Yellow Eggs

I was pruning some overhanging branches on a fruit bush when I spotted a flash of yellow on one green leaf.



On a closer look I could see a group of tiny yellow eggs.



Just the subject for another macro focus stacking session. Here I set up the Canon M5 with 18 - 150mm zoom lens and added the Raynox MSN-202 super macro conversion lens on my home brew automatic stepper unit.



The results - closer views of the eggs of a Large White Butterfly - often called a Cabbage White as cabbage leaves are one of the plants they often lay their eggs on for the caterpillars to consume.





I wrote about my home brew Arduino driven automatic system HERE in 2020. The first of today's macro photos used eleven shots, each with a slightly different focus, stacked using Helicon Focus. The second used 20 shots.

Monday Mystery

Last week's close up photo



seems to have had everyone scratching their heads. No correct guess this time. Thank you for having a go.

It was part of



an intruder deterrent designed to be fixed to the top of a wall or fence. The spikes have blunt ends and the plastic material is partially flexible rather than a solid, hard material. I have used these to stop Wood Pigeons landing and pooping over everything below.

The new close view is of



a pack of .... what? If you would like to have a guess please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.

Plume Moth

When I went to open the large shed I could see two Plume Moths resting on the doors with their wings rolled up. First I tried for a single decent photo with the Nikon Colorpix S9050 but ended up with half a dozen fuzzy shots. Next I tried the iPhone with similar results. All this time, with the camera lens within a couple of inches of the moths, they stayed absolutely still. Even when I unlocked and opened a door they did not move.

In the end I though I would try the Canon M5 with a macro lens attached. No single shot was near half in focus on the subject so in desperation I tried for a series of hand held shots to put in a focus stacking program. Zerene Stacker did a grand job aligning things considering the way the position of the moth in each photo varied from shot to shot.



Camera set up - Canon M5 + Canon 18-150mm zoom lens + Raynox DCR-150 macro / close-up conversion lens.

Monday Mystery

Last week's close view was



correctly identified



by Adrian and Wilma as a battery. Well done. As it happens it was a rechargeable size D. My thanks to all who have a look at these puzzle photos and especially to those who have a go at identifying them.

This week we have a side on view



of part of .... what? If you would like to make a guess please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.

Juvenile Blackbirds Enjoy Apple

The two young Blackbirds continue to spend most of their time in the garden. As Blackbirds usually like a slice of apple in their diet I put a couple of slices on the bird table to see who would eat them. This morning I managed to take some video of the youngsters tucking in.



Hand held recording through the kitchen window so a bit unsteady.

When Hedgehogs Meet

There have been several times over the past few weeks when two Hedgehogs have arrived at the feeding station. The same thing happens every time. One is determined that all the food is its. No sharing allowed! The video is longer than usual at a bit over four minutes.



It took two attempts to build this video. For some unknown reason iMovie keeps adding spurious sounds while compiling so this version was made using Filmora X. The sound track uses music included with Filmora. All for free as well!

Monday Mystery

Not many takers to guess last week's object



which was part of



As Adrian put it -'a candle holder thingy'. Yes, Ellen, certainly a hurricane lamp design.

For this week I give you an end on view of an everyday object



If you would like to have a guess as to what the object is please leave it in the comments. They will be revealed, with the answer, next Monday.