Isolation calendar.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

no...I gave that up a lot of years ago...just sunscreen and mozzie repellent.
Mozzies thought it was salt and vinegar.

all i know is it worked very well for my late wife.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I know this is a bit of a thread wander but...just to show you Ryewolf...I have taken pictures of flying things.

[Ryewolf90]

Nice, you've got two bees and a hoverfly. The first bee is possibly a buff-tailed bumble bee, not sure about the second and the hoverfly looks like a member of the Eristalini group, there are several very similar ones; Eristalis horticola, Eristalis nemorum and Eristalis pertinax

[Margaret Pilkington]

Wow...I am impressed.
Thank you...I thought all of them were bees.....I thought the last one was perhaps a worker, but I have learned something again.
They were not taken recently...and all of the pics were on a stretch of the canal at Clayton.

[Ryewolf90]

Hoverflies and Beeflies are Bee/Wasp mimics, they're pretending to be something else. Hoverflies have no sting and are harmless. There's a few things to tell if you're flying thing is a bee or wasp or hoverfly.

Hoverflies have only 1 pair of wings and usually stick out at angle, they have much larger eyes that often cover most of the head, they generally have much shorter antennae, no biting mouthparts or sting. They are very good for the garden as they are expert pollinators.

Bees/Wasps have 2 pairs of wings that they usually fold down the length of the body, much smaller eyes and longer antennae, they both have biting mouthparts and stings.

1. A Bee
2. A Wasp
3. A Hoverfly

[Margaret Pilkington]

Those are fantastic shots.I actually don't really linger to take in much detail of flying insects.
The pictures I posted, well, let's say I shot and ran...there was no composing the shot...I just aimed and clicked.
I think they may also have been taken using my LUMIX Fz72.....giving me a bit more distance.

[Ryewolf90]

I tend to be very close to my subject for bug hunting with the front of the lens usually about 10cm away (or 4 inches in old money) or less. If can be a challenge getting so close as they have flippin good eyesight having two sets of eyes, compound and simple eyes (ocelli).

[Ryewolf90]

Day 33: Not a great day for bug hunting, a little too cold, so I probably would have gone watching the birdies....

Greylag Goose Anser anser and it's domesticated variant Anser anser domesticus (the white one) on the canal at Church

[dotti34]

Ryewolf, congratulations on what you are doing - keeping yourself occupied in such a great way, sharing with us some super pictures and supplying very interesting facts as well. You really are very knowledgeable. I take my hat off to you, well I would if I wore one.

[Ryewolf90]

Thanks Dotti, almost everyday when I go out with my camera I find something new to photograph and I always take my camera with me, so 365/6 days of the year I'm always finding something new... plus you can usually find the answer to almost anything these days via the internet. So I can't take the credit for everything.

I hate a mystery and need to know what things are that I see....

[Margaret Pilkington]

A little mystery is good......in some things anyway

[Ryewolf90]

Day 34: More Bug Hunting and finally managed to bag an Orange Tip Butterfly, this one is the male.

1-2. Orange Tip Butterfly
3. Spider that decided it would hitch a ride on my camera bag and have an adventure

[monkey hanger]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

A little mystery is good......in some things anyway

not in Murder She Wrote .

[Margaret Pilkington]

No Monkey hanger I was thinking perhaps of something a little more.....intimate perhaps.

I think perhaps we should draw a veil over this bit of conversation

[Margaret Pilkington]

today behind my door is a bit of advice.