In the Backyard - Crickets, Spider and Summersweet
While I was dead-heading the daises yesterday, I came across the most beautiful spider!
(I know, beautiful and spider in the same sentence don’t usually go together for most people—me included. You’ll just have to scroll down and see for yourself.)
Megan was outside with me and wanted to get a photo of it, but she is frustrated with the macro function on her point and shoot camera. For subjects smaller than an inch, it just doesn’t do a great job of focusing. So I had her run in and get my “big camera” because I knew it already had the macro lens attached. I actually had some trouble, too, because the spider was only about 3/4 inch long and the glossy dark foliage wasn’t providing much contrast to the turquoise spider. Switching to manual focus, I practiced on some very tiny cricket nymphs, got the focus set for the spider and handed the camera to Megan. That’s her shot of the orchard orbweaver below. (Insert proud Mama smile here.)
Red-headed Bush Cricket Nymphs:
Orchard Orbweaver (and lunch)
I am grateful for the bit of rain we have had this week, and I pray for our country’s farmers and for relief for crops with yet a chance of a harvest. Our partly-shaded backyard is low and next to a creek, so the perennials are surviving. Pictured above is the Summersweet which is now in bloom in my “rain garden.” (I converted an area of my yard that is nearly always wet to a flowerbed that contains water-loving plants.) It’s not as showy this dry season as in years past, but I am enjoying the soft pink blossoms amidst the very hot summer days.
(I know, beautiful and spider in the same sentence don’t usually go together for most people—me included. You’ll just have to scroll down and see for yourself.)
Megan was outside with me and wanted to get a photo of it, but she is frustrated with the macro function on her point and shoot camera. For subjects smaller than an inch, it just doesn’t do a great job of focusing. So I had her run in and get my “big camera” because I knew it already had the macro lens attached. I actually had some trouble, too, because the spider was only about 3/4 inch long and the glossy dark foliage wasn’t providing much contrast to the turquoise spider. Switching to manual focus, I practiced on some very tiny cricket nymphs, got the focus set for the spider and handed the camera to Megan. That’s her shot of the orchard orbweaver below. (Insert proud Mama smile here.)
Red-headed Bush Cricket Nymphs:
Orchard Orbweaver (and lunch)
I am grateful for the bit of rain we have had this week, and I pray for our country’s farmers and for relief for crops with yet a chance of a harvest. Our partly-shaded backyard is low and next to a creek, so the perennials are surviving. Pictured above is the Summersweet which is now in bloom in my “rain garden.” (I converted an area of my yard that is nearly always wet to a flowerbed that contains water-loving plants.) It’s not as showy this dry season as in years past, but I am enjoying the soft pink blossoms amidst the very hot summer days.
Comments
Love that first macro shot and the bloom is amazing.