Her majesty will see you now ... 🫅

[markmccaughrean@mastodon.social]

Her majesty will see you now ... 🫅

Hate to blow my own , but I'm quite proud of this picture – a stack of seventeen macro images taken with slightly different focus, to capture the full detail of this female goldenrod crab spider, Misumena vatia.

She was kind enough to stay (mostly) still for the whole sequence ‍️

#Heidelberg
#Photography ️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay
#MacroPhotography
#ArachnidsOfMastodon ️
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

[markmccaughrean@mastodon.social]

On a much smaller scale, but a lot more actively running around the garden, this green cucumber spider (Araniella cucurbitina; Kürbisspinne) was also kind enough to take a moment out of its busy day to pose

#Heidelberg
#Photography ️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay
#MacroPhotography
#ArachnidsOfMastodon ️
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

[markmccaughrean@mastodon.social]

Neither of those two spiders are new visitors, but this little moth is – it's a meadow longhorn (Cauchas rumfitrella; Rotsilberne Langhornmotte), a diurnal species in the fairy long horn moth family.

Very challenging to display the gorgeous golden glitter on its wings while also getting some detail around the dark face – I tried ‍️

#Heidelberg
#Photography ️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay
#MacroPhotography
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

[markmccaughrean@mastodon.social]

And at the other end of the spectrum of acceptable photographic quality, there's this beast, briefly-glimpsed while flitting around at high speed.

But as it's a completely new species for me, I'm claiming it – I think it's a broad-bordered bee hawkmoth (Hemaris fuciformis; Hummelschwärmer).

The overall colouration seems right

#Heidelberg
#Photography ️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay
#MacroPhotography
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

[patxi@mastodon.world]

@markmccaughrean
Quite the honor. Good thing you didn't wear yellow to the photoshoot, that would have been a bit awkward.

[markmccaughrean@mastodon.social]

@patxi She has a comprehensive rider – that was never on the cards 🤪

[affienia@mastodon.social]

@markmccaughrean beautiful. Your photos are helping me learn to appreciate our eight legged friends more!