Shots

June visit to Hurn Reserves

August 12, 2010October 11, 2010 Chris 0 Comments Butterfly, Canon 100mm F2.8 USM, Canon MPE-65mm, Dragonfly, Scarce Chaser, spider

I’ve had these macro photographs taken at Ramsdown and Sopley common from June, waiting for me to get round to adding a post for them. So this post is slightly out of order with the other recent shot posts.

I visited both Ramsdown and Sopley Common on a Saturday in June. They’re opposite each other near Hurn Village in Dorset.

My first site was Ramsdown where I was lucky enough to capture a patient scare female darter (Libellula fulva) on my Canon 100mm Macro Lens. Thanks to the guys on ukdragonflies.com for identifying it for me. I was also lucky enough to win their July photo competition with this shot.

Libellula fulva - Scarce Chaser (Female) basking in sun

Later I visited Sopley Common where I shot some Silver Studded Blue butterflies and also came across a red crab spider with a captured butterfly as its prey.

This Silver Studded Blue I caught amongst the heather on my 100mm ISO 400 – F8 with Flash, and then got closer with this next shot.

Which I took on my Canon MPE-65mm – ISO 400 – F11 with Flash.

Then towards the end of the day I thought I’d found a very docile one and got closer to it with my MPE-65mm again.

Silver Studded Blue - Plebeius argus - Captured by Red Crab Spider

However it’s sad expression alludes to it’s condition. (F11 ISO 400 – Flash) This little female blue, is dead. It’s been caught by a red crab spider disguised in the heather.

Another (F11 – ISO 400 Flash) MPE-65mm image of the dead butterfly. The ability of the crab spiders to camouflage themselves with the flowers they hide in is illustrated quite well I think, with these two shots, showing how it’s colouring blends in with the red heather.