Tag Archives: macro photography

Photo of the Week – February 17, 2012

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Pop Quiz:  Are the creatures in this photo butterflies or moths?  Which is the male and which is the female?

Sarpy County, Nebraska

Answer:

These are moths.  While they have enough color that many people might call them butterflies, the antennae distinguish them as moths.  Butterflies have long straight antennae with little knobs at the tip.  Moths, on the other hand, have fuzzy antennae, and males (such as the one on the right in this photo) have much fuzzier antennae than females.  The males use their antennae to find females by following their pheromone trails.

Now, maybe one of you can tell me why at least some moths appear to have a darker spot in the center of their big compound eyes – making it look like they have a large pupil in each eye.  I’ve noticed the trait on other moths I’ve photographed, but don’t know whether or not the dark spots have a particular function.  I’m guessing that among the readers of this blog someone will know the answer.  Thanks in advance!

(Oh, and if you’d like to identify the moth species for me, that’d be great too!)

Photo of the Week – December 16, 2011

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I was in the mood for something green today.  Our snow has mostly melted (after a couple days of rain and above-freezing temps), leaving most of the landscape a drab brown color. 

The red stripe and hairs along the margin of this leaf would go unnoticed from further away.

This photo was taken in Illinois.  It looks like a studio shot because of the simple black background, but that’s actually due to the limitations of a camera’s sensor to capture the complete range of light tones in the scene.  The leaf had bright sunlight coming through it toward the camera, so it was strongly lit.  The camera could either capture the details in that bright leaf or the details in the shadows behind it – but not both.  I chose the leaf, making the background black.

Can you guess the plant species of the leaf?  A few hints:  The species is not native to Nebraska, but is a well-known prairie plant in eastern tallgrass prairies.  The leaf is very large, and this photo shows only a small portion of it.  I’ll put the species name in the comments section below, so you can guess to yourself and then check to see if you’re right.

Enjoy the weekend!