Rosemary Beetles

Rosemary Beetle, Chrysolina americana, is between 5 and 8 millimetres and feeds on various aromatic herbs, mainly on rosemary, lavender and thyme. On the plant they look an uninteresting blackish beetle but under lighting and enlarged, the wonderful colours and texture are apparent.

This species was first discovered living outdoors in the United Kingdom in 1994. By 2002 it had become widespread in the London area and is now common in many areas.

40 stacked images F4 or F8.

Focus Stacking Green-Staining Wood Fungus

I found a small twig on the ground where the wood was stained jade green and found on inspection small green, saucer-shaped fruit bodies. This is Chlorociboria aeruginascens, commonly known as the green elfcup or the green wood cup. I photographed it at home using the Focus Bracketing facility on the Fuji (30 shots at interval 5). Here the final and first and last frames. It is only 2 mm in size so was surprised at the accuracy of the final stack (Zerene stacker).

Bletchley Park - 1940s Weekend

Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire was Britain's secret decryption establishment during World War Two. Ciphers and codes of several Axis countries were decrypted including, most importantly, those generated by the German Enigma and Lorenz machines.

Over the last 10 years since we first visited the site, BP has undergone great modernisation presenting now a very sophisticated audiovisual presentation and numerous high-standard reconstructed rooms in the House and Huts. I must say I preferred the decayed and altogether more atmospheric feeling of the site in 2011 (one image here but see https://pin-sharp.blogspot.com/2011/08/bletchley-park.html).

This weekend was 1940s theme - people, vehicles to follow.

One of the great losses is the split with the National Museum of Computing, now completely separate.  The National Museum of Computing, located on Bletchley Park, is an independent charity housing the world's largest collection of functional historic computers, including the rebuilt Colossus, the world’s first electronic computer.We decided that this would warrant a whole day's visit so will return and do just that site. 

Wimpole Walk

Another warm sunny day so a walk down from Eversden Woods to Wimpole Hall Gardens via the Folly gave lots of high contrast images. The dahlia is a stacked image -17 images using the Focus bracketing facility on the Fuji. More success with these hornets with flash on the macro lens but only attempted this once as they didn't like me that close!! 

 

 

Paxton Miscellany from Egrets to Hornets

We visited Paxton Pits today on a beautiful warm Autumnal day partly because I wanted to see if there were more dragonflies and damselflies around than on our survey morning on Saturday when it was cold and wet or whether the season was over early. There were Migrant Hawkers, Ruddy Darters, Common Blue Damsels. I had my 140mm insect snapping lens so birds were a bit distant but good to record Little Egret, Great Egret, Kingfisher, Cormorant with Pike plus Ferruginous ducks and Black-headed Gulls pirating the Cormorant. On the macro side - Eyed Hawmoth Caterpillar, a pair of mating moths and Shieldbug. Spent a bit of time at the Hornets nest but need longer lens and flash system.

CCC Points of View Photography Day

Saturday was our Annual Points of View Day when we are given 5 subjects to photograph within a certain area (this year Newnham area  of Cambridge) in a certain time. The weather was wet, windy and very poor light. Here are some of my not-quite-made-it images - certainly reflect a very wet day in Cambridge.

1. An image from Paradise Nature Reserve. 

 2. Architecture in monochrome

 

3. An  image where water is the principal subject matter

 

4. A candid shot of another photographer

(she has a very small phone camera)

5. Something not usually observed