Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Insects Photographed with Full-Spectrum Camera

A normal camera has filters that remove ultraviolet and infrared light and adjusts the spectrum to the human visible light. I have a  cheap Panasonic camera where the filters have been removed so you can photograph the full spectrum. The images if not adjusted in software are shades of red as that end  of the spectrum is dominant. However, by setting the white balance of  black or white areas to be neutral gives insects that are close to their original colour but the foliage is very light and the flowers/seed heads may be a different hue from what the eye sees. The subdued colours and the softness gives a new dimension to my garden friends.

Monday, July 21, 2025

Sharpenhoe Gall Flies and Butterflies

The Chalkhill Blues and Burnet Moths outnumbered other insects but there were lots of other insects to photograph including these Carline Thistle Gall Flies (Terellia serratulae) laying eggs in the Thistles and two Fritillaries - the Dark Green and the much larger Silver Washed - single rather tatty individuals making brief appearances but good to see.  

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Rainy Morning at Sharpenhoe

We decided to continue with our RPS Nature Group outing to Sharpenhoe despite a pessimistic forecast. In fact, the light rain didn't prevent us finding and photographing insects etc and by the afternoon it had stopped. Here some Male and Female Chalkhill Blues found roosting among the vegetation, a very fine Wasp Spider with its Grasshopper prey and some of the mating Burnet moths. 



Saturday, July 19, 2025

Life on Knapweed

I previously shared the variety and large numbers of insects etc feeding on a Hogweed flower.However, if I had to grow just one flower to encourage insects etc, it would be Knapweed. As well as visiting Butterflies, Bees, Flies, Beetles and Bugs feeding on the nectar, pollen and leaves/sap, there are at least 3 Gall fly species that lay their eggs in the Knapweed heads and their accompanying Ichneumon Wasps - around 50 species photographed yesterday all on the Knapweed plants (see ID sheets).



 

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Grafton Centre Plans for Future

I had a couple of hours to kill in Cambridge yesterday so decided to document the present state of the Grafton Centre as it is 2 years since we last photographed the Grafton Centre. All the shops, restaurants and shops at the East Road end have now closed and a decision has been made as to how it is to be developed. Planners say the existing main entrance of the Grafton will be kept, with a corridor of shops leading to an outdoor courtyard that will take visitors to Burleigh Street, opposite the current Primark store. Two empty shops on Burleigh Street will be demolished to create another new entrance. A new life sciences building will replace Abbeygate House on East Road, with restaurants on the ground floor. The rear of the centre, where there are escalators and empty units, will become a "breakout area" for workers at the labs to use. There will also be a new Premier Inn hotel opposite the former Vue on East Road - see Artists Impression at end of Blog.

Last photoshoot 2023 - still some activity at the East Road End.
The plans for redevelopment