Post your insects

[Letrow]

Here is one I shot last week



They all look alike, don't they?

[Letrow]

Syrphidae

and



a leftover bee.

[Geoff F]

I've recently started finding a few of those Episyrphus balteatus hoverflies in my garden again; probably the new brood. But they are struggling to dodge the showers.

Because of the weather, I haven't shot much for a while. But here is one from earlier this week during a brief drier interlude, got wet again after a couple of hours though.



My first Tachina grossa of the year. A large species, about twice the size of a bluebottle.

A couple of fleeting glimpses that looked potentially like interesting species but never even got as far as attempting to focus.

[purplehaze]

These are my first macro insect shots. I went to my friend's garden one evening this week to try to capture a Monarch butterfly egg, and the bee and the damselfly presented themselves while I was shooting some of the flowers. The hour was late and a breeze was blowing, so I had to use my new flash rig, which I have only just begun to learn.

This was shot with all three of my Kenko extension tubes on my 105 mm:



I am curious to know whether that is a stray filament, or it is helping to hold the egg on the leaf.

This guy must have just finished eating, as he didn't seem to mind having my lens shoved in his face in the least.



I think I just had the 36 mm tube on this shot:

[Jonnypar]

[Jonnypar]

[Letrow]

I think I just had the 36 mm tube on this shot:

Great detail Janis and I like this one best, very nice to look at with those colours.

[Letrow]

These guys are really fast most of the time I see them. I saw a big one last week, yellow coloured and I think as big as my pink almost (maybe this is fishermans talk, but he did look big). Too fast to focus on though, so he got away.

[ktuli]

I am disappointed I cut off his far wing (framing with the MP-E65 isn't always the easiest thing to do). Also, at first I was not happy with the limited DoF at f/8, but I've started warming to how it isolates focus on just the eye. I also like the effect the MT-24EX dual flash has on the multifaceted eye.

[Letrow]

I am disappointed I cut off his far wing (framing with the MP-E65 isn't always the easiest thing to do). Also, at first I was not happy with the limited DoF at f/8, but I've started warming to how it isolates focus on just the eye. I also like the effect the MT-24EX dual flash has on the multifaceted eye.

Yes, the eye looks good. I wonder where you focused on exactly, as the right wing is sharp and the eye is, but the flagellum is out of focus already. Nice effect on the eye.

[ktuli]

Yes, the eye looks good. I wonder where you focused on exactly, as the right wing is sharp and the eye is, but the flagellum is out of focus already. Nice effect on the eye.

Peter,

I did notice that on the focus... it must be a diagonal line parallel with the sensor that runs from bottom left -> top right and intersects both the wing and the eyes but the rest just falls outside it.

And I guess we should be saying "eyes" since all 5 eyes are nicely visible in this shot (though a little tough in the resized version).

- Bill

[rhymie]

how lovely and colorful

[Vrgl]

Been having fun today, here's my "bug". He turned around and started to stare me down:
_DSC0595 by kutsies pics, on Flickr

[Geoff F]

Yes Mary, some insects will stand their ground and face you. I've even had some harmless species rear up on their hind legs to look threatening.

And talking about legs. Here is the undercarriage of a beetle.



And the normal view.



Cantharis rufa I think, but will have to double check.

[IanCD]

Lots of rain here over the last week, so buckets full of water around... found this one drowning and rescued it (I don't know what sex it would be, or how to tell..?)
It then spent a while getting dry and apparently cleaning / sorting out it's feelers, rather like a cat cleaning behind it's ears..!





Ian

[Geoff F]

Yes, Ian, bees spend quite a bit of time drying out and cleaning up after they get wet.

Rather looks like Andrena cineraria to me.

[Letrow]

Nice undercarriage Geoff. Interesting to see how robust it looks.

[Letrow]

Two recent shots





Damselflies

[geordie01]

Still trying to get the hang of this, do not know what it is.

[johnbharle]

Haven't had much time to photograph lately. Too much gardening/yard work. But then this guy showed up on my tomato plants this morning. I merely tossed him over the fence after I shot this, but if he comes back...well, let's say he won't be happy!