The boss said I needed something for size references…
Wiggles, 3rd instar
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| From Bugs 2013 |
Chompy emerging as 2nd instar.
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| From Bugs 2013 |
Talia wanted to take a picture, so her first pic:
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| From Bugs 2013 |
Category: Talia
Wiggles
We’re taking things a little on the easy side this year. Vacation coming up and all, don’t want to have too many projects outstanding.
Combined with the garden expansion, and the need for a new point and shoot, it’s allowed me to rediscover my love of bugs.
Long before the Halloween bug bit me, I had a thing for insects. At one point I wanted to be a hollywood bug wrangler, thanks in large part to Indiana Jones.
But, the boss didn’t like the idea of the bug collection. No bugs in the house, not even dead ones. Thus, it’s a minor miracle we have our little baby wiggles.
Playing with the macro setting on the new camera…
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| From 2013 buildup |
I soon started taking bug pics.
Squash bee.
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| From 2013 buildup |
Damsel fly.
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| From 2013 buildup |
Long Legged Fly.
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| From 2013 buildup |
It’s really made me want a proper macro lens for Bertha (the nice camera).
It wasn’t long before I noticed a Monarch butterly. Now, I’ve been purposely allowing milkweed to grow for a few years now, and planted butterfly bushes in the hopes that food and habitat would attract them. I’d just about given up. But, mom has been fluttering about our ‘butterfly garden’ for a week now. Noticing her struggling in a windstorm, I considered catching her and bringing her in, but she fluttered over to the neighbors. So, I went checking in the milkweed.
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| From 2013 buildup |
A day later, that egg was showing signs of life.
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| From 2013 buildup |
And, we had “Wiggles” (as Talia has named it).
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| From 2013 buildup |
2 days after hatching, Wiggles is still first instar, but starting to show some of the characteristic patterns.
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| From 2013 buildup |
So they don’t nibble on the corn.
Neighbors,
It was my daughter’s idea. She insisted we needed to make a scarecrow “so the birds don’t nibble on our corn”.
She then proceeded to instruct me on EXACTLY how to make it. I had to get Fred, and put him in a coat, with his arms out, and a hat. “Then the birds will nibble on Fred and not our corn.”
Good memory, she has.
Christmas roundup
Crazy week of Christmas fun.
First we had Kyle’s Choir concert.
Who still has a tendency to look like he’s attacking the song more than he’s singing.
Beginning with the ever popular 3 wise Trex.
We continued on through our list of annual treats…
And even managed to FINALLY perfect the Toffee recipe, and hope to get an updated one on here soon. I’ve also decided the peanut brittle needs a little bit of an adjustment as well.
Then it was off to Alec’s concert.
Waiting for it to begin, we appeared to have great seats…
Then, they all stood up, and we couldn’t see him at all.
So, I got up and walked back and around to the other side standing only to get pics…Which really troubled Alec, who saw me get up, but not where I went, so he spent half the time staring at my empty seat.
“Oh, that’s where you went.” Deathstare.
Just in time for the final song.
Then we made it down for our annual trip to see “the Christmas Ghosts” as Talia has dubbed it when a local graveyard decorates their graves with luminaries.
VERY dark out, bitterly cold, and I wandered off through the graveyard to see if they had the bas-relief lit up. Glad I did.
More photography fun
Went down to the local Christmas village with the kids. Took the opportunity to play with my new lens in a challenging lighting environment.
Mom, remember all those pics of various displays at museums and whatnot inside display cases we had so much trouble with because of poor lighting and flash reflecting, and all that jazz. (course pre-digital so really hard to trial/error our way through as well) Well, I think I have those problems licked now.
So, ya know, next time you need some help documenting things…
Of course we took the lens to get pics of US.
It can’t keep kids from making faces…
I had lots of trouble getting the light meter to where I needed it with all the backlighting, but we eventually did. Unfortunately I didn’t get Talia to hold still for a good shot. She was loving the displays. When not making us run around trying to find the bathroom.
Kyle even got to snap a shot after we got the meter thing worked out.
