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Praying Mantis (Orthodera ministralis)
I was lucky enough to come across a praying mantis (I think this was a Garden Mantid) possibly Orthodera ministralis) recently. I could not help but get out the camera and capture some photos, the incredible creature was placed into the garden after I captured a few quick shots.
The image was captured with a Nikon D610 & Sigma 150mm Macro. Specific settings were ISO 1250, f/16 & 1/160 seconds.
There were a few edits, I used Lightroom for some preliminary edits before applying Sharpening using Topaz Sharpen AI, Denoise using Topaz Denoise AI, General Edits using Luminar 4 (Light, AI Enhance, AI Sky Enhance, AI Structure), and cleaned up the photo using Affinity Photo (to remove the countless smudges, crop and make some selective edits).
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I was just about to service my bike and fit a new chain, the old one had covered over 3500 miles which is a lot of pedalling by any standards. I thought the chain would make an interesting macro image so here it is.
Today broke cloudy, misty and dewy. Perfect for finding treasures in the boxwood bushes:)
Happy bokeh Wednesday!
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Speedwell - This flower is tiny, I mean really tiny !! !!
Gorgeous rich dark blue flowers.
Taken with Sigma 150mm Macro f2.8
Seen in Explore #390
You may rather listen to Chris DeBurgh sing the Lady In Red
You may view more flowering Schlumbergera, by clicking
"here" !
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Schlumbergera is a small genus of cacti with six species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats which are generally shady with high humidity and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins. Most species of Schlumbergera have stems which resemble leaf-like pads joined one to the other and flowers which appear from areoles at the joints and tips of the stems. Two species have cylindrical stems more similar to other cacti. In Brazil, the genus is referred to as Flor de Maio (May flower), reflecting the period in which they flower in the Southern Hemisphere.
This genus contains the popular house plants known by a variety of names including Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus and Holiday Cactus, which are Schlumbergera cultivars, and flower in white, pink, yellow, orange, red or purple. (The Easter Cactus or Whitsun Cactus, which may also be called a Holiday Cactus and has vivid scarlet flowers in the most commonly grown form, is now placed in the genus Hatiora.) The cultivars of Schlumbergera fall into two main groups:
The Truncata Group contains all cultivars with features derived mainly from the species S. truncata: stem segments with pointed teeth; flowers held more or less horizontally, usually above the horizontal, whose upper side is differently shaped from the lower side (zygomorphic); and pollen which is yellow. They generally flower earlier than members of the Buckleyi Group and although common names are not applied consistently may be distinguished as Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus or Claw Cactus.
The Buckleyi Group contains all cultivars with at least some features clearly showing inheritance from S. russelliana: stem segments with rounded, more symmetrical teeth; more or less symmetrical (regular) flowers which hang down, below the horizontal; and pollen which is pink. They generally flower later than members of the Truncata Group and are more likely to be called Christmas Cactus.
In the wild, the species of Schlumbergera grow either on trees (epiphytic) or on rocks (epilithic) and can form sizeable shrubs with woody bases; a height of up to 1.2 m (4 ft) has been reported for one species (S. opuntioides). They are leafless, the green stems acting as photosynthetic organs. The stems are composed of segments, which take one of two forms. In most species the segments are strongly flattened (cladodes), being made up of a central core with two (or more rarely three) "wings". Special structures characteristic of cacti, called "areoles", then occur at the ends of the segments of the stem. In two species the stems are less flattened, more cylinder-shaped, and the areoles are arranged in a more or less spiral pattern all over the segments. In both cases, the areoles, which may have wool and bristles, are where the flower buds appear.
Flower cut in half vertically with the base to the left; the bases of the tepals form a kind of tube, the upper parts bending away from the tube; the stamens run the full length of the flower from left to right and emerge from the end; some start at the very base of the flower, others start from further along to the right, being joined to a tepal.
Zygomorphic flower, probably of a cultivar in the S. Truncata Group, cut in half to show its internal structure
The flowers either hang downwards and are almost regular (radially symmetrical or actinomorphic) or, as in most species, are held more or less horizontally with the higher side of the flower different from the lower side (radially asymmetrical or zygomorphic). In those species whose flowers are held up, their angle with the horizontal is relatively constant and is characteristic of the species. Each flower has 20–30 tepals. The outer tepals – those closer to the base of the flower – are short and unconnected, and spread out or curve backwards. The inner tepals – those towards the tip of the flower – are longer and become progressively more fused together at the base to form a floral tube. In some species the difference between the outer and inner tepals creates the appearance of a "flower within a flower". The flowers produce nectar in a chamber at the base of the floral tube.
The many stamens are arranged in two series, which is a distinctive characteristic of the genus. The inner stamens are fused at the base to form a short tubular structure. The outer stamens arise from along the floral tube. The style is usually dark red and has a stigma with 6–8 lobes; the style plus stigma is roughly the same length as the stamens. If the flower is fertilized, a fleshy fruit forms, either smooth or with ribs. The brown or black seeds are about 1 mm in diameter.
I was up early this weekend to find roosting damselflies. This is an incomplete focus stack as it was quite warm and this Banded demoiselle moved before I finished.
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We have another gloomy and wet weekend.
I still went to see the plums in my neighborhood this morning. The light is not good and sky is overcast. But nothing can stop the photo buff in taking pictures anyways.
Therefore I still took a few shots. I was puzzling about how many flowers are good for a close up composition. At the end I have three.
Happy weekend to my friends!