Stacking Again

First a short demo video showing the unit in operation.



There is a 1.5 second delay between each shot. I had to set it that long as the M5 takes most of that time before it is ready for the next shot.

60 focus stacked shots for this photo of my Venus Fly Trap.



I think this rail would have enough room for up to 80 shots.

Not Just a Fly Trap

Checking my Venus Fly Trap I was surprised and pleased to find



it  also catches wasps.

Earning Its Keep

Not Just a Fly Catcher

As one of the traps opened this morning I could see that my Venus Fly Trap had caught a small moth:



What annoying weather conditions we have had recently. The night before the 'Blood Moon' there were perfect views of the Moon. They night after, once again perfectly clear views. The night of the Lunar eclipse - thick cloud, heavy rain and thunder storms!

Avoiding the Death Trap + A New Project

Spotted this crafty fly which had settled on the outside of a Venus Flytrap:



Longish term project.



It's quite a while since I last made a time-lapse video.
This set up is to try capturing the Sundew flowers opening.
The top bud is just starting to show some pink.

An old Canon 350D powered from a mains adaptor made by Canon.
Canon 18-55mm lens.  8GB memory card. (room for well over 2 weeks photos)
Flash gun powered from a 12V battery via a voltage dropper to supply 3V
Battery operated digital timer set to trigger a photo every 15 minutes.
Focussing was the very devil as the Sundew is so 'furry' it always looks fuzzy.

No idea how many days this will need to operate to get a result.
I reckon the final video will be about 5 seconds for each day.

Catching Flies

Catching pesky annoying flies in the home can be done several ways.

Artificial man made catcher.
This is the one I use. No chemicals.
Just a nice attractive, to flies, yellow colour and a very sticky surface.
I have just replaced last year's one as it was well and truly covered with dead flies:



In the past I have tried the yellow sticky sheet type catchers.
Two problems.
Trying to get the paper cover off them without sticking to the darn thing.
Worse, ending up with a sore throat from the chemical used to attract insects.
All you have to do with the Zero In is hold the plastic hook and slide it out of the box as the plastic shapes at each end prevent it from catching on the cardboard.

The natural way with plants which catch flies.
I have had a Venus Fly trap and Pitcher plant in past years but lost them to cold winters.
Now I have got round to replacing them with the addition, for the first time, of a Sundew:



It will be interesting to see which of these works best in the conservatory.

Also tried in the past.
A UV zapper. The type you sometimes see in food shops.
The light attracts insects and a high voltage zaps them.
The almighty crack when one was zapped used to make me jump.
It didn't attract many flies.
It cost money having it plugged in to the electric supply all the time.

A hand held electric zapper. The tennis racket shaped thingy.
I'm too slow to swat the flies. Again the crack when one is zapped made me jump.
Having it handy, with a working battery was a clat.

Much better to have something you can hang up and forget about as it gets on with its designed task.
Just keep it well away from curtains which might blow on to it or heads which may brush against it.

Venus is Working Hard

Nah! Not the goddess of love, beauty, fertility and prosperity. Think of the plant variety, the Venus Fly Trap. Earlier in the year it surprised me by producing flowers which, incidentally appear to be producing seeds. This plant, unlike others of the same variety I have had in the past, has been doing a grand job reducing the number of flies which insist on exploring my property:

     





This has been a bumper year for flies. I have a traditional fly paper hanging in the kitchen window, not pretty to look at but very effective. The past couple of years it had caught something like fifteen flies over each Summer. This year there are over forty already and room for more.