Tag: Flora and Fauna

A Demoiselle (not in distress) fly

Earlier this summer, I spotted this beautiful banded demoiselle fly (female) perched on a flower bud. And it just so happened that I had my camera with macro lens! Some results are below.

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Banded Demoiselle (Female). Click on picture for a larger version on Flickr
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Banded Demoiselle (Female). Click on picture for a larger version on Flickr

There are, according to this handy website, only two species of demoiselles in the United Kingdom, of which I have now photographed one. The other I have seen on occasion in the west country but never been close enough to take a decent photograph. Demoiselles belong to the same family as the dragonflies but are more closely related to the damselflies.

Technical Details:
Nikon D700 with a Sigma f2.8 105mm macro lens
ISO 200 with f8.0 aperture priority
Nikon D600 speedlight flash
Processed in Adobe Lightroom 5.2

 

Hellebore – the non-rose Christmas Rose

What better to post with christmas around the corner but a photograph of the “Christmas Rose” (Genus: Helleborus). Hellebores flower during the coldest months of the year and are not related to the rose.

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Hellebore. Click on the picture for a larger version.

 Reprocessed from a very old photograph (2006)

Teasel – Black and white

IMG_1430-2 by Jawahar1
IMG_1430-2, a photo by Jawahar1 on Flickr.

Photographed on one of my usual lunch time walks. The teasel (Dipsacus) has dry spiny inflorescence head that make lovely additions to floral arrangements!

Via Flickr:
Teasel – Black and White

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Ephemeral

One of the many wonders of the natural world! A dandelion seed head that requires nothing more than a puff of wind to set the winged seeds on a new journey of colonisation!

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Click on the picture for a larger version

Photographed in Staines, UK with a Nikon D7000 camera. Post-processed in Lightroom and Color Efex Pro.

 

Zinnia – From my garden

These Zinnia flowers were grown from seeds purchased on my last visit to the US. I love the detail on these flowers and have tried to capture them in this photograph.

Zinnia - Macro
Click on the photograph to see a larger version on Flickr

Photographed on 4th September, 2013 with a Nikon D7000, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 lens at ISO100, f/20, 1/250 with remote flash in slave mode.