Insects 2016

[IzzieK]

All good ones while I was asleep -- here is one of mine. I do not know if this is a bug or an insect but I know it is a

Silkworm


I converted this to B/W because it was too late in the night when I finished my tasks. I will find time to edit some more tomorrow for submission...thanks for any comments.

[Geoff F]

These tiny very shiny moths have just arrived. Depending on the light angle their wings change from extra bright gold to purplish black and I always struggle to photograph them.

This time I also had problems with getting a suitable camera angle. This is the best of several attempts but the background still has a few problems.

Micropterix calthella



They will be around for a few weeks so maybe I can do better; often found on buttercup flowers.

[Cantab]

These tiny very shiny moths have just arrived. Depending on the light angle their wings change from extra bright gold to purplish black and I always struggle to photograph them.

This time I also had problems with getting a suitable camera angle. This is the best of several attempts but the background still has a few problems.

Micropterix calthella



They will be around for a few weeks so maybe I can do better; often found on buttercup flowers.

Geoff, how small is tiny? Unless the leaf is very large, the moths certainly do not look very big.

[Geoff F]

The wing length is about 5 mm, Bruce. So they are certainly small and you can get quite a few crowded onto a buttercup flower.

Drinker Moth Caterpillar. I did take some other angles which show the whole beast but I rather like this odd angle.



And one of the Lasioglossum species of bee which is feeding deeply into a dandelion flower.

[rudi]

1: A snout fly : Rhingia campestris


2: A blue-greenish little beetle, from the same family as the lily-beetle I believe: Chrysomaelidae


3: A little spider

[James G]

Butterflies and Hovers

#1 Green-veined White, (Pieris napi) on Dandelion


#2 Speckled Wood, (Pararge aegeria)


#3 Speckled Wood, (Pararge aegeria)


#4 Orange Tip, female ( Anthocharis cardamines)


#5 Hover-fly, (Rhingia campestris) feeding on Dead Nettle flower


#6 Hover-fly, (Epistrophe eligans) ??


#7 Hover-fly, (Helophilus pendulus)


Corrections/C&C etc always welcome

[IzzieK]

I kinda like #1, Rudi --it really has a snout. That composition is great.
#2, I am finding some beetles inside our house. But they are orangy in colour. The dogs must have brought them in when they rolled on the ground. Good composition and exposure too.
#3 -- the little spider looks so lonely in that while background...

1: A snout fly : Rhingia campestris


2: A blue-greenish little beetle, from the same family as the lily-beetle I believe: Chrysomaelidae


3: A little spider

[IzzieK]

No push and pull, James -- I like all of them for their clarity and composition. The female orange tip looks nice..

[James G]

A little spider
Insects 2016

Rudi looks like a Zebra 'jumping, spider, (Salticus scenicus)

[James G]

The female orange tip looks nice..

Thanks Izzie, I like the Orange Tip, but my favourite was #1.The light on the butterfly and the dandelion was gorgeous

[James G]

Gnats & Crane flies

#1 Crane Fly - possibly Tipula vervalis ?


#2 Wood Gnat,(Chironomus sp, male possibly luridens?)


#3 Crane Fly - Tipula vervalis again?


#4 Gnat - (Chironomus sp male)


#5 Gnat - (Chironomus sp male)

[IzzieK]

Wow! I like these backgrounds you have with these insects--it made the really stand out. I particularly like #3 and #5 best.

[James G]

A Miscellany....

#1 Stretch Spider, ( Tetragnatha sp extensa or montana most likely)


#2 Scorpion Fly, (Panorpa germanica - male)


#3 Scorpion Fly, (Panorpa germanica - male) A ltlle bit soft unfortunately


#4 St Mark's fly - Bibio marci


#5 Common Ground Hopper Cricket, (Tetrix undulata)


#6 Plant Bug, (Capsid sp maybe?)


#7 Plant Bug



Corrections/C&C etc still welcome

[James G]

Wow! I like these backgrounds you have with these insects--it made the really stand out. I particularly like #3 and #5 best.

Pure luck rather than skill on my part, I'm afraid, although the subjects have been more cooperative than usual We have just had a spell of very sunny weather for a few days which has helped. Rain is back at the moment!

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Really nice shots James.
Have you posted a photo of your camera rig that you use to make them?

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Geoff - Do you think that bees that get covered in pollen feel the same way we do when we're covered in mud from working?

[Geoff F]

Looking at your craneflies, James, you hav two species there. Look at the amount of black on the femur tips. So which of the sub divisions of Tipula is this? Pterelachisus, Savtshenkia or Yamatotipula? I can't clearly see the thorax markings and it soon gets into microscopic examination of an actual specimen, or some close shots of several angles. Was the second one on boggy ground?

Not completely sure about that bug either. Possibly one of the variations of Liocoris tripustulatus. Was it small, around 5 mm body length or a little bigger (about 8 mm). I suspect the hind femur markings are wrong for one of the Deraeocoris species.

Is your Groundhopper the Slender version, the wings seem well beyond the knees.

The Scorpionfly seems very pale, I wonder if it was newly emerged?

Anyway, here are a few of my craneflies; and they both meant awkward angles on boggy conditions.

Tipula maxima, the biggest UK cranefly.



Tipula (Lunatipula) lunata.



And the other Groundhopper. Slender Groundhopper - Tetrix subulata

[Geoff F]

Geoff - Do you think that bees that get covered in pollen feel the same way we do when we're covered in mud from working?

Well sometimes you do see various insects 'washing their hands' at the end of the day. Tongue cleaning is another frequent action using their front legs. However, some species who regularly dig themselves deep into flowers don't appear to be at all worried by getting totally covered with pollen.

[James G]

Have you posted a photo of your camera rig that you use to make them?

Alan, I shoot insect macros with a Canon EOS 7D Mk2 and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS lens.

I use a Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX - Speedlite Flash for fill light. Iwas lucky and picked up a 2nd hand one on EBAY last year for £400 (about 50% of cost new).

I also, usually carry a monopod, (Manfrotto and this year a Velbon model which I think is a bit more solid), to provide additional support for some shots.

Thats the 'standard' rig, but I also have a set of extension tubes, (13,21,31mm from memory) which I occasionally use. Last time was for Spider Mites!
#1



#2 with Velbon monopod. I attached a simple Head which moves vertically up and down only.

[Geoff F]

Looking a little closer at the first cranefly. Those thorax markings appear similar to the Yamatotipula group so I wonder if it could be a rather greyish form of Tipula (Yamatotipula) lateralis.

Not sure about the second one because the division depends on the position of vein R2 which is a bit difficult to see clearly, but if it is in the Pterelachisus group the thorax markings would limit the choice to either Tipula (Pterelachisus) pabulina or truncorum.

If Savtshenkia group, it is really a case of microscopic examination of genitalia to get anywhere!