Hunting tiny creatures...

After a morning catching up with emails and organising a data transfer, I felt I deserved a little time in the garden with my camera. After a cool, rather grey start to the day, the sun emerged and for once it wasn't windy - perfect weather for a macro safari.

Although I'd experimented a little with my recently acquired MP-E 65mm macro lens, I'd not really tried it out thoroughly. It's notoriously difficult to use, relying on manual focusing and having a very narrow depth of field. 
Although it can go up to 5x magnification, in practice this is only possible in controlled conditions. 

Today I experimented with lots of different insects - some would not tolerate the very close approach required, but a reasonable number were surprisingly obliging, and although the failure rate was quite high, I was pleased with a number of the images. I chose the Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis as my main blip because this was Pete's favourite (and has a certain cuteness factor), but I also really liked the two extras, the first showing the fly Musca autumnalis feeding on Alexanders flowers and the second showing one of the picture-winged flies Tephritis neesii  which lays its eggs in the flowerhead of  Ox-eye Daisy.

Later in the afternoon I went into town with Ben. We did a little shopping but spent most of our time in a coffee shop, chatting over a shared slice of strawberry and rose-petal Victoria sponge. I think I'll steal that idea for Molly's party!.