Foto Friday - My Mantis Adventure

It's very, very good to have a friend willing to capture creatures for you to photograph.

Not once but twice all in the same week. I'm a lucky girl!

My friend Renee called to tell me that she captured a praying mantis for me.
Warning: If you feel the earth shake it's just me as I'm still jumping up and down from the excitement. I went to retrieve it from her and waited until evening to take it outside and get some shots 'cause you know, it's all about the light.

Now, you just never know with these wild things just what they'll do or if you will even get the
chance to photograph them. I opened the container and it immediately ran up my left arm. It took several tries before it would stay on my hand but it never lasted long as it was determined to be king of the mountain my shoulder.  We battled it out and I eventually won. But, I waited a bit too long as the sun was going down quickly and I was losing my light so I tried to place it on a flower. It. Just. Didn't. Want. To. Go. Finally,  I was able to coax it onto a flower and started clicking when I could see it waiving its arms in the air. The next thing I know, I've lost sight of it in the view finder only to find that it was on my camera lens! We went back and forth like this for several rounds and each time I put it a little further away it would just make it back onto my lens? I gave it one last try and put it on a flower basket that was about 3 feet off the ground. It followed my every move and when I stopped it took a leap off the basket, towards me of course! I quickly tried to get a few pics of it on the lantana, but no such luck as it just kept walking towards me.  At this point I was kneeling in the grass and was about a foot from the edge of the stone border in the garden, and yep . . . he leaped straight across to me. It was quite comical.

 

For an insect, they sure have personalities - It's got the same expression that my dog gets when

he hears the initials 'DQ'!!

(f5.0 / 250s)

So to say the least I was a bit disappointed that not many of the shots turned out as sharp as I would have liked and the depth of field was off, but if at first you don't succeed your friend will find you another one. This one was bigger, quite feisty while in the container and to complicate things it was a mature mantis complete with two sets of wings! Yes, this would prove to be a bit tricky and since I got it from her at night I would have to wait until morning for the outcome. The next morning I set out with my camera in hand and container of precious cargo to the garden. I decided on an area of lantana because I was able to get really close with my camera since the lens I was using was my 40mm macro. And when I say close, I mean within inches of my subject.

                                                                         ( f7.1 / 640s)

These guys are fascinating to watch especially when they're cleaning themselves and

they seem to have the curiosity of a cat. (f7.1 / 640s)

Somehow I missed a close-up of their raptor like legs. They have razor sharp spikes

that they use to impale their prey and I read that they are able to strike twice as fast

as the blink of an eye - that's pretty fast!

(f16 / 125s)

Oh my, check out these eyes!! I knew that they had compound eyes like most insects, but

until I had seen one through this lens I had no idea that they also have 3 simple eyes on top of their head.

He (or she) looks bejeweled!

(f16 / 125s)

{Linking this with Fabulous Friday at McDougall Photography 

and Macro Friday}

I 'm guessing that it was about 3 to 3 1/2 inches long.

(f20 /160s)

(f11 / 400s)

{Linking this with favorite photo of the week contest at Through a Photographers Eyes}

I guess they get thirsty too . . . .

(f11 / 400s)

Love the delicacy of the wings and their detail.

(f8.0 / 800s)

The watching . . . it was mutual.

(8.0 / 620s)

(f8.0 / 320s)


At one point I startled it and it flew away . . . but not to worry, I got the ladder and my net and was able
to safely capture it again for more photos and I'm quite certain that I entertained my neighbors, as usual! I think I would be in trouble should I ever fall and not be able to get up, since that is usually where they find me anyway - laying on the ground.

One thing I learned using my macro lens is that with the increase in magnification there is a loss of DOF (depth of field) and to maximize it I need to set the aperture as far down as possible (higher f-stop) so that
more of my subject is in focus and not just it's head (like in the third photo, f5.0). I'm also learning that all
the things that can make normal photography difficult are just magnified when trying to shoot macro. Simple things like just breathing can affect your focus and sharpness and a slight breeze seems like a hurricane.
So more practice for me, but in the meantime I'm really enjoying the details I see through my lens!!

Until next time, take a closer look at something you just might like what you see!!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Love, Kim
XO

Everything as beauty, but not everyone sees it.
-Confucius

photo friday with the hollie rogue

A Witness to Spring's Renewal

Spring brings with it a unique energy reflecting the magnificent beauty of nature
and its vibrant release from the constraints of winter.

As nature reawakens there is an animated period of growth

and we are privileged to bear witness to this orchestra of transformation.

Where renewal is an intrinsic part of nature and hope springs forth with the anticipation of new beginnings.
And so for me, Spring is not only my favorite time of year, but also a time of personal spiritual growth

and when all five of my senses become completely intoxicated.

And so it goes, I was witness to one of Spring's renewals a weekend ago. We were

weeding and doing all of those things you do in your yard when spring arrives. I was doing a final raking

of leaves and weeds when out of the corner of my eye I saw something move (gasp).

And this is what I saw:

A pupa that had started its eclosion. Excited I was!

 

  This is what it looked like in it's larval stage, as a caterpillar:

In the fall, I had found these caterpillars feasting on my penta plants, until all that was left were stems! But they quickly grew back and flowered again! So now that I know what these caterpillars become, I will be buying more pentas for the garden this year!

So I took it inside and layed it on a paper towel on the bar top while I went upstairs

to research how long it may take for it to emerge. I think I had been upstairs for about

twenty minutes when my daughter said, "Mom, what happened to this thing it's in two pieces. It looks

like it was cut in half?" In a panic I ran downstairs to find this:

Oh my, an empty pupa casing! I was quite sad that I had missed the whole thing, but I would have

been even more sad if I hadn't been able to find it.

But there it was, hanging on a ribbon that layed across a stack of books only inches

away from where it had emerged. Now just look at that cute face!!!!

It was going to be cold that night, so I kept it inside and decided to let it go in the morning.

His wings were still drying.

In the morning I took it outside to my front porch and put it down on the coffee table. It sure wasn't in any hurry to get anywhere.


 It turns out that this is a Tersa Sphinx Moth also know as a hawk moth because of the slender

shape of their wings and of the wings resemblance to a hawk. Their wings span is about 3 inches.

I couldn't help myself, I just had to pick it up! 

 

After it had been in my hands for a little while, I started feeling a slight vibration

and quickly realized that he was vibrating his wings.

 

The vibrations and wing movements got progressively bigger and bigger. Ya know,  it's a bit difficult

to hold a camera in one hand and try to change your settings. So these pictures aren't ideal but I'm thrilled to have captured it. They can fly at speeds up to 25 mph and their wings beat at 25-30 beats per second!
These guys are incredible fliers and have the unique ability to hover causing them to be

mistaken for hummers. And just like hummingbirds they also drink nectar from deep-throated flowers.

Before I knew it he had taken off......

Bon voyage my little friend!!