CalevPhoto

Pill bugs, sowbugs and woodlice, oh my!

For any macro photographer, one of your first subjects is likely to be a pill bug.  They are the ducks of the macro world – so ridiculously easy to find that they draw the beginning photographer like a magnet.  They were one of my first subjects and from time to time I find myself coming back to them because they are so fascinating.

However, as common as they are, few people know much about them.  After learning a bit more and looking back at some of my old blogs, I even made several mistakes about them.  Try the following trivia questions to see how much you know.

1. Pill bugs are insects.
2. Pill bugs and roly polies are the same thing.
3. Pill bugs and sow bugs are the same.
4. Pill bugs and sow bugs are both called woodlice.

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What are those little millipedes?

I am not a trained entomologist (or even an untrained one) and therefore I often make mistakes when identifying the little creatures that inhabit our world.  This is one of those that I have most often misidentified.

In the past I have misidentified this as a centipede, but it is in fact a millipede.  The easiest way to tell the difference between a millipede and a centipede is a millipede has two legs per body segment while a centipede has one.

Millipedes are generally harmless, though there are several varieties that excrete cyanide as a defensive mechanism.  Still, to my knowledge there aren’t any millipedes out there that can kill out unless you eat one, which I don’t find very tempting.

There particular ones are very common here around Seattle.  I have seen them in a variety of places – from the ponds next to where I work to my backyard.  Recently, I finally took the time to figure out what they are.

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It’s a beetle. Hard how could it be to identify?

Last weekend while looking under logs and stones in my backyard, I found this cute little beetle.

I found a number of these scurrying after I picked up a bag of gravel.  They clearly did not like to be in the open as they tried to hide under whatever they could find.  Although not evident from the shot, the back reflected a greenish color.

According to modern estimates, there are about 350,000 beetle species identified so far.  Scientists believe that the total amount of beetle species on the planet is somewhere from around three to eight million.  The end result, the chances I’ll be able to identify this beetle are not great.

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Our friend the garden centipede

One of the easiest bugs to find in our gardens is the garden centipede.  These centipedes are among the more brightly colored denizens under rocks and logs but can be quite tricky to photograph as they do not stay still.

While some tropical centipedes possess very potent venom, the centipedes in our gardens are harmless and of no danger.  Instead, they are very beneficial for the garden as they are great predators – taking care of many bugs we would prefer to not have around.  You can find more information about them here.

I find them among the more fascinating things in the garden and I can find them nearly 100% of the time.  Only pill bugs are easier to find. Continue Reading…

Are carpenter ants really dangerous?

As some of you know, I have a decent sized carpenter ant (Camponotus modoc) colony in the backyard of my house.  Someday I’ll probably have to get rid of it when we want to sell the place, but for now it has provided some interesting photographs.

Over the weekend I found them active as usual once I picked up a few pieces of wood.  Under one piece I found some that were quite large – probably among the largest ones I have seen.  This got me to thinking, how dangerous are these guys (or in truth – ‘gals’) really?

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Some days are better than others

As many of you know, every Friday I make an attempt to photograph for an hour by several ponds that are next to the building where I work.  In the past I have gotten some nice shots there, but not every day is the same…

I took this shot with my 180mm macro while I was trying to get close enough to the ducks.  They were very friendly, but I was asking too much to get that close to them.  I’m sure if I was patient and sat there for awhile one of them would have come close, but this is the only shot of the bunch I didn’t delete. Continue Reading…

A day of ducks and bugs

Last week I decided to spend some time photographing the ducks by building 30.  I felt a bit strange, as the last time I took the time to photograph ducks, I had just bought my camera.  I find it rather humorous how every photographer seems to start with ducks.  They are easy to find, pretty, and don’t mind us getting close.

We watched the ducks for about a half hour.  I didn’t get any shots that I am particularly crazy about, but it was interesting watching them.

From watching them I learned that each pair of ducks seems to have a territory.  Generally the territory is defined by some natural obstacles – such as a fallen tree or some branches.  When another duck (particularly a male) enters this territory the other male will slowly glide towards it.  Most of the time, the intruder responds by backing off and leaving the duck’s territory.  However, once in awhile they start fighting.

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Mysteries come, mysteries go with the Canon 5D Mark II

One of the things I am getting the biggest kick about with the 5D Mark II is the resolution of the shots.  Very often when paired with my MP-E 65 I see things that I would never have been able to notice.  In some cases they answer questions I had always wondered about.  In other cases they bring up new questions.

Mystery solved: How to harvestmen climb?

Here you can see a closeup of two of the legs of the harvestman.  On the ends of each leg are claws.  They obviously use these claws to grasp onto things.  This shot was taken around 3x magnification and is blown up 150%.

Of course, with each mystery solved a new mystery comes along.  This harvestman was found on a fallen leaf.  Therefore the new mystery is – what are those things coming out of the leaf?  My guess is they are some kind of mold or fungus, but I truly do not know.

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Sometimes the subjects come to you

The day was done and I was happy with the shots I had gotten.  We had walked at Twin Falls State Park and I had taken some decent shots that day, including my first silverfish.  As I was chatting about how to find interesting insects, I glanced at my tripod that was sitting on the ground.  There was something interesting climbing on it.  I could not identify the insect, but quickly got some shots of it as it explored this strange thing that had invaded its forest.

The patterns on its wings in particular were very interesting.I wish now that I had tried to get a closer shot of them, but this particular critter was not going to sit still.  Getting good shots of it was a challenge.  However, after consulting my literature at home I am now fairly certain of what this is. Continue Reading…

A silverfish is not a fish!

Last weekend while hiking at Twin Falls State Park with some coworkers, we had finished photographing the waterfalls and stopped by a small river to take some shots.  I quickly got out my macro lens and started looking under logs and brush to see what I could find.  The vast majority of my macro photography is from my backyard, so this was a major treat for me.

Sure enough, after turning over a log I saw something interesting moving.  I knew immediately from the shape of it what I had found, even though I had never seen one before.

This is none other than the silverfish.  The silverfish is a very primitive insect that many people know as a pest in their house that east book bindings.  While I have never found one in my house, I was delighted to find this one in nature. Continue Reading…