Super Macro Lens

©2021 Karen Richards

In my quest to take better macro photos, I bought a new clip-on lens for my phone. This one has a 25X capacity, as opposed to the 15X of the one I’ve been using for a couple years. In order to get such magnification, I have to get close to the subject (like a centimeter or two away), and it only captures a narrow depth of field in focus. That said, the detail on specific parts of the insects is impressive. Above is a leaf-footed bug that was on our front door on a recent sunny day. Without this lens, you might not be able to see the red racing stripe between its eyes.

©2021 Karen Richards

There’s something about the scattered bristles on flies that makes them unattractive (to me, at least… maybe you know someone who feels differently?). However, this dung fly in the Scathophaga genus sat still on a chilly day yesterday and I was happy with the portrait, hairs and all.

©2021 Karen Richards

Last, here’s an extreme close-up of a stink bug, giving you the stink-bug eye. It was inside, escaping the cold air, and so it has a few dust particles on it. I wonder if it’s uncomfortable to not have eyelids. I’d think this dude would want to get that fleck off of its right peeper!

Stay curious!

Leaf Litter Lessons

©2021 Karen Richards

I continue to experiment with the DSLR camera, with varying success. The shot above is with my iPhone. I’ll put the best shot with the Nikon below.

©2021 Karen Richards

I haven’t heard back from BugGuide, but the closest I can come to identifying this red ground beetle is that it might be in the Clivinini tribe. Problem is, I don’t think its “waist” is small enough. The day I saw the beetle, I was looking for more Notiophilus genus beetles like the one below:

©2021 Karen Richards

I’d seen a bunch of them over the past weekend, and I figured if they were prevalent in one place at the park, I might find them all over. Of course, that rarely if ever works in entomology. Insects seem to live in very small eco-islands and move on quickly. Anyhow, the large-eyed ground beetle above is pretty interesting, and it’s the subject of my most recent column for Mt. Pisgah. One awesome thing I learned is that Beatrix Potter, of Peter Rabbit fame, loved natural history and drew detailed drawings, including of a Notiophilus beetle, which you can see at the Victoria and Albert museum online here.

I’ll end with a couple recent “Wish List” drawings, which I continue to do daily.

©2021 Karen Richards

I’ve seen and gotten pictures of one clearwing moth before, and I think they’re fascinating. They can look convincingly like wasps at first glance.

©2021 Karen Richards

With as many oak trees around here as there are, I would love to see an acorn weevil. They are such sweet-looking, Muppet-like characters, with their big eyes and super-long proboscises. Charley Eiseman has some fantastic photos of acorn weevils on his blog, here.

Stay curious!