An Ischnura elegans at the end of the Rainbow, well not exactly, I used a multicoloured foam sheet as a background, this was one of my background experiments from last year.

This was an early morning focus stack of 13 images using a diffused flash from last Summer. I'm going to have to start thinking about what to try next, I will be thinking about trying natural light for some of these this year.

An Ischnura elegans with a rather colourful backdrop, I have to say that these little Blue-tailed Damselflies are quite expressive little characters. I think the pseudopupil effect helps with eye contact here and I love the colours on these guys :o)

I'm hoping to do at least one early rise this weekend and I want to try some Allacma fusca focus stacks. I did some last Monday, but lost my fast 8GB memory card when it fell out of my pocket and into a large pond, this was shortly followed by the heavens opening and getting completely drenched, you got to laugh LOL :o)

Goin' courtin', goin' courtin'

Oh it sets your senses in a whirl.

Goin' courtin', goin' courtin'

Dudin' up to go and see your gal.

A male Polyommatus icarus on the right trying to chat up his intended on the left. Unfortunately for him she didn't want to know, maybe his wings were not quite the right shade of blue.

Anyway, thought it made an interesting capture, you see these flying after each other all the time, but this is the first time I've photographed them interacting like this. I used the 180mm Tamron Macro lens mounted on my Manfrotto heavy tripod and a cable release for this one.

No prizes for guessing which musical inspired the title :o)

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Still raiding the archives, this was another of the 100+ images I took of my first ever Grass Snake photo encounter at Newstead back in 2013. I've seen a fair few since, but none have stopped to allow photos. They really are magnificent animals, I'm hoping one day to photograph some Adders as well.

Taken with my Tamron 180mm Macro on 36mm of extension tubes, supported on a mini tripod, natural light :o)

Took this a few years ago, this is when I discovered our local nature reserve has a population of Large Red Damselflies, for some reason I never put this on Flickr, I'm not sure why. Looking forward to the end of April and beginning of May, so I can photograph these again :o)

This was a focus stack, but I cannot remember how many images.

I was really pleased to find another member of the Chrysididae family today. This is Trichrysis cyanea and is the only fully blue/green wasp in the UK. These are associated with open habitats with aerial nesting sites of its hosts such as wooden fence and gate posts, dead trees, logs and tree stumps, and holes in mud and cob walls. Its hosts include wasps of the Trypoxylon family, which I did notice in the area.

I found this one on a stretch of wooden fencing and it was a tricky one to approach. Eventually when some cloud blocked out the sun I managed to get close enough for a few shots. These are quite small wasps and this one was about 6-8mm at a guess. I'm hoping to get some better shots over the next few days,

Well I've not been out with the camera this weekend, so here's a Curculio sp. Weevil from last Spring. This is a 21 image focus stack I did without using a background, this has resulted in flash falloff which gives the black background, thought it really shows off the colours of this beauty.

I went to see the final Hobbit movie on my day off today, not a bad film. Hope everyone has a good week :o)

Thought I'd upload this find from yesterday, it's only a partial stack of 13 images, I just wanted to get the head area done. This is a Harvestman with an Erythraeidae Mite attached. I've seen Harvestmen with these attached before, but this one had latched onto the Harvestman right between the eyes, OUCHHHH !!!!!!

I'm just glad that when we get external parasites they are relatively small. I guess this would be like having a tick the size of a rat attached to you. The Harvestman was alive and moved off after a while, I guess the only way the Harvestman could lose the Mite would be by brushing it off on something.

Some extra info :-

Erythraeid larvae are parasitic as larvae. Like ticks on us, parasitengone larvae engorge on host fluids and drop off. Unlike ticks, then they "pupate" (not true pupation, it's actually the protonymph stage which is inactive, therefore called a calyptostatic protonymph) on the ground and emerge as predatory deutonymphs, which look totally different than larvae (relatively hairless with six legs). When deutonymphs have fed enough, they "pupate" (actually the calyptostatic tritonymph) again, and emerge as predacious adults. The deutonymphs and adults are both velvety and have eight legs, but generally look quite different in coloration and body size/shape.

I think the Harvestman might be Oligolophus tridens, a common species in woodland at this time of year, please correct me if I'm wrong :0)

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Another Apion frumentarium on a Dock Leaf getting started on a fresh bit of leaf, I'm wondering how these guys tell each other apart LOL, this is a different individual to the last one I found, it seems if you find them whilst they are busy eating then they are less likely to do the usual Weevil photographic tricks, play dead or just drop off in to the undergrowth, there is definitely a special place in my heart for Weevils, they are sooooo cool :o)

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There is something quite amazing about a Dragonflies wings and their mastery in flight. It all stems from the powerful flight muscle assembly at the base of the wings. When taking these shots you could actually see the flight muscles pulsating. It was also great fun trying to sneak up behind the Common Darter and take shots like this, because as soon as they realised something was looming over them, then they were off at high speed. This offering is almost an abstract of a Dragonfly, I quite liked it :o)

Fortunately some of the Darters were very trusting, I did find one that just kept coming back, there may be quite a few shots of her at a later date.

I'm hoping for some decent weather this weekend and I hope everyone has a cracking time :o)

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A fabulous Apion frumentarium I found feeding on a Dock Leaf the other day. These are very striking Weevils and for once this one allowed me to take some photographs, usually they will run away or drop off the leaf. These are about 2.5mm-4.5mm in length.

This is also the first time I've managed any sort of a focus stack of this species, this was made up of 14 images using an F/6.3 aperture, ISO 320 and a 1/160 shutter speed, a diffused flash was used. There was some head movement as it was feeding.

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My gratitude to Eddie The Bugman for the positive identification of this most beautiful beetle.

Thanks Eddie.

Not been out with the camera far too windy, this is one of the pink series, a few more being saved for a rainy day LOL, I know I'll not get a shot like this for another year, I'll have to wait for the Rhododendrons to flower again, hoping that I'll start seeing more Common Darters soon, seems a long wait :)

A Hawthorn Shieldbug discovered on the first day of March, I found this beauty hibernating under a stick whilst searching for Collembola. This is a 29 image focus stack at x5 magnification using an F/5 aperture and what a well behaved subject.it was ;o)

Thought it was about time I reappeared on Flickr, I've been adapting to a new lifestyle lately. My new job is permanent night shifts and has really been a struggle to get into any sort of a routine. Today has been the first day I've had any energy for photography, so I thought I'd share my efforts with you this evening. Really was a beautiful day here today and great to start doing macro again :o)

I'm hoping that working nights may eventually mean I can sneak some morning or late afternoon macro photography in during the Summer :o)

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A Dolerus species I found today, this one was quite sedate due to the cooler temperatures and allowed me to take some shots. I can't find much information on the net about these Sawflies, I don't think they have been studied much. There are many similar species in the Genus and for identification further examination is required.

Anyway, this was a 24 image focus stack, ISO 320, aperture F/5.6 and a 1/160 shutter speed, a diffused flash was used. I decided to ignore the antennae as they were constantly moving.

ZOOOOOOMMMM

Well, I didn't get out as early as intended this morning and didn't think I stood a chance of a Damsel portrait. Then I spied this fine fellow and he was oh so pleased to pose for a few piccies. I was able to try numerous backgrounds as well, I think he looked particularly happy in this shot and I liked the pose.

It was amazing how waterlogged everything was, hardly surprising given the weather of late. I did try some full Damsel shots, but it was far too breezy and I gave up after about 30 mins, but it was still really nice to get out and take some photo's.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend :o)

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Early rise this morning and out to check out how the Damselflies are doing, I think last nights rain had washed away most of the gunk and they were looking a lot happier. I think this orange must be to do with the colour transition from teneral to mature. Feel a lot happier now and I'm afraid you may see a few Damsel shots appearing in the next 24 hours :)

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO BROWSE MY PHOTOSTREAM

Well one from the Summer and what a great Summer it was. I'm looking forward to next year already. I must say I found and saw a lot of really cool stuff this year, my first Grass Snake, Large Red Damselflies locally, Emperor Dragonflies, Broad Bodied Chasers, emerging Common Darters and lots of fun focus stacking pretty much anything I could find. Now I'm looking forward to an Autumn/Winter of extreme macro and maybe some fun with the snow which the Daily Express reckons is due in November.

So this was an 11 image handheld focus stack of that Azure Damselfly that was such a willing model, what a cheeky chappy LOL ;o)

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I'm only happy when it rains

I'm only happy when it's complicated

And though I know you can't appreciate it

I'm only happy when it rains

Well I went out this morning and it was quite a grey and dreary day, I decided it would be a good day to try and photograph some Banded Demoiselles. Then it started to rain, but fortunately I had my umbrella. I found this chap which had a few droplets of rain on his eyes and he was quite happy to pose for me :o)

This is a 25 image handheld focus stack, I used ISO 400, aperture F/7.1 and a 1/160 shutter speed. It's interesting to note that this male Banded Demoiselle has brown eyes and the one I did previously had black eyes. I'm just wondering if this is down to maturity or is it to do with lighting?

More images in comments :o)

A bit of after work macro photography today, as it was grey, windy and a lot cooler, this female Banded Demoiselle was quite a sedate subject. The biggest issue though was that darned breeze, I eventually found a spot where I was more sheltered. I must say the female Calopteryx splendens is so beautiful with those metallic greens and brown eyes, absolutely gorgeous.

This was an 18 image handheld focus stack, I used an aperture of F/8, ISO 400 and a 1/160 shutter speed, this was at about x2 mag and I used a diffused flash with fresh batteries installed.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and Bank Holiday, although I'm working tomorrow, I'm hoping the weather on Sunday will have settled a bit :o)

Well looks like it's going to be an indoors day today, still raining, may still get out for an early evening bughunt.

So I'm afraid for now you will have to put up with another archive Damsel shot LOL, this was another stack of 3 images in CombineZP, have a great Sunday guys :)

Well I went out this morning at 4:30 am, very peaceful at that time in the morning. I found a few Damselflies, but not as many as I thought I would. This one is an Ischnura elegans (Blue-tailed Damselfly). I was experimenting with back drops, this was a multi coloured foam sheet.

This was a 17 image handheld focus stack, aperture F/7.1, ISO 320 and a 1/160 shutter speed. I think Ischnura elegans make excellent portrait subjects if you can get the right angle on them :o)

I found a few of these Short-snouted Weevils on Wilford Bridge on Monday, this I think is Rhinocyllus conicus. They are lovely little Weevils and are about 4-7mm in length. They are supposed to be a Southern species, but it appears they are heading North. They are associated with Thistles, the larvae develop in the flower heads. It has been used for the biocontrol of invasive Thistles, but will also attack native Thistles. Read Wiki quote below:-

"This weevil is native to Eurasia and North Africa. It was first introduced to the United States for thistle biocontrol in 1969, and it is now widely established in that country. The weevil was found to be very effective in reducing the spread of invasive thistles, particularly musk thistle, but also welted, Italian, bull, milk, and other thistles. However, the weevil will also readily attack native thistles of genus Cirsium, in some cases contributing to population decline. It is for this reason that this weevil is no longer recommended for distribution as a biocontrol agent. Further releases of the weevil are prohibited in many areas."

So Wilford Bridge seems to be yielding some cool finds, my first Ruby-tailed Wasp, a lovely Lasioglossum sp. Bee and numerous other Insects.

A focus stack of 11 images, aperture F/8, ISO 250, shutter speed 1/160 and a diffused flash was used.

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Up and out at the crack of dawn, not done this early morning stuff since last Summer and it's amazing what you forget, note to self a small torch would be helpful for focusing and a selection of coloured backdrops may be useful with a plamp to hold stuff LOL. Also may look into a light weight mini Benbo, saw one at Birmingham, should have made the purchase LOL.

Anyway, first early morning macro, a fly covered in dew, you can see my hands in the refractions as well LOL, next time take some pretty flowers or something LOL. All valuable lessons to be learnt, quite a breeze made any hope for stacking impossible as well :o)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND :o)

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This one was from a few months back when I found a beautiful Curculio nucum on a walk at Wollaton Hall. It's the closest I've managed to get to one of these with my MP-E. I just love these, possibly one of my favourite Weevil species, well until I find one of those species with ridiculously long rostrums.

Well I'm glad my weekend is here, sitting in the shop today in this heat was really unpleasant, all I could think of was getting outside with my camera. Hoping to do an early rise tomorrow, weather depending :o)

Hope everyone has a great weekend :o)

Chthonius ischnocheles is a species of Pseudoscorpion and one I find frequently. Pseudoscorpions are up there with my favourite invertebrates, there is something a bit exotic about them and they also have a fascinating lifestyle. They are adept hunters and prey on Springtails, Psocoptera and Mites. They hunt in darkness using their pedipalps which are covered with sensitive hairs to feel their way around. They can inject their prey with venom from the movable finger on the pedipalps, as well as using them to grab hold of their prey. If they want to get anywhere then they will grab hold of an insects leg and get a free ride. All this in something that is less than 3mm in length.

This was an 11 image studio style focus stack. To date I have found 3 different UK species of Pseudoscorpion, but I'm always on the look out for more.

Whilst watching these fascinating little Cuckoo Wasps on Monday I noticed this one backing into a hole in a wooden fence. I thought there were 2 possible reasons for this behaviour:-

1) It had just found the nest of a possible host and it was ovipositing (Laying egss) on its host.

2) This I think was a more likely explanation, it was simply taking shelter. The sun had gone in and it had cooled down a bit. It did eventually re-emerge when the sun came out again.

Anyway, I managed a number of shots, the middle image was a 6 image focus stack and the other images all single shots.

Another take on an Allacma fusca portrait, in this one I've let the flash fall off giving a black background, it certainly does highlight the Allacma fusca, I love these big slow moving Collembola, they do remind me of cattle, you often find them in small herds, especially if you have a nice large piece of rotting wood. These guys also have fascinating faces, I really do love them :o)

I'm hoping to get out with the camera soon, I was out yesterday and didn't take one shot, far too breezy and too many people about LOL :o)

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This one is another of the Hawthorn Shieldbug I found a few weekends back, with this one I was using my MP-E on a 1.4x teleconverter and it is a 21 image handheld focus stack at F/4.5. Part of the reason I love macro is the ability to see details the human eye can't normally see.

Well looks like Spring is off to a good start. I'm hoping to start seeing Damselflies in the near future, I'm banking on an early emergence this year, possibly by the end of March to early April, I will be checking the BDS sight on a regular basis :o)

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Ermmm..... a pair of Orange Ladybirds having a private moment. These are my favourite UK species, I just think they are awesome.

This is quite a rarity as Ladybird images go, don't think there are many focus stacked images of mating Ladybirds. I only say this because they do tend to move a lot in this position LOL ;o)

Anyway, this was a focus stack of 14 images at aperture F/6.3, ISO 400 and a shutter speed of 1/160, I used a diffused flash for this one :o)

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Well this year I had my first close encounters with Large Red Damselflies (LRD) locally to Nottingham. For years I was convinced we did not have a local population, but late Spring at Wilford Claypit soon proved me wrong, these were about in large numbers (To my joy).

Anyway, on one of the cooler days in Spring I found this messy eater who had been munching on Moths, I think this was a x5 magnification MP-E handheld focus stack of 20+ images, I used a purple background for this one, which I think works quite well.

Anyway, hoping the weather improves soon, I hope I can get out with the camera this weekend. Looking forward to Dave Gorman's "Modern Life Is Goodish" on Dave, he almost had me believing that the powerball in a Finish Powerball was a red smartie last week, hilarious :o)

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A Green Tiger Beetle from a while back, I'm really going to have to try and get some more shots of these, problem is finding the time to do it. These beauty was a cooperative subject and allowed me to take loads of shots.

This was a focus stack of just 9 images using an F/6.3 aperture, ISO 400 and a 1/160 shutter speed, a diffused flash was used.

Hoping to get my first Damselfly shots on Sunday morning, I've seen a few already, but not managed any shots.

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A Ruby-tailed Wasp getting everso slightly distracted by a trail of honey. There have been plenty of these little beauties about this year, well I guess I have been actively looking for them. They really are my favourite UK Wasp at the moment, but then there are some even more colourful Chrysis species out there, I hope someday to find some more.

I hope everyone has a great week, it certainly was a hot one today, was not the best day to be stuck at work.

Oh I was so overjoyed today when I found these guys. I found one about a week ago and was trying to locate it in my viewfinder, but it completely vanished and needless to say I was not a happy bunny. I spent the rest of the day wondering what I had missed out on.

Anyway, I decided to return to Wilford Claypit today and HURRAH, I found not one but two of these little dudes. I have to say that these are my favourite find ever, they are so blummin cool, I love 'em to bits :o) Taken with my MP-E on a 1.4x Teleconverter and 36mm of extension tubes at F/5.6 :o)

I'm pretty sure they are Sminthurinus, they could possibly be juvenile Sminthurinus niger, but I have to say I cannot find any sign of any adult Sminthurinus niger in the area, I really would like it if they were something new :o) The main image individual was on a stick covered in some sort of black fungal growth, this really helped bring out the blue colouring :o)

A MUST VIEW ON BLACK

A male Common Blue Damselfly from Sunday mornings macro walk. This fine fellow was quite animated for 5am in the morning, more animated than I was. However, he did stay put long enough for a few focus stacks. Interesting to note that the male Common Blue Damselflies have a distinctive blue band across the eyes, this seems to be absent in Azure Damselflies.

Anyway, this was an 11 image handheld focus stack using an F/7.1 aperture, ISO 320 and a 1/160 shutter speed, the background was a blue fabric flower I bought in Hobbycraft, it means I don't have destroy any plant life for backgrounds and adds a splash of colour.

An early morning chat with a Damselfly, we discussed politics, the Olympics, oh and of course the weather LOL :o)

Really is a jungle out there, everything has gone into overdrive, struggled to access areas of the Country Park, reckon I'll need a machete. Really does make finding these guys difficult, I only really found this one, no idea where all the others are. I guarantee that if I go back later, they will be there in better numbers.

May try an early rise tomorrow and see what I can find, good thing is I have to get up at 5am and not 3:30am, it's almost a lie in LOL :o)

Hope everyone has a great weekend, only 3 days left of the Olympics, didn't we do well :o)

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A mature Large Red Damselfly from a few weeks back. I've noticed as they age the red colouration does start to fade/dull, but still one of my favourite Damselfly species. I'm still seeing a few and had one land on my finger on Monday, I like moments like that :o)

This was a 17 image handheld focus stack using an F/6.3 aperture, ISO 400 and a 1/160 shutter speed. This one flew off shortly after this stack. I'm hoping to try a few early rises this weekend, I have some new backgrounds to try out courtesy of Hobbycraft LOL :o)

Something wicked this way comes.

Ahhhhrrrrrggggg found my first Horsefly of 2014, but this beauty was quite sedate and didn't try to drink my blood, but there is no love lost with these vampires of the Insect world, they have ruined many an afternoon whilst trying to photograph Insects LOL ;o)

I have to admire them though, those eyes are gorgeous, this one is known as the Common Horsefly or Notch-horned Cleg Fly or just Cleg. The Latin name Haematopota pluvialis literally translates as 'blood drinker of the rains', only the females drink blood, the males feed on pollen. The females drink blood as they need the blood for their developing eggs.

This was a 27 image handheld focus stack, I always seem to have issues with the antennae on these guys, I think they were moving slightly, but still nice to get those beautiful eyes for the first time :o)

Extra images in comments

Well if you are a Springtail then be very afraid, I'm sure this fellow would snap you up in an instant. This is another of those Coleoptera larvae that can be found under bits of fallen branch, bark etc, no doubt highly predatory and I think this will eventually turn into one of the Carabidae or as we know them Ground Beetles.

This is an 19 image handheld focus stack taken at x5 with the MP-E using an F/5.6 aperture, not a perfect stack, but it is the first of a series I have yet to process. Funnily enough a year and a day ago I photographed a similar individual, so it must be the right time of year for these. Still very cold out and I still haven't seen any bigger insects.

Hope everyone has a great week :o)

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Can you feel it now that spring has come.

And it's time to live in the scattered sun.

Waiting for the Sun

Well Ok seems we are still waiting for the sun and so are my friends.

So I thought this might warm things up on a really chilly Spring day, I hope you like it :o)

A 10 image handheld focus stack of a Large Red Damselfly and it will be the last one, for a few days anyway LOL :o)

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A juvenile Calvatomina nr superba on a frozen leaf, I had almost given up on getting a stack of one of these, but I was photographing this one as it was ambling around and then it stopped still and I managed a 3 image handheld focus stack at F/7.1 at x7 magnification before it started moving again, I didn't dare widen the aperture and go for a deeper stack as it was a one off chance I did not want to miss. These guys seem to be constantly active even in such cold conditions. I really liked the sparkly bokeh here as well :o)

This little one is a female and was just less than 1mm in length, the shorter antennae and size suggest a juvenile :o)

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Another Fallow Deer encounter in the snow, I think this is a gathering of youngsters, possibly last years brood, if you look carefully some of the males have very small antlers which are a single spike. There are also a few melanistic youngsters as well, I'd really love to see the Leucistic colour form oneday, this is the white version(but not albino), I only ever see the regular and melanistic forms at Wollaton Park.

Anyway, when I took this they had all started to move away from me, then there was a sudden loud noise from some kids I think and they all suddenly turned their heads towards me. I know I said it on my last post, but I totally love Fallow Deer, more than Red Deer now :o)

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I just cannot get enough of these Darters, I find every aspect of the Dragonfly fascinating, yes they have happy faces, but when you start looking at the colours and venation of those wings, glorious. I love the colours on this one, a blend of oranges, reds and yellows, I especially love the slight yellow tinting at the base of the wings, oh how I will miss these, still got a couple of months left and they will be back next year. How I wish I lived in a country where these fly all year round.

Not been out with the camera today, had family commitments, had a wonderful meal out and did see some Dragons in the pub garden.

I wish everyone a great week :o)

A MUST TO VIEW ON BLACK

One thing I look forward to every year is the return of the Damselflies, I just love them. They have such character, great colours and are one insect that have that anthropomorphic quality. You can really get eye contact with these guys and a variety of expressions. I really must try to find some different species this year as well. Only 3.5 Months or so to wait LOL ;o)

This was an Ischnura elegans from July last Summer, I took this using my MP-E at about x2-x3 mag using a diffused flash. It was a 15 image focus stack using an F/7.1 aperture, ISO 320 and a 1/160 shutter speed.

Hope everyone has had a great weekend :o)

A larger than life Banded Demoiselle, I managed to take this at a lower angle, I took this on one of the cooler evenings last week, I'm having to get my photography fix after work these days, so I often take a short evening macro trip out by the River Trent.

I had a great day out today, but it was one of those days where I came home with very little on my memory card, still no Big Dragons at Wilford Claypit, but I did see my first Brown Hawker of the year by the Grantham Canal, but it was too active to get a shot.

This one was a 27 image handheld focus stack using F/7.1 aperture, ISO 400 and a 1/160 shutter speed. Again interesting to note that this males eyes are black, I photographed one recently and his eyes were brown, so I'm starting to think that the eyes must darken with maturity.

Spent a couple of hours chasing after Common Darters again, I liked some of the details here, Dragonfly wings are so beautiful and definitely one of natures wonders.

In a bit of an abstract mood today if you haven't have guessed already :)

A lovely Large Red Damselfly, I'm hoping to get a few more shots of these before it's too late, I'm hoping the weather will be OK this weekend, it was lovely today and I wish I'd brought the camera with me for my after work walk home. I found a new pond near the Jubilee Campus and there were Emperor Dragonflies patrolling the water, really was great to watch.

Anyway, this was a 12 image handheld stack using an F/8 aperture, ISO 400 and a 1/160 shutter speed, the background was a large green leaf. I need to get a new diffuser as my Lumiquest is falling apart, so I'm thinking a big Lastolite diffuser or the micro Apollo, any ideas appreciated.

This was one from last Sunday, there were a few of these Narrow-Bordered Five-Spot Burnets having a romantic moment. At Wilford Claypit we also get Six-Spot Burnets.

I used my 180mm Tamron on a monopod and managed a 17 image natural light focus stack using an F/6.3 aperture, ISO 640 and a 1/500 shutter speed. I used the machine gun method for this, finger on the shutter and moved forward gradually :0)

Here's a bit of Wiki info :-

Zygaena lonicerae have a wingspan of 30–46 millimetres (1.2–1.8 in). The forewings reach a length of 16–19 millimetres (0.63–0.75 in) in the females, while they are slightly smaller in males. The forewings usually show five crimson to vermilion spots and a black basic color, with a strong bluish or blue-green reflection. The third spot is smaller than the fourth one. Head, thorax and abdomen are black and moderately to strongly hairy. The antennae are long and slender and slightly clavate and tapered. The females are similar to males, but the top of the front wing is slightly rounded and the abdomen and the thorax are less hairy. However this species is very variable. Usually the moth populations in Alpine areas are much larger, while those from southern Europe are darker.

Well today was a half day, so after work I hightailed it to Wollaton Park with my camera, dodging the torrential downpours as I went. When I got there this was my first find. A stunning Curculio sp. Nut Weevil, not sure which species this one is, but they are fabulous looking Weevils and this one was a most obliging subject :o)

I managed a 40 image handheld focus stack on this beauty, I had placed a leaf behind it using a handy clamp I had in my bag and set to work, this guy was on a metal fence post, so using the fence as support made things easier. I used ISO 500, shutter speed 1/160 and an aperture of F/6.3. Really chuffed to finally get a focus stack of one of these.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend, I have to work tomorrow, but Sunday and Monday are all mine LOL :o)

ID a male Curculio nucum, thanks to Rockwolf for ID

I got up at 3:45am this morning and made my way to Melton Country Park, what a beautiful morning, there was hardly a breeze and it was very calm and very pleasant. I didn't find as many Damsels as I thought I would, but saying that the ones I did find were hardly noticeable in the early morning light.

I liked this one covered in morning dew, I think this is a fairly young Common Blue Damselfly. I used a blue card held behind as a background and to prevent flash fall off, I think I'm going to experiment with adding shading to the card, just to try and break up the uniform colour effect.. Saying that, the blue card does replicate a blue sky quite nicely :o)

A very pleasant start to the day, I saw a Kingfisher fly past and watched a family of Swans, they were doing very well and had at least 6 Cygnets, I sat on a park bench and watched them for ages, I just love the sounds they make, I even saw one riding on it's parents back. Also as the sun started shining the sky was suddenly filled with the sound of Swifts, they were everywhere, I think they like feeding on the flies over the water.

I wish you all a most tranquil Sunday :o)

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