Miniature Marvels: WhistlingKite24 goes into Undergrowth

[WhistlingKite24]

I have always loved the small ugly things of the animal world. Minibeasts, of all kinds. I have been documenting all the invertebrates I have been noticing for the past couple of years with increasing dedication. Largely thanks to iNaturalist but identifying these creatures can only go so far with a conventional camera setup that is truly designed for distant birds and larger more traditionally-sized creatures. For a few years I have been planning my next wildlife goal which is macrophotography and start taking a closer look at the invertebrates with the right equipment, dedicating the time and a little splurge of money to explore this hidden world. Inverts are generally unnoticed, forgotten creatures that are worthy of just as much attention as a koala or a kingfisher in my opinion. The creatures that rarely receive a passing glance or mention, that have carved out their existence in the hidden nooks of the natural world. To be clear I will be birding, herping, and increasingly, mammaling (?) just as consistently but with a greater focus on the little things alongside that. This won’t require me to venture as far as I do for the larger species but rather more thorough searches in Brisbane’s suburbia along with frequent trips to MtCootha Botanic Gardens Brisbane; a hub for macrophotography. This thread’s aim is to take you on a similar adventure as my existing wildlife watching for south-east Queensland [Exploring What’s on my Doorstep: WhistlingKite24 does South-east Queensland] but with a more refined focus with a realm where spiders, bees and beetles are the main protagonists. Giants are no longer whales nor kangaroos but butterflies and dragonflies will be the dominant creatures as they survey their mini kingdoms.

 

[DaLilFishie]

Looking forward to this thread!

mammaling (?)

I've heard it (jokingly) referred to as 'milking', with the mammals themselves referred to as 'milks'

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Initial Days

It has been a very uneventful start to this venture with the camera equipment arriving a couple days ago and in between work and rain, not a lot of time to start playing with settings and getting a feel for the macro lens. I have initially purchased a 60mm macro lens by Olympus with the reviews saying it was a reliable and effective lens to start with. As you are focussing on subjects that are up-close, there is less light so an additional flash to sit on top of the camera body is also required for sharp results along with the diffuser (some people even use paper that sit around the lens) to then offset the burst of light. All in all, the equipment was still significantly cheaper than any birding lens I have. The lens is tiny and to get right up to the bugs is an unusual experience for me as I usually use my versatile 300mm lens for inverts, photographing them from a distance to also allow flexibility for other species I encounter. As it was raining and spring hasn’t arrived fully just yet with chilly temperatures (for the subtropics) I was limited to a few common species to start practicing with before the burst of activity that will come as it warms into spring. My first encounter was with a greenbottle fly, Lucilia sp. which are the urban flies around here mainly. I couldn’t believe the initial detail I saw through my viewfinder. The little hairs that sit on the abdomen; the golden metallic sheen; the wing detail. I was hooked and wanted to see more but if you can believe it not a single fly has been seen across the past couple of days. Only when you actually want to see flies shall they not appear…

Greenbottle fly, Lucilia sp – the largest subject photographed so far.

Spiders will be a big focus of mine. For example, two of my bucket-list macro projects include the many peacock jumping spiders and an up-close photo of an Ogre-faced Spider. For now, I would have been happy with a Grey Wall Jumping Spider as a small population live on my wheelie bin but again the rain has sent them into hiding. Instead, I searched the house boundaries for either a sac spider or in this case a wall spider, Oecobius sp. which are only a few millimetres in length. Barely visible to the naked eye, up close they show gorgeous tapestry on their abdomen with white speckling and black splotches.

Wall spider, Oecobius sp.

In the garden further on there was a spider that was under a centimetre in length; only a couple of millimetres dangling in the windy conditions. I usually don’t even try photographing spiders on webs but with the right equipment now I was ready to face my first challenging subject with a very active spider bounding about on a flimsy web. With the macro lens I could now see that this spider had several little midges wrapped into little snack packs. I watched as the spider cleaned up its silk packages and neatened them up with a little nibble in between. This was an Eastern Bush Orbweaver which are very common generally but it was again amazing to see this species up close. With rain clearing on the weekend, I hope to continue practicing and hope to share with you all some interesting finds.

Eastern Bush Orbweaver, Plebs eburnus

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Wattle Wonder

The other day I heard a commotion in the backyard with a big rustle in the leaf litter. It wasn’t a small skink rustle; either a snake or big lizard. It turned out to be an Eastern Blue-tongue Lizard which are only occasional visitors. I got down to its eye level and waited to see what it would do and it eventually went for a little wander right past my camera allowing me to get very close to it as it decimated the local population of introduced Asian Tramp Snails while it quietly moved through the yard and out of sight once again. In the yard, spiders continued with up close opportunities with Silver Orb Spiders this time. I played with settings and angles to try and capture their bright silver oval-shaped abdomens with black patterns. A metallic sheen. They tend to build horizontal webs which means getting the angle right for a photograph can be an artform for them. Very pretty spiders up close regardless of them being a typical Brisbane spider.

Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard, Tiliqua scincoides

Silver Orb Spider, Leucauge dromedaria

Yesterday was aimed at exploring the last of the flowering winter wattles which attract a wide range of species. Wattles for me mark the cooler months for Brisbane with a yellow splash of blooms at every parkland, alive with buzz and activity. It’s no wonder one of the wattle species is our national flower. The European Honeybees were abundant of course but there were also a few hoverflies which I really enjoyed patiently waiting to land among the blooms. Ladybirds - Striped, Tortoise-shelled and Large-spotted – were all breeding with lots of life stages represented with several actively moulting and growing before my own eyes. Ladybird larvae I find are other-worldly; they are little reptilian critters, almost crocodilian. It’s fascinating how they morph from this bumpy elongated critter to a more rotund vibrant little beetle. An absolute gem among the ladybirds was seen in the form of Calomela juncta, a vibrant little green leaf beetle with striped wing cases that glint blue.

Tortoise-shelled Ladybird, Harmonia testudinaria

Calomela juncta

European Honeybee, Apis mellifera

With lots of action in the eye-level flowers it was time to start hunting for jumpers. The first one I came across was a more unusual one I don’t see much of – a Garden Jumping Spider. This one was speckled red with a striking patterning. Another nice find was a male Green Jumping Spider with a dark black red head. This is one of Australia’s largest jumping spiders and they are thankfully quite common in Brisbane’s greenspaces and are active in the day. This one sat on his leaf allowing me to zoom right in to fill the frame as he cleaned his fangs. This a tropical species that may be continuing to expand southwards according to the Queensland Museum. There are several species of spider including the huge Nephila pilipes which are slowly establishing in south-east Queensland continuing the march southwards. Another common Brisbane jumper is the global pantropical Grey Wall Jumper. Found from the Americas to Asia, this species is a master at conquering the concrete jungles of global cities. In Australia it has largely colonised coastal Queensland in particular.

Garden Jumping Spider, Opisthoncus sp.

Green Jumping Spider Mopsus mormon

Grey Wall Jumper, Menemerus bivittatus

Today I focussed on bark. Tree-trunks can be incredibly productive places for insect communities; lots of spiny ants and stink bugs with passing beetles and caterpillars. I was on the hunt for my favourite local ants - Polyrhachis ornata – a spiny ant species which possesses rich metallic tones of gold and silver. In fact my nickname for them is the ‘gold silver ants’. Perhaps a 2032 mascot for this future Olympic city? Among these ants was a moth caterpillar that looked absolutely ridiculous. It had these stegosaurus-like spikes that up close resulted in something reminiscent of paintbrush bristles protruding from the top, cactus spines adorned every inch of its body, a red face and two spined antlers. A Painted Pine Moth; a lifer with its caterpillar being a hefty machine of defence.

Painted Pine Moth, Orgyia australis

Polyrhachis ornata – silver not very apparent in this photo

 

[Lafone]

Excellent new thread and look forward to more of your adventures into the arena of the tiny beasts. Interesting new lens, I have been contemplating investing in a macro lens so will look here for some inpsiration to open the wallet! Some interesting creatures here...lovely array of colours.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Macro Heaven

Last weekend I went to MtCootha Botanic Gardens for a full day, from about 8am to 4pm. I had a very strategic focus to really try out the new setup and explore each section of the botanic gardens to start scoping out a very familiar place with a new perspective, putting it under the microscope. I started at the Australian Rainforest Gardens which sits outside the entire fenced-off part of the gardens in front of the carpark and adjacent to the frog ponds opposite the library and herbarium. It’s a neat little loop with some interesting invertebrates especially for water spiders, huntsman spiders and a range of wet forest butterflies like Leafwings and Bordered Rustics. I really focused my search on the patches of vegetation that had sunlight traversing through the dense canopy. Here I found that Common Flatwings were back in large numbers; usually among the first species of damselflies to really grow in numbers during the warmer months. They are also excellent photographic subjects because they hardly move if you approach and remain very still. There were a few little jumping spiders that I need to identify; I think they are new ones for the list as they were very distinctive, pale-looking ones. The best find in the rainforest gardens was a Mallotus Harlequin Bug; a large orange bug with black-spots. This was a lifer and one I had been chasing for years. Absolutely beautiful to capture up-close. Lots of resting flies and ants, including a tiny little Copper-bellied Ant, captured as well.

Common Flatwing

Mallotus Harlequin Bug

Out in the open, I went to the frog ponds were there were a few Sulphur-crested Cockatoos drinking among the waterlilies. There didn’t seem to be any little dwarf frogs to photograph yet; I will have to wait another month or so for the lily pads to develop and create more shelter. There were some native daisies nearby which upon closer inspection had a colony of little crab spiders. These were identified to genus level being Mastira sp. There are several forms of crab spiders throughout the gardens including the large Spectacular Crab Spider which is a pure white critter.

Mastira sp. – crab spiders will be another big photographic focus

Into the actual gardens, the Sensory Garden is always productive and there are lots of scrubs in flower attracting a wealth of life. There is a patch of salvias here that had these incredible-looking fruit flies. Not even a centimetre in length, up close you can appreciate the ornate wing patterning and I thought the bluish-purple hue around the eye was particularly striking. The fruit flies had to watch where they land because there were Lean Lynx Spiders hunting for their next meal as they waiting patiently for their next meal.

Sphaeniscus atilius

Lean Lynx Spider

There are themed geographical gardens and next up were the African gardens. There was a large population of Green Jewel Bugs resting in the spiky euphoria and they were fantastic subjects as they freeze when seen and it was a perfect sunny day to capture their vibrant sheen. Two butterflies that were new for the season – Pale-Orange Darter and Dingy Grass Skipper – were also see feeding among a spring flush of Splendid Ochre which are among the larger skippers that grace Brisbane’s gardens. Native bees were also represented with a new species of masked bee and Green and Gold Nomia Bees.

Splendid Ochre

Green Jewel Bug

I continued up the hill and into the Australian native gardens which is an expansive area that includes bushland and a wide range of flowering cultivars. Here large populations of Harlequin Hibiscus Bugs breed. They are a sexually dimorphic species with the females having an orange base with green metallic spots and the male a blend of red, green and blue tones. They covered any hibiscus plant I came across and the females are surprisingly defensive of their young especially guarding their eggs. In the subtropical gardens, I then searched for banana-stalk flies which are such funny looking creatures. Overall these were only some of the highlights with around 145 observations across the day with a rapidly growing list of critters as we enter spring.

Harlequin Hibiscus Bug

Derocephalus angusticollis

 

[Zorro]

Macro Heaven

Last weekend I went to MtCootha Botanic Gardens for a full day, from about 8am to 4pm. I had a very strategic focus to really try out the new setup and explore each section of the botanic gardens to start scoping out a very familiar place with a new perspective, putting it under the microscope. I started at the Australian Rainforest Gardens which sits outside the entire fenced-off part of the gardens in front of the carpark and adjacent to the frog ponds opposite the library and herbarium. It’s a neat little loop with some interesting invertebrates especially for water spiders, huntsman spiders and a range of wet forest butterflies like Leafwings and Bordered Rustics. I really focused my search on the patches of vegetation that had sunlight traversing through the dense canopy. Here I found that Common Flatwings were back in large numbers; usually among the first species of damselflies to really grow in numbers during the warmer months. They are also excellent photographic subjects because they hardly move if you approach and remain very still. There were a few little jumping spiders that I need to identify; I think they are new ones for the list as they were very distinctive, pale-looking ones. The best find in the rainforest gardens was a Mallotus Harlequin Bug; a large orange bug with black-spots. This was a lifer and one I had been chasing for years. Absolutely beautiful to capture up-close. Lots of resting flies and ants, including a tiny little Copper-bellied Ant, captured as well.

Common Flatwing

Mallotus Harlequin Bug

Out in the open, I went to the frog ponds were there were a few Sulphur-crested Cockatoos drinking among the waterlilies. There didn’t seem to be any little dwarf frogs to photograph yet; I will have to wait another month or so for the lily pads to develop and create more shelter. There were some native daisies nearby which upon closer inspection had a colony of little crab spiders. These were identified to genus level being Mastira sp. There are several forms of crab spiders throughout the gardens including the large Spectacular Crab Spider which is a pure white critter.

Mastira sp. – crab spiders will be another big photographic focus

Into the actual gardens, the Sensory Garden is always productive and there are lots of scrubs in flower attracting a wealth of life. There is a patch of salvias here that had these incredible-looking fruit flies. Not even a centimetre in length, up close you can appreciate the ornate wing patterning and I thought the bluish-purple hue around the eye was particularly striking. The fruit flies had to watch where they land because there were Lean Lynx Spiders hunting for their next meal as they waiting patiently for their next meal.

Sphaeniscus atilius

Lean Lynx Spider

There are themed geographical gardens and next up were the African gardens. There was a large population of Green Jewel Bugs resting in the spiky euphoria and they were fantastic subjects as they freeze when seen and it was a perfect sunny day to capture their vibrant sheen. Two butterflies that were new for the season – Pale-Orange Darter and Dingy Grass Skipper – were also see feeding among a spring flush of Splendid Ochre which are among the larger skippers that grace Brisbane’s gardens. Native bees were also represented with a new species of masked bee and Green and Gold Nomia Bees.

Splendid Ochre

Green Jewel Bug

I continued up the hill and into the Australian native gardens which is an expansive area that includes bushland and a wide range of flowering cultivars. Here large populations of Harlequin Hibiscus Bugs breed. They are a sexually dimorphic species with the females having an orange base with green metallic spots and the male a blend of red, green and blue tones. They covered any hibiscus plant I came across and the females are surprisingly defensive of their young especially guarding their eggs. In the subtropical gardens, I then searched for banana-stalk flies which are such funny looking creatures. Overall these were only some of the highlights with around 145 observations across the day with a rapidly growing list of critters as we enter spring.

Harlequin Hibiscus Bug

Derocephalus angusticollis

Wonderful photos as always!

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Project Shoebox – Part 1:

My burgeoning love of macrophotography continues growing daily and although I haven’t posted much on here, I continue exploring new and exciting subjects. On an overcast day in Brisbane as spring temperatures slowly rise I headed to the trusty backyard seeking inspiration for my project…the humble shoebox. A cheap basis and backdrop for critters that I could collect from my backyard. I taped on some paper around the interior of the box and played around with angles as I propped up the shoebox as a stable platform for some critters I could photograph. The ladybirds were my first trial; little bumbling creatures that don’t fly off without a lot of disturbance. I carefully practiced with a Variable Ladybird (which are the most common species), a 28-spotted Potato Ladybird and I even found a Yellow-shouldered Ladybird which I hardly ever see in the yard. My focus shifted to spiders and I have about four common jumping spider species to work with in the yard – Sea-Green North and White Garland House Hopper were obliging subjects but the Grey Wall Jumpers were busy hunting flies on my bin so I left them to it. I also have Baehr's Cosmophasis which are a bit more unusual as they were only described in 2012 but they were too quick for safe capture. Spiders posed new challenges for angles but a Grey House Spider resting away from its web above the washing machine was an excellent subject to carefully collect. Two moths were practiced with; a very flighty Yellow Tussock was fun to photograph as I wanted to showcase their antennae and Eulechria marmorata as they have crazy faces. They are mini rhinos. My final prize of the day was an Australian Garden Mantis. It was fascinating to watch how quickly they can move but this species tends to tuck itself into a neat shape allowing for clear photos. The mantis started to clean itself as it remained still for several minutes. I hope to continue with the good ol’ shoebox every so often and hope to add to this side focus.

White Garland House Hopper

Yellow-shouldered Ladybird

A mantis in pensive thought

Grey House Spider

Eulechria marmorata

Yellow Tussock

 

[Zorro]

Can you try and get some ultra close ups of different ant species?

 

[Lafone]

Project Shoebox – Part 1:

My burgeoning love of macrophotography continues growing daily and although I haven’t posted much on here, I continue exploring new and exciting subjects. On an overcast day in Brisbane as spring temperatures slowly rise I headed to the trusty backyard seeking inspiration for my project…the humble shoebox. A cheap basis and backdrop for critters that I could collect from my backyard. I taped on some paper around the interior of the box and played around with angles as I propped up the shoebox as a stable platform for some critters I could photograph. The ladybirds were my first trial; little bumbling creatures that don’t fly off without a lot of disturbance. I carefully practiced with a Variable Ladybird (which are the most common species), a 28-spotted Potato Ladybird and I even found a Yellow-shouldered Ladybird which I hardly ever see in the yard. My focus shifted to spiders and I have about four common jumping spider species to work with in the yard – Sea-Green North and White Garland House Hopper were obliging subjects but the Grey Wall Jumpers were busy hunting flies on my bin so I left them to it. I also have Baehr's Cosmophasis which are a bit more unusual as they were only described in 2012 but they were too quick for safe capture. Spiders posed new challenges for angles but a Grey House Spider resting away from its web above the washing machine was an excellent subject to carefully collect. Two moths were practiced with; a very flighty Yellow Tussock was fun to photograph as I wanted to showcase their antennae and Eulechria marmorata as they have crazy faces. They are mini rhinos. My final prize of the day was an Australian Garden Mantis. It was fascinating to watch how quickly they can move but this species tends to tuck itself into a neat shape allowing for clear photos. The mantis started to clean itself as it remained still for several minutes. I hope to continue with the good ol’ shoebox every so often and hope to add to this side focus.

White Garland House Hopper

Yellow-shouldered Ladybird

A mantis in pensive thought

Grey House Spider

Eulechria marmorata

Yellow Tussock

Excellent idea - enjoyable to read about this.