Wednesday, November 18, 2009

grasshopper

Yumpin' yimminee! Look at how this little grasshopper is content to sun himself in a patch of mulch. He was only about an inch (2 cm) long. I took another macro of him, where I tried to get a detailed look at his face. I wanted to show you his simple eyes (ocelli). The facial macro did not come out as clear as I had hoped, but I'll add it below anyway. You'll need to enlarge the photo to see the details.

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Since I wanted to zoom in on a still shot of the face, I asked if I could pick him up, and he did not say no. ;-) Then, I held him close to my mailbox, which has a blue post. That's why the background is a funny shade of blue. He didn't seem to mind being held, which is weird. The picture in the mulch was only a few short hops after the closeup at the mailbox.

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I really like Picasa's option to add text. It is handy for naming species of bug or flowers and identifying sites and landmarks.

13 comments:

donsands said...

Nice shot. Funny he didn't spit tabacco in your hand, they like to do that in Maryland. And isn't it true that the grasshooper is a lazy creature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAd0jOuQg8o&feature=related

Craver Vii said...

I was hoping to email a response to you, Sandman, but you don't have an email address in your profile. (hint, hint)

That cartoon is more scary to me than funny. "The world owes us a living." It sounds like my country today. We hear the mantra of "hope and change," but it is a shallow hope, which builds its foundation by placing our burdens on other people. Walt Disney prefaced the showing of this cartoon by reminding us that it was a story with a moral. There is a redemptive conclusion to the grasshopper's tune.

Gaelyn said...

This lucky grasshopper gets to see the world from many different perspectives with so many eyes. Nice macro Craver.

donsands said...

That is a bad tune, you're right about that Craver.

The moral is to work hard, and yet be kind, I suppose.

the Bible says some things about ants as well.

I'll have to put my e-mail on my profile right now, if I can figure out how to do it.

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

I see I have great competition here now for macro work. :) Good for you!!. Maybe he was cold so the warmth of your fingers was welcome to him. :)

imac said...

Great work, my friend.

Shammickite said...

Cute little devil isn't he?
I bet it would cost him a fortune if he needed glasses for all those eyes. Wonder if grasshopper medicare would cover the eye test?

Craver Vii said...

My understanding Gaelyn (correct me if I'm wrong), is that there is a bit of a mystery regarding the function of the ocelli (simple eyes). Some think it only registers light and dark, and functions as a way to keep track of the horizon for flight, and others think it works like an iris, measuring the light's intensity so their regular vision can make appropriate adjustments.

I see that you figured it out, Sandman. Hooray!

Competition?? Not really, Joan. It would be more accurate to say instead that you have been great inspiration.

Thanks Imac. It was at least an excuse for me to crawl around the lawn on my belly. I seem to remember a "belly photo" of you getting a low angle from some rocks in a stream.

Glasses? What a thought Shammy!! The office visit would take forever! (lol)

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Craver: Wonderful close-up, he must have been a tired grasshopper to let you hold him.

Anonymous said...

i did not know that grasshoppers had so many eyes!

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

What kind words. Thanks Craver. :)

Craver Vii said...

That could be, Fishing Guy. Then again, maybe my real name is Dolittle, PhD.

Pretty cool, isn't it nAncY?

I'm smiling right back at you Joan.

lime said...

terrific shot of the hopper! i've certainly done lots of insect shots but yours capture such great detail.