Raindrops on Rose Petals

The rain is welcome for the garden in general and certainly gave the roses another dimension. I used my favourite Olympus legacy 50mm lens on the Fuji with a 16mm extension tube to get a bit closer, shooting at between F1.8 and F4. It is a very low contrast lens which really suits the shallow depth of field.

180mm Macro Trial

Thanks for the loan of the 180mm Sigma Macro Bryan. Have done a few images with it. I like the shallow depth of field for the more pictorial shots like the Hoverfly but do find it limiting for general macro work - I tried all combinations of shutterspeed and ISO versus small aperture to try and get enough depth of field for the entire Speckled Bush Cricket..

Wet walk in Waresley Wood

The woods are at their best for primroses and oxlips but, unfortunately, the rain started just as we arrived in the wood. Managed a few photos of the primroses and this colour-coordinated snail on an Equisetum.

A Fly and Me

Didn't notice that I was reflected in the thorax of this irridescent fly that was visiting a clump of celandine that I photographed at Eden.

Macro Images from Botanic Gardens

Closeup into a thistle rosette

Rain in the Lakes

One of my favourite images from the trip to the Lakes - says it all!!

More Spiders from Wicken

Three more spiders from Wicken


Pisaura mirabilis (right)

Meta segmentata (below)

Araneus diadematus (below right)

Two spiders from Wicken Fen

Araneus marmoreus and Araneus

quadratus

Hard winter to come?

If the old adage is true, with the hedgerows full of berries this autumn, we are in for a harsh winter.

Good news for those like me that like winter frosts and snows, but not so good for the wildlife.