On the backyard fence underneath a sappy tree, there are currently a lot of ladybug larvae running around, eating aphids and eventually turning into pupae so they can become ladybugs. As I was watching them scurry over the fence boards, I was witness to an adult ladybug catching an aphid…and a second later, an impudent larva waltzed right up and tried to snatch it away. There was a bit of a tug-of-war for the tasty morsel. After several seconds, the larva lost his grip, gave up, and the adult ladybug continued her meal in peace.

Neither of these are sharply in focus - they wouldn’t stay still long enough! But I’m posting them mostly because I wanted to say…holy crow, these guys are big! They must be an inch or inch and a half long? I know friends have quickly stepped aside when they see one coming - big and scarily black to boot. But I imagine like most insects this one is fairly harmless. They’re fairly common in the fields and yards around here. Not as common as regular bees or anything, but you’ll see them often enough if you’re looking.

When I went to use the PC this morning, there was a giant cranefly sprawled out on my mousepad. I stared at it for a moment, then poked it to see if it was alive or dead. In the word’s of McCoy - “He’s dead, Jim!”
If I was a normal person, I’d do something like sweep the critter into the wastebasket. But I’m not a normal person, so I ended up taking some pictures of it. In the process I used a pencil to flip and rearrange it, and next thing you know, I had this captioned picture.

Maybe I need professional help.

Or rather, most of the center of a daisy. Sure is hard to get the DOF to look pleasant in photos like these.

Not really a macro, but eh ….

I was doing dishes today and noticed how nice and shiny the ball on top of the kitchen faucet handle really was. Which of course meant I had to pull out the camera and experiment. I didn’t pull out the tripod so it’s just a “goofing off” shot, but I guess I’m a fan of the round ball reflection concept. I think it looks cool. The bulb’s distortion makes my hand appear as if it has monstrously long fingers, haha!

Yes, I played with the color/contrast and yes the sink is full of dirty dishes. :P

Not a “new” photo, but thought I’d toss another macro up to help counter all the American Idol posts I’ve been making lately. :P
The raindrops are hanging off very tiny tree buds - the ‘twig’ is attached to a large tree in the backyard. The camera was pointed upwards.