Drury left him out of the big battle, resulting in Carson suggesting an alliance against him. Chancer bluntly rejects this offer on the grounds of Carson’s disgusting appearance.

 

Cast-

 

Dave Franco as Drury Walker/Killer Moth

Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Garfield Lynns/Firefly

Alison Brie as Miranda Gaige/Tiger Moth

Tommy Wiseau as Lenny Loman/The Squid

Eric Roberts as Tiger Shark

Alan Tudyk as Ted Carson/Steel-moth

Patrick Warburton as Thomas Blake/Catman

Jason Mantzoukas as Chancer

Shia LaBeouf as Julian Day/Calendar Man

 

Ardal O’hanlon as Officer Clancy O’hara: He would have an unmentioned subplot about him being bumped down to a beat cop due to his behaviour in the first film (namely starting a massive brawl between police officers and government agents). In the film he gains a rivalry with officer Marcus Wise, a detective in Major Crimes and an informant for the squid, with O’hara eventually siding with Drury to take down Loman solely to spite Wise.

 

Greg Sestero as Marcus Wise- a cocky, popular detective in Major Crimes who is a rival to O’hara. In actuality, Wise is corrupt and an informant for the squid. In the end, when The Squid is killed, O’hara exposes Wise and his other informants, and they are arrested

 

Joe Thomas as Lenny Fiasko/The Eraser

Ed Helms as The Calculator

Craig Robinson as Danto Twag

Dan Aykroyd as Cameron Van Cleer (He would cameo once again as one of the many people Drury confronts while working for Danto Twag

Andy Samberg as Charles Brown/Kiteman (Post Credits)

I really was not prepared for this find, it's a new one for my list, it's a Globular Springtail, but it's a blind white Globular Springtail and boy it could move, I really surprised myself with the shots I got, mainly because I was trying to keep up with this one. I guess I was shooting blind as well, most of the time I was not sure if I had got the shot or not. I have not seen one like this before anywhere and will attempt an ID shortly.

I guess this was about 1-1.5mm in length, very active and was found on rotting wood.

 

More in comments :o)

 

I think this is one of the Neelidae, but not sure on species.

 

Species confirmation as Neelus murinus, thanks to Frans Janssens :o)

 

Not many images of these about and these are the only confirmed live images of this on Flickr LOL :o)

 

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One of my favourite species of Salticidae in the UK, Sitticus pubescens is a smaller species than Salticus scenicus and displays a very different approach to hunting than the Zebra Spider, Salticus scenicus is very much the active hunter, actively patrolling it's territory for prey.

Sitticus pubescens is more of a sit and wait hunter, almost an ambush hunter and boy can they jump, you will typically see these guys on a surface that closely matches their colour, the ones I find are very dark and live only on darker coloured walls, you could easily not notice them as you walk by. Also a lot trickier to photograph as they are very shy :o)

Close up they are quite stunning with a mixture of blacks, reds and whites, they are also incredibly cute, I love them :o)

 

MUST VIEW ON BLACK

So yesterday evening I thought I'd play around with my MP-E on 3 full sets of extension tubes, that's 204mm of extension, target subject Deuterosminthurus pallipes, these were a real nightmare at this magnification, I found it was possible to see the subject through the viewfinder, but it was quite dark, the live view was the better focusing option in the end. The other issue was DOF it was so shallow at this level, I used an aperture of F/4.5 and hoped diffraction would not be too bad, magnification on a full frame was around x10.

 

I have included the uncropped version of the above in the comments section, also an image of the kit I used and a measure scale. It was interesting to read the comments on my post of my macro rig as some claimed it was an impossible set up to use, admittedly it is not easy to use, but it is possible to get results, I have made a few changes to the set up, I'm using a lighter bracket and I'm mounting the bracket on the foot of the lens, also using the 430 EXII flash unit as it is lighter.

 

I can't believe I've not done any Collembola for over a month, I must rectify this situation. Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend, looks like the weather is going to be kind again :0)

 

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Well someone certainly had their Ready brek today, this Ceratophysella denticulata was literally glowing in this shot, it's one of the best side on shots I've done on a Hypogastruridae for DOF, you can see quite a bit of texture and also the x2 anal spines which curve up at the tail end, I've also included a few extra shots in the comments. I think these have to be the hairiest little critters and I love those purples and yellows. I'm pretty certain I have the ID correct as I found these in the same field in March last year, I found quite a few on various sticks lying on this field. Not, the most pleasant of conditions, I was literally covered in mud, the field was really boggy and wet.

 

I used my MP-E at x5 magnification on 72mm of extension tubes for these, with an F/7.1 aperture, these guys were about 1mm-1.5mm in length at a guess :o)

 

I hope everyone has a great week :o)

 

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Whilst on my walk the other day I picked up this purple plastic bottle, guess what, there was a Dicyrtomina ornata grazing on the underside of the bottle, another opportunity for an interesting shot, I love the purple and slight reflection here, nice details on this one as well :)

Sorry if I'm getting a bit obsessed with these, but there is not much about, especially when we are getting frosts :) Also interesting as it shows clearly that these guys walk on tippy toes :)

 

Class: Entognatha

Subclass: Collembola

Order: Symphypleona

Family: Dicyrtomidae

Genus: Dicyrtomina

 

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A young female Dicyrtomina saundersi on a frosty leaf. It's been quite a bit milder recently and I look forward to another frosty spell so I can work on these sorts of shots. This one was a juvenile and was about 1.5mm in length at a guess :O)

 

This little one was on the underside of a frosty leaf and I managed to get a 14 image handheld focus stack with my MP-E at x7 magnification using an F/5.6 aperture. As well as ice crystals and frosty bokeh this one also has a few droplets on it.

 

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One of last years Peacock Butterflies making the most of the Oilseed Rape, I just liked the contrast of the Peacock against the yellow of the Oilseed, I took this with my 400mm F/5.6, the Butterfly was well into the field and I am not too fond of wading into some farmers crop, I am quite impressed by the quality of this lens.

I'm hoping to start seeing more Butterflies, I did see a few Orange Tips, but they were far too active and didn't want to settle for me.

 

Having a few issues with viewing photo's, especially on the iPad, I cannot see the photo when I visit any photo page, that is including my own photo's as well as everybody elses, but I'm fine on my PC, anyone having similar problems?

 

Above issue now seems to have been rectified :o)

 

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I found this rather preoccupied Neanura muscorum feasting on what I can only guess to be slime mould, not sure what else it could be, I know I wouldn't eat it that's for sure LOL :o)

As it was fairly static I decided to do a focus stack on it, so this was a 6 image stack and cropped in a bit, really shows off a bit more of the texture of these little guys :o)

  

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An Orange Ladybird from Saturday with the visor down, saw loads of these on a wooden fence at Colwick Woods and they were all pretty active hunting for small Aphids I think. This one was just chillaxing for a bit and was the only one that didn't start moving when I tried to do some focus stacks. I always like the way you can see their eyes through the pronotum, I guess it's like having a permanent set of orange tinted sunglasses to hand. This one did eventually spring to life and went wandering off.

 

Anyway a 25 image handheld focus stack at about x3 magnification, the best thing about the subject being on a fence was that I had a really stable working surface which was ideal for handheld focus stacks.

 

A bit of Wiki info:-

 

Halyzia sedecimguttata, or orange ladybird, is a species of Coccinellidae, also known as ladybird. Common in woodlands, both larvae and adults feed mainly on mildew and occasionally on small aphids. Their physical appearance is marked by a striking orange colour and the presence of usually 16 creamy white spots. Formerly uncommon, the species has established itself over the 20th century and is now common in many parts of Europe and the British Isles.

  

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I found this little one a few days back, I'm sure it's a Dicyrtoma fusca, but it just looks a bit different to the ones I usually find, it was very pale in colour and has a strange saddle like effect on its abdomen.

 

Anyway, this was in a hollow of a fragment of concrete conglomerate lying on some moss near Newstead Village. This is an 8 image handheld focus stack, I had the MP-E at x5 magnification and an F/7.1 aperture. I have included a crop in the comments :o)

 

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Well I've had these guys waiting for an upload for ages, also a new one on the list, so as it's a thoroughly miserable British Summers day, I thought I'd give them a go LOL.

 

Sphaeridia pumilis are possibly the smallest Globular Springtail going, I mean they are very small indeed, the adult female reach 0.5mm in length and the male 0.25mm, I had actually posted images of the male as additionals to another upload, Frans has recently confirmed them as male Sphaeridia pumilis. These guys are very common and are commonly found in soil samples. These shown here were all photographed on the surface of the ground. Taken with the MP-E and 1.4x teleconverter, these are not visible to the eye, I found these scanning a patch of ground with my camera in live view mode :o)

 

I had a lucky purchase yesterday, a second set of fully automatic Kenko Extension Tubes, found secondhand at the LCE in Derby, a real bargain. The only problem with the Kenko's is the vignetting when used with the MP-E on a full frame sensor camera, I was surprised at this as the cheaper Meike all in one tubes did not present such issues, the Meikes are actually well designed for full frame sensor cameras and it seems the Kenko's are not. It's not a major issue as I can still compose a decent image and crop out the vignetting, the vignetting does not appear on APS-C style sensors or it is greatly reduced. Just have to wait for the rain to blummin stop, typical :o)

 

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This is the Malaysian Jungle Nymph and what a whopper she was, this fine Phasmid was part of the excellent display next to mine today, I had a wonderful time at the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Entomological Society(DANES) Exhibition at Brackenhurst Campus (Part of NTU). I was pleased to share a table with Jerry Clough(Mausboam), thanks Jerry. I met many excellent Entomological experts and enthusiasts, lots of interesting displays and some live specimens. My display seemed to be well received and I am now a member of DANES, also met a few other macro photographers and it was nice to talk to other Macro enthusiasts :)

This was taken at x1 magnification with my MP-E, it was a monster LOL :)

I had a visit to the University of Nottingham campus the other day, they have this wonderful rockery garden there and also a delightful ornamental pond, I was initially hoping to see some bigger stuff, did see a few Bumble Bees and a few Drone Flies, but I couldn't get any good shots of those. So I decided to turn my attention to one if my favourite pond critters, Sminthurides aquaticus. Well they seemed to be in good numbers and I got a load of courtship ritual shots. For these I was using my MP-E on a 20mm extension tube and also my 1.4x teleconverter, if I have the lens attached to the extension tube and then attached to the teleconverter I have found the issue with vignetting goes, so this could mean more successful stacking at high magnification. I used an aperture of F/6.3 for these and was right on the edge of acceptable diffraction, next time I will try a wider aperture and maybe more tubes.

 

Sminthurides aquaticus is a very common species of Collembola, they can be found in large numbers by the edges of ponds and still bodies of water, often on the water surface, but more frequently on the ground around the edges of ponds. The females grow to about 1mm in length and the males 0.5mm, the males have modified antennae with grasping setae, they will approach a female and will attempt to interlock their antennae with the females, of course this depends on the female accepting the males intentions. The female will then lift and carry the male by the antennae for quite a lengthy period of time, I understand after this ritual the male then unlocks the antennae and deposits a circle of spermatophores around the female, when she leaves the circle she will pick up one of the spermatophores. I have still to witness the final part of this ritual, they do seem to stay linked for a very long time, maybe I need to exercise more patience.

 

I hope everyone has a great weekend, I have included a variety of extra images for your viewing pleasure :0)

 

NEED TO VIEW ON BLACK :0)

====London Sewers====

 

Gaige- Of all the places, I- oh shit! Shit. I'm going to kill Walker. Then I'll get Lester to jump start his heart... And I'll kill him again *uhn* and again *uhn* And again! Fuck! Finest Italian Silk. Ruined.

 

Pied Piper- You there!

 

Gaige- Yeah?

 

Piper- You're looking for Otis, aren't you?

 

Gaige- Well I certainly wouldn't be down here otherwise. You his boyfriend or something?

 

Piper- His assistant. His office is down the hall.

 

Gaige- His office.

 

Piper- Yes.

 

Gaige- In a sewer.

 

Piper- Yes.

 

Gaige- And you live with him. As his assistant?

 

Piper- Yes.

 

Gagie- Phew. Glad that's sorted.

 

*They walk through the sewers until they reach a blue phone box that the Pied Piper knocks on*

 

Gaige- Is this a joke? An April Fool's Day prank?

 

Piper- It's June.

 

Gaige- How would you know? You're a sewer person.

 

Piper- I'll pretend I didn't hear that... Just get in. Mr Flannegan, Doctor Gaige is here to see you.

 

Otis- Doctor who?

 

Piper- The one with the funny scarf.

 

Otis- Confound it! *opens door, holding a shotgun* Oh, you meant... That's a relief. Please, please come in.

 

Gaige- Right. He isnt going to kill me is he?

 

Piper- Maybe. I'm on my lunch break now. See you. Or not. *exit Pied Piper. Gaige warily steps into the box*

 

Otis- So. how can I help?

 

Gaige- You see Otis, Gotham's a bit of a hell hole at the mom- Christ this box is really roomy.

 

Otis- I hadn't noticed. You were saying?

 

Gaige- The Society, I think they intend to attack Gotham. And you know me.

 

Otis- "A big shot gangster putting together a crew?"

 

*Gaige is taken aback by this*

 

Otis- Yes, I do go out. Once a month.

 

Gaige- You'll help though?

 

Otis- Only if you pay up front.

 

Gaige- Had a feeling you'd say that

 

*Gaige reaches into his pocket and retrieves a small block of cheese that Otis sniffs and then devours*

 

Otis- Mmm... So, when do we start?

A certain part of a wall that runs alongside the Nottingham Canal is full of life at this time of year. There were hundreds of these Hypogastruridae type Collembola grazing on the algae that grows on this stone wall. At first sight they appear as small black flecks, it's only when you look at them through a magnifying glass that you realise how busy with life this wall is. There were also numerous Mites on the wall, which I think were also grazing or then some could be predatory. I've no real idea on an actual ID with these Collembola, there is some chaetotaxy visible on some of these, they have an 8 ocelli eye config and there are small anal spines present, so has to be a Hypogastrura species :o)

 

Taken at x5 with the MP-E, these guys are about 1mm or less in size and were very active :o)

 

Hope everyone has a grand weekend, sorry I've not been on Flickr much this week, been taking a bit of time out from Flickr, will attempt a catch up this next few days :o)

 

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An HDR view of the River Trent from Trent Bridge, I like the sky and the feel of Winter in this one, I have heard more snow is on it's way soon, so may not get any more macro for a while.

  

Rather excited seeing the new Nikon announcement, the new full frame Nikon D800 with a whopping 36MP sensor, I am now eagerly awaiting Canon to announce it's next move, I reckon a replacement for the 5D MKII, this would be the logical move, new top of the range professional bodies the Nikon D4 and the Canon 1DX were announced at about the same time :o)

 

www.nikon.com/news/2012/0207_dslr_01.htm

 

I need a lottery win to get any of the above LOL :o)

 

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I love these guys, I especially love those iridescent scales and the way the light reflects off them. This was about 3mm long, but they can get up to 4.5mm in length, they are a widespread and common species in the UK.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend :0)

  

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=Drury's House, Chuck and Chancer are babysitting=

 

Miranda- *On Phone* Remember, Axel's in bed by ten, Cammy's in by five. Axel gets a cookie OR ice cream. Cammy's moved onto formula milk, got that in the fridge.

 

Drury- -*cutting in* He starts crying put on Thomas and Friends- The classic series though, not that CGI crapfest. Kitten's sleeping over at a friends.

 

Miranda- Good luck. It's just a few days then we'll be back in Gotham

 

Chancer- Why can't I join this team of yours?

 

Miranda- Uh, I'll let Drury answer that

 

*Hands phone to Drury*

 

Chancer- Well?

 

Drury- Sorry, can't hear you, the plane's engine's too loud!

 

Chancer- The plane's engine? Doesn't it leave at 8:00?

 

Drury- So?

 

Chancer- It's 7:30

 

Drury- Well, they're testing the engines obviously

 

Chancer- But-

 

Drury- What? Breaking up! Bye bye!

 

*Hangs up*

 

Chancer- Do you think we embarrass them?

 

Chuck- What? pfft! Why do you say that?! He loves us! It's not like they'd have any reason to dislike you or anything!

 

Axel- You there, Glider-Guy, I want dessert

 

Chuck- Um. Cookie or ice cream?

 

Axel- Both!

 

Chancer- Sorry little man, it's one or the other

 

Axel- Fuck you dice man. Away and abort yourself!

 

Chuck- Hey, respect your elders, there's no need for- Arrgh! The motherfucker bit me!

 

Chancer- Let's have a look-see... Oh fuck, that's a lot of *faints*

 

Chuck- The pain! The pain!

 

Axel- I'll get my own food then? Dick heads.

 

==== On the plane=====

 

Miranda- Drury, I'm going to the toilet.

 

Drury- Ok babe see ya

 

Simon- Bye bye!

 

Drury- So, Gaige, I'm guessing Anatoli's locked up somewhere in a prison camp that we need to infiltrate eh?

 

Gaige- What? Don't be stupid. He was Russia's top assassin, a national hero, he's the head of security now.

 

Drury- You're shitting me

 

Gaige- Oh yeah. April Fucking Fools.

 

Drury- See, why do you always do this? I try to start a conversation and *Gets text message* Oh. I gotta go.

 

Gaige- Eh? Where are you-?

 

Drury- Simon, keep Grandpa Gaige company

 

Simon- Um. Ok.

 

*Drury exits. Several minutes pass*

 

Simon- Hi.

 

Gaige- Don't talk to me kid.

 

Simon- But Grandpa -

 

Gaige- No. Don't call me grandpa. Aside from it being stupid anyway, I'm not even related to you.

 

Simon- Oh. In that case...

 

*Simon plugs in his earphones. Gaige reads his paper. Simon starts speaking his film's dialogue aloud*

 

Gaige- Excuse me. Excuse me! Moron! Stop it!

 

Simon- S-sorry sir.

 

Gaige- That's better.

 

*Gets back to his paper. Simon taps him on the shoulder*

 

Simon- Do you think we'll meet Putin?

 

Gaige- I've already met him.

 

Simon- You have? What's he like?

 

Gaige- Russian.

 

Simon- Ohhhh.

 

*More minutes pass*

 

Simon- Mr Gaige?

 

Gaige- Mmmmm.

 

Simon- They've been in the toilet an awfully long time.

 

Gaige- Well, she's a women, who knows what- did you say 'they'?

 

Drury- Guess who joined the Mile High Club!

 

Miranda- Not so loud sweetie

 

Drury- Of course. Sorry.

 

Gaige- ... That's it. I'm holding my craps in 'till we land.

I do get so engrossed when I take my camera into this macro world. The other day I spied this little one and followed it with my camera for a while.

 

I'm not sure what species this is, it has some interesting features including an interesting white dorsal stripe, the chaetotaxy of the abdomen also looked quite distinctive and there are other markings on the abdomen, I thought it had a touch of the Sminthurididae about it, but then I'm probably completely wrong LOL :o) Then again could be another juvenile Bourletiella hortensis, problem is not many photographs of the juveniles out there :o)

 

This was about 0.6-0.8mm long and was taken with the MP-E at x5 mag on 68mm of extension tubes :o)

 

I have included a selection of images in the comments showing this one in various poses :o)

 

ID juvenile female Stenacidia violacea, thanks to andybadger :o)

 

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This is the Dicyrtomina saundersi I found adrift in a small puddle in a hollow of a fallen tree, in this shot it has anchored itself to something by it's rear leg, the question is what has it actually anchored itself to?

If you look at the crop in the comments, there are many small spiked objects, they look very uniform and very spiky, I don't think they are man made, they seem far too small, could they be a crystal formation of sorts? Any ideas appreciated :)

 

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I've had a few requests over the past months to see what my macro gear looks like, so I have thrown together a selection of images to illustrate how I have my camera and flash set up.

 

I have pretty much taken my old Nikon setup and transferred it over to use with the Canon, it is what I am used to using, I like the light I get from this kit and the setup enables me some flexibility when it comes to positioning the flash, once I've done a few test shots I'm usually good to go. One day I'd like to try the twin flash setup, but money says no at the moment LOL.

 

I do have a homemade diffuser as well, I tend to use this for the more jittery bugs, always experimenting and this is part of the attraction of macro photography. I use this kit handheld and occasionally use a monopod, never ever used a tripod with this kit to date.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions :)

This image gained a Highly Commended in the "Hidden Britain" category of the British Wildlife Photography Awards - 2013. It shows a globular springtail (Dicyrtomina saundersi), feeding from a film of water on the underside of a laurel leaf. Springtails are generally very small. This one was less than 2mm.

 

I've been told that this is the first springtail to be featured in the BWPA competition!

 

Interestingly, I met Eddie Nurcombe (Eddie the Bugman) at the awards ceremony in London last night. He's my inspiration when it comes to springtail photography. He was also Highly Commended with an image of a male Andrena chrysosceles, one of our small solitary bees. Solitary bee photography is my specialist area!

Had a great evening at the Nottingham Light Night, I met up with my Flickr friend Boom-stick www.flickr.com/photos/48692043@N07/ and I was quite chuffed that we could get to this view from Nottingham Castle, this is a view I have never shot at night :o)

It was really cold out as well, I'm still defrosting now LOL :o)

 

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One I had forgotten about, this was found a month or so ago, these are quite large as Springtails go at about 5-6mm.

This one is a partial focus stack of 3 images, not as perfect as I'd like, but as an example of the species I'm quite happy :) I like the patterning on these guys and amazed at how hairy these ones are :)

 

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A very small Xenylla species found on the ice/water of the small ornamental pond at the Nottingham University site. This was a 2 image stack at x7, focusing on this one was really tricky as everytime I tried to photograph it I moved the netting over the pond which caused ripples on the water over the ice which moved this little one.

 

I'm not sure on species, but I'm sure the genus is Xenylla due to leather like skin and 5+5 ocelli arrangement. This guy was very small and was under 1mm in length :O)

 

Having a few Wi-fi connectivity issues lately, so apologies if slow on commenting. Watching a great programme on BBC1 about the micro world, but no Collembola yet LOL :o)

 

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Found this cool Hopper Nymph yesterday and managed just the one shot before it hopped off, it was only when I got home that I realised that there was a Springtail strategically placed looking at the Hopper nymph. I love these unexpected surprises, thought the flash fall off worked in this one as well.

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend, any help with ID of either of the above appreciated :)

 

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How cute am I :o)

 

Really happy to find one of these, Sminthurus viridis is a wonderful looking little Globular Springtail, the only time I have found this before was when I had to photograph one which was floating in a pool in a cowpat LOL :o)

Here is some info from Wiki :-

 

Sminthurus viridis, the clover springtail or lucerne flea, is a hexapod belonging to the order Collembola (the springtails). It is bright green with a roughly spherical body and often swarms in large numbers on living plants, especially Fabaceae including alfalfa (which is sometimes called lucerne, hence the first part of the common name). The second part of the common name is misleading as this species is not even remotely related to the fleas but was given for its jumping ability and its tiny size (in fact the lucerne flea is considerably smaller even than most true fleas, rarely exceeding 1 mm in length).

 

The species has been accidentally introduced to Australia, where it considered a pest.

 

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