Continuing with Monsoon macro

This is more or less continuation of the previous post. I did not manage to spend much time with camera in hand since last post, and even when I did, it was mostly again looking at same subjects as previous post. I have a feeling I am going to repeat same subjects in this post too, but let me resist that temptation while I can.

Saw this spider and watching it for a while, I guess it was either still immature or in a young like playful mood anyway.

Saw this spider few times now - appropriate size to move in and out of Algae world.

If something similar sized looks at it from behind, this is how it appeared - looks like a snake head. isnt it?

Few feet from above spider and what I saw looked like little lumps of gold on a leave just above my eye level. Yes, beautiful sunlight had its contribution to that appearance but these eggs were also quite nice. It was somewhat high for taking shot comfortably still, did manage a shot.

It seemed to me that insects from remaining two eggs might come out soon but when I saw these eggs again after few days, they were still intact.

On another sunny day, saw something was clinging to a grass stem. it appeared like a seed to me but for the seed it was at unlikely place. I look at it and find this. I guess its a leafhopper - though it was bigger than leafhoppers I have seen previously.

and lastly, one more shot of those Springtails I had covered in last post too. I think this is the best possible shot I can manage of them. - below frame is 1/3 crop of a shot taken at max magnification my set-up gives. which is approx 3.65 so the frame below is some 2mm at longer side. and I can see these creatures eyes too!

That's what I have for this mini update. lets see what I find for the next one.

Ant mimicking spiders and Ants

As I already posted on my previous post Spiders, I had seen an ant mimicking spider not much after acquiring macro range. First sighting was simple one in the sense that the spider I saw was mimicking one of the most abundant type of ants around. Few days later however I saw another different looking ant mimicking spider and wondered why it is trying to look like so weird looking ant (I had never seen any such ant whom that spider was apparently mimicking). Soon after, I also found an Ant that looked like the second spider. Or, I should say, ant that spider was mimicking.

In hindsight, I find my reaction 'why is it mimicking so weird ant' appears so unintelligent! If there is someone mimicking an ant, the ant must (most likely) be there and I should have thought, 'I am yet to see kind of ant it mimics'. A good observer sees what is in front of his/her eyes and also what it (probably) implies. Lot of room for improvement in my observations..

Spiders

I probably was never introduced as fast to anything else as to jumping spiders. from being only in enviable shots of others, they went on to become most commonly seen creature everywhere around. and no wonder. Wikipedia says there are some 5000 species of jumping spiders alone. so all you need is ability to see them, they are there anyways. but even after my illusion of their rarity was shattered, they were still the most attractive subjects. Its just wonderful to see their big and so many eyes, and watching them watching and interacting with you, sometime withdrawing but at other times jumping towards camera, evaluating your interestingness or simply ignoring you. and, I just love it when they (or anything else) continue showing interest even after apparently concluding camera/me is no threat (no signs of fear or aggression) or a possible meal. i.e. when curiosity meets curiosity :-). One fascinating thing about spiders in general is sizes they come in. I haven't been successful at photographing very very small ones, but have already seen some unimaginably small ones within first few weeks of having macro range lens in hand.

Noticed the below one while trying for a banded phintella, much smaller than and unlike banded phintella, this one wasn't too camera shy. 

Like the below one for its tones and carefree pose of the spider.

Seeing an ant mimicking spider was high on my wish list. and last among the findings so far, but it did show up.

Hiding in Plain Sight - Life on a tree trunk

I recently got a friend's 18-55 kit lens to experiment with (Reversed lens) Macro photography and as expected, it changed the world around me in an instant. I started seeing things I never saw before. In one such instance, as I was standing near a tree, saw a tree trunk spider. They are so wonderfully camouflaged (or so I had thought when I saw it first time. Now, I see it readily actually.) and look almost fossilsed and even acted like that. if you see one and dont have camera with you, you can easily return few hours later to take a shot. 

(okay, I can improve quite a lot with them with focus stacking - something I have promised myself to do some day.)

it occurred to me that if a habitat is found useful by one life form, likely that same is case with others too. I only had to look for some more time to find few others.

Next find, the Jumping spider was quite opposite to the tree spider in activity level. It was  moving constantly but not too shy. After some initial curiosity and shyness, it went on with his running around and allowed me some shots. 

Jumping Spider

Jumping Spider

  
  
Below unknown creature was strangest of all. it was smallest and best camouflaged  so well that it was very very difficult to notice it even when it was moving. I think however, it was already bored with its hiding capability and had developed a yellow tip on its tail that when it swings it, it revels itself very effectively. The picture cant capture it but it was so very beautiful when it wagged its tail gracefully.

Unknown creature

  
Most challenging creature I found there was this praying mantis. It was only slightly bigger than a big mosquito, it ran away swifty as soon as it noticed me. I could even notice it in first place as I was looking at the thing second time. first time being not on a tree trunk but on the ground. not so good capture, but probably identifiable as parying mantis shot from the first sighting also appears below.

Praying Mantis

Praying Mantis

  
I am sure there is lot more out there and next time I look at tree trunks, may be able to see something new.