Debunking myths on genetics and DNA

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Bug hunting and other NM encounters

Whenever I put the macro lens on my camera and set out for a field trip I learn something new. Last year I found a metallic green sweat bee and a yellow bee with blue eyes. This year I found a black bee with green eyes and ...

A yellow heart bug (yes, I know, none of these are scientific names, in fact, if somebody can provide a scientific name, please do so in the comments, I'll edit them in):


A golden bee:


And (drum roll, please, because I think this one's the star of the show) a metallic blue bee:


EDIT: thanks to Steven Halter's attentive eye, this beautiful bee has been identified as Osmia ribifloris. Thanks, Steve! Here she is, again, poking her head out of the thistle thorn and realizing she's no longer alone. "Ladies! I was here first!"


Bugs weren't the only encounters. This fellow gave us a lesson on where to properly cross the road. A huge SUV politely stopped and waited.


Finally, I did swap lenses at some point and took this picture for my friend Hollis, who's the expert on rock formations and their awesome colors. These are red rocks in Jemez Springs, NM.


Happy Memorial Day every one! :-)

9 comments:

  1. The emerald bee could be a Osmia ribifloris -- the blueberry bee. Very nice pictures.

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    1. Thanks, Steve, from the images I get when I google the name it looks like that's exactly it, thank you! I'll edit the post.

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  2. Thanks so much for the beautiful photo! I haven't seen any red rocks "live" yet this year, have been pretty tied down. Hopefully in the fall ...

    cheers, Hollis

    PS I just got a DSLR and have been dreaming about a macro lens, maybe in a few months. Do you shoot with a 1x? or more powerful magnification?

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    1. Ooooohhhh, which one did you get? As far as I know all macro lenses are 1x and you can improve by adding extension tubes, but I haven't done that. The one lens that I know can go up to 5x is the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 (don't think there's an equivalent in the Nikon line-up, but I may be wrong), but it's very hard to use besides being very $$$. I've been very happy with my 100mm, it's super sharp and anything beyond 100mm requires either a tripod and still subjects (forget the bees) or steel hands. :-)

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    2. I bought the Canon Rebel T3i. It's supposedly "entry-level" but wow ... seems fantastic to me. I'm happy just to be able to shoot through a viewfinder, that in itself is a huge improvement. I'm leaning towards the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS. Like you suggest, being able to shoot without a tripod is very appealing. Is that what you have? and no tripod for those great shots?!

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    3. That's my absolute favorite lens. I have a couple other walk-around zooms, but when I can only bring one lens, I bring that one. Even wide open (f 2.8) it's tac sharp, and I use it for landscape and portraits, too. I just love it.

      I did learn how to use it with a tripod and keeping the camera on aperture priority. But then with bugs and moving things a tripod is useless anyways, so in those cases I bump up the ISO and use a faster shutter speed. A lot of it is trial and error, but it's fun ! :-)

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    4. Oh, on Canon refurbished they have periodical discounts and you can get it for a little over $700 instead of the tag price of $900+!

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    5. cool! I didn't realize it was that useful beyond macro shots. Thanks for the info and tips ... and I'll bug you more once I get it I'm sure. And yes, absolutely ... really fun!!

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  3. These are lovely ... I too love my lenses sharp :-)

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