The pseudo pupils of the Large Brown Mantid made this alien-like insect appear like it was looking directly at me. No doubt the mantis had detected my approach but the raised triangular head with the large eyes was exactly the shot I was hoping for. The mantis had been resting on a black garden stake when I went searching for macro subjects to try out my recently purchased Raynox DCR 250 Super Macro Lens, which simply clips onto the front of my Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. I was thrilled when I came across the praying mantis because it was such a spectacular macro subject, especially when it lifted its head. After a while, it seemed to sense that the camera was not a threat so it returned to a relatively normal position even though its large eyes were still slightly tilted toward my lens. I enjoyed my time playing around with my new lens and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.
A number of spiders have started to appear around the garden with the arrival of a wet Spring. They were not big ones, although on another occasion I had seen a good sized huntsman waiting on the red bricks supporting the side stairs to our house.
There were a lot of Eastern Bush Orb-weaver (Plebs eburnus) spiders in the garden when I went for my walk with my camera. They were small spiders, not even 1 cm across in most cases, so perfect subjects for the Raynox lens. However, one challenge of the days that I was photographing was the wind. These small spiders in their light webs were beholden to even small breezes that made it hard to focus with the reduced depth of field of the Raynox lens. Even with that environmental challenge I was able to get a shot I was happy with. The spider in the picture was a female and she stay probably stayed in the web day and night. She is larger than the male of the species and has a more prominent abdomen.
Eastern Bush Orb-weaver female in her web
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 125, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
A White Porch Spider (Cryptachaea gigantipes) was in a web near our front door. This female was representative of this common species. These spiders prey on anything that comes near their webs, including other spiders.
White Porch Spider
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
It is always fun to photograph Wandering Vagabond (Opisthoncus grassator) jumping spiders because they seem to react to the photographer. They will follow you with their outsized eyes, moving their bodies as needed to stay in the best position to watch you. They will sometime also leap onto the lens but a carefully placed finger will normally entice them to jump onto it, whereupon they can be returned to a plant. The female of this species seems to like our dogwood tree and they are often easy to find there when the plant’s leaves return in spring. However, I find the males in other parts of the garden, although I am sure they eventually meet up given how many of this species there are around the yard.
Jumping Spider female on a Dogwood branch
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
Jumping Spider male
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 125, 100mm, f/18and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
The Social House Spider (Philoponella congregabilis) is another very common spider, although normally found in a colony, where new spiders keep adding their webs to the group.
Social House Spider
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 200, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
There is no competition, the most common bees seen in Canberra gardens are the introduced European Honey Bee. However, sometimes, taking a closer look at the smaller insects on flowers pays off because on both days I was photographing I come across a native Australian bee. I couldn’t identify the below bees to species level but I was so happy to see them. They were small creatures but I am glad that the flowers in our garden were helping them to survive.
The top Halictid Bee found the purple flowers then explored across the plant, going from one flower to another. Sometimes to the other side of the plant before coming back to the side it had just left. In Australia these bees are normally burrowing animals, either in the ground or wood. Another species turned up on the other day I was photographing. I was glad that I had the Raynox lens so that I could take closer photographs of these small insects.
Halictid Bee on a purple flower
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 125, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
Different species of Halictid bee on the same plant with purple flowers
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 200, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
The Hover flies were back. These awesome little insects that mimic bees with an amazing ability to remain stationary as if suspended in air. I was trying to photograph one individual but it did not like me getting close but eventually it landed on a leaf where I could approach from the front to take the photograph below. Some larvae of this group of flies are very good garden guests because they feed on aphids.
Head shot of a Hover Fly
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 200, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
In trying out the Raynox lens I was thrilled to find a Large Brown Mantis (Archimantis latistyla) resting on a garden stake. If the mantis had been a little bit to the side its colour would have been ideal for the dead needles of our Aleppo Pine and I may not have noticed it. The small wings meant this was probably a female. She was initially resting on the stake, the lighter colour of the insect badly contrasting with the black of the stake. When I approached the mantis she lifted her head, apparently studying my presence. The insect was probably concerned by my proximity, as would I if an inconceivably large creature was moving near to me. When her patience was tested too far she moved to the side in a slowly waving gait, as if blowing in the wind. A behaviour she would use to get close to prey, or to move away from possible danger. I enjoyed the chance to photograph the mantis, especially getting a close up of her head. The triangular shape gives it an alien appearance and the mouth parts are material for a horror movie. Around her eating parts there was a tinge of red, like being able to see into a half-open mouth; again adding to menace. While small to humans, she would be terror to other insects.
Large Brown Mantis female on a garden stake
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 100, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
The business end of the Large Brown Mantis with red around her mouth parts
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM [ISO 1600, 100mm, f/18 and 1/180 SEC] with a Raynox DCR250 Super Macro Lens and Canon 430EX III-RT flash)
It was great getting out with the camera again, it had been too long. I also really enjoyed finding all the little creatures to photograph, the wet spring had not kept the numbers down too much. I also enjoyed the Raynox lens because it allowed me to get closer shots of subjects and to photograph some of the smaller creatures in the garden. On the downside the lens reduced my depth of field but that is a common challenge in macro photography. It also played havoc with auto focus but I was starting to get the hang of it towards the end. The Raynox lens definitely has a permanent home in my camera bag now because it gave me a closer perspective on the creatures I encountered. It also gave me flexibility, because the lens allowed me to really zoom in on the head of the praying mantis but I did not need it for the whole of body shot. The mantis was the perfect way to trial the Raynox lens and a wonderful encounter for my time wandering around the garden.
Thanks for reading this post and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the Australian Capital Territory has on offer. All the best until the next post.