Here's some more angles of that saddleback caterpillar from yesterday - it really makes me think about nudibranchs... Hopefully I'll have some new nudibranch photos to share soon!

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

So I just wanted to stop by real quick to share one photo of this crazy caterpillar I found recently. I was playing a round of disc golf at Moraine State Park when I spotted this guy on the chains on the disc golf basket. I tried futilely to take a photo with my crappy cell phone, and when that failed I resorted the only option I had available to me... I put it in am empty gummi fruit snack pouch that I happened to have in my disc golf bag (don't worry - I've since put a plastic container that I use as a specimen container in my bag for future occurrences since this wasn't the first time I'd wished I had something).

Anyway, after I got it home and did some research into what it was, I am glad that I didn't actually touch this thing. I know caterpillars with hairs like this can cause skin irritation, but this guy is apparently one of the highest ranked caterpillars in terms of medical significance. Here's an excerpt from the University of Florida's Entomology Department's webpage on this species...

Acharia stimulea is best known as a medically significant species. The large spines and potent hemolytic venom rank it as one of the most important North American species of urticating caterpillars, with larvae from the moth family Megalopygidae being the only lepidopterans considered more dangerous (Scott 1963, 1964; Durden and Mullen 2009; Hossler 2010). The spines of A. stimulea are strong, acutely pointed, and hollow. They embed deeply into tissue and break off, and can interrupt healing as the protoplasm from the venom glands dries into the tissue area (Gilmer 1925). The venom itself can cause a systemic condition called erucism or acute urticaria, for which severe symptoms may include migraines, gastrointestinal symptoms, asthma complications, anaphylactic shock, rupturing of erythrocytes, and hemorrhaging (USAF 1982, Hossler 2009). Saddleback Caterpillar (Acharia stimulea)

So yeah - short story... Don't touch!!!

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

I'll share a few more here soon, but I wanted to get this one posted because this thing is just so crazy I couldn't wait to share...

- Bill

Hahah! I can't believe I haven't used that yet...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

As promised, here's the mushroom assortment. No clue if any of these are edible or toxic but they certainly look interesting.

Thanks for stopping by.

- Bill

So we'll stick with the frogs for today... Anya spotted this little fella when we were out for a nice little nature walk for her birthday last week. I am really impressed with just how simple yet effective his camouflage is. That simple dark stripe along the head really allows him to sit among leaves on the forest floor and almost disappear.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/25th sec at f/8. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Even without leaves on top of him, you can see how well he can blend in...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/25th sec at f/8. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

The other thing that I saw a ton of during this hike was mushrooms, so we'll get to those soon.

Stay tuned.

- Bill

Ok - I know I've been AWOL for like a month. I still have to process all the hundreds of photos from the Balloon Quest, and I've acquired a few other sets of photos that still need to be processed. We've had a ton of stuff going on here - most of which included construction/demolition work that resulted in being absolutely filthy and exhausted. Additionally, I purchased a new PC and was in the process of getting it setup to be the new photo processing machine. Since the construction work has been handed off to the contractor, I've been able to finish (at least mostly) configuring the PC and processed one set of photos on it last night. Let me tell you - it absolutely burns through them and certainly will make processing photos much quicker (not having to sit and wait for about 30 seconds for each photo to load will be amazing!).

Oh! I forgot... one of the days recently included a couple trees coming down after a storm. As we assessed the situation, Anya found a Grey Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor). Since this is something I've been wanting to find for years, I had to run inside and despite dim light conditions managed to get a handful of shots...

I promise I'll try and get back to posting more regularly. I really want to take advantage of all the wildlife and macro opportunities our new property is allotting me - I just need to get into a better balance of work versus play!

Stay tuned!

- Bill

So here's a couple more shots of one of our hummingbirds (actually, it might be two different ones, but I'm not sure) taken with two different methods. Each one seems to have its own benefits and drawbacks, so I figured I'd put it to a vote... do you like this type of shot better with flash or without? Mouseover the thumbnails for the larger version, then cast your vote below.

Flash	No Flash

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (borrowed) at 400 with Kenko DG Auto Extension Tube (32mm), Flash: 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800. No Flash: 1/250 sec at f5.6, ISO 1600. IS On. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode RAW conversion in Adobe Camera Raw.

I wish I could have had more similar images to compare, but I never managed to get a good shot of the hummingbird in flight without the flash (actually the flash would startle the hummingbird into flight and so most of those were of it in flight or just taking off). When using the flash, I am able to use high-speed-sync to get a high shutterspeed to freeze motion a bit more and also use a reduced ISO for less digital noise, but I feel it gives the image a bit more harsh look (that could potentially be mitigated with a diffuser that I might have to try next time). Without the flash, the image is given a much more natural look, but exposure becomes trickier. I do get more natural and calmer behavior from the bird without the flash, but with it does give that metallic reflection from the feathers...

So it is all about trade-offs, but which one do you prefer?

Thanks for stopping by!

- Bill

Well, if you've been playing along at home, you should recall that we've had pseudoscorpion here previously... so now we have a scorpionfly as well.

Unfortunately this isn't the best image (especially since the depth of field starts to blur out on its namesake scorpion looking tail), but it was the best one I came back with. I'll have to keep an eye out and see if I can locate another one of these and get a better photo next time.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/120 sec at f/8. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Doing some quick research revealed that the tail is not a stinger like that of an actual scorpion, but rather the male genitals. Additionally, scorpion flies appear to be predatory, and this one looks like he is in the middle of a meal - let's hope it is a mosquito!

Thanks for stopping by!

- Bill

I don't seem to have much motivation to process photos these days, but I finally plowed my way through a huge stack of photos that have been sitting on memory cards waiting to be processed and uploaded. So since it has been almost a month since I've posted anything, I'll just share a big assortment today to get caught up. Perhaps I'll get out and collect some more photos here soon.

Just mouseover the thumbnails for the larger version to be displayed...

And now for some vertical oriented photos:

Thanks for viewing and hopefully I can get back to a more regular posting schedule here soon.

- Bill

We found this guy while out cutting the grass tonight...

Technical Data:Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200 sec at f/7.1. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode (either did not fire or underpowered). Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

I need to get some rest, so I'll have to process the rest of the photos later.

- Bill