macrophotography
1. Stick insects can shed and regenerate their limbs to escape attacks by predators.
2. Stick insects can reproduce parthenogenetically, without the need for males.
3. Stick insects not only look like sticks, they act like them, too.
4. Stick insects don’t bite, but they aren’t defenseless.
5. Stick insects hold the record for longest insects in the world.
The above excerpted from http::insects.about.com
Spring is in the air and I’ve been photographing wildflowers. Some photographs below are from our local Botanical Gardens and some from open fields. In California, provided we get enough rain, our fields will be covered in wildflowers providing GREAT opportunities for nature photographers! As always, click to enlarge and enjoy even further!
A hot cup of homemade chai tea, a camera, a macro lens, the morning dew and a lovely garden makes for a very, very good start to any day :O) (click to enlarge and enjoy even further. A hot cup of tea is recommended while viewing)
The Crane Fly, I’ve always thought was some kind of mosquito or a mosquito catcher. After a closer look I was able to do some research and found he/she is a harmless fly. It was hanging on my exterior wall opposite my office window for almost 8 hours without moving an inch. As the sun was setting I thought I woould get a closer look and take a photo with my Macro Lens Raynox DCR-250, but it was getting too dark so I popped on my Canon Speedlight 430EX II and that did the trick! The speedlight is a wonderful tool that I highly recommend. With the proper lighting and a macro lens we are able to see so much more than we can with the naked human eye alone.
Now for you to meet Mr. Crane Fly. He has the largest eyes set away from his head which is pretty large itself. As always, click to enlarge the image and enjoy even further.
![Crane Fly Crane Fly](https://mentalhealthed.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/crane-fly-3.jpg?w=627&h=642)
Crane Fly – Macro. Without the lighting and macro lens this guy looks pretty dull from a distance. I had no idea how colorful he was until I saw the photo on my computer screen. Amazing!
![Crane Fly Crane Fly Close Up of Head](https://mentalhealthed.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/crane-fly-2.jpg?w=627&h=500)
Crane Fly Close Up of Head. I increased the ‘detail’ on this shot in Adobe Lightroom to get a glimpse of the little hairs on his head and legs. You will need to click to enlarge the image to see what I mean.
April is usually a great time to take a drive and see fields upon fields of California wildflowers. Not this year. My drive in search of beautiful wildflowers led me to empty fields where I only found a couple of lonely flowers, three stand alone (and beautiful) trees and an old windmill that was still kicking. California is dry and that spells bad news for the upcoming summer heat and Santa Ana winds which in turn lead to deadly wildfires. :O( As usual, click to enlarge the image and enjoy even further.
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