Well now, it’s been a rather good day and i’m afraid many photo’s will have to remain unposted (there are far to many). anyway, here is a selection.
Rhostir - heathland, what a beautiful start to the day, blue sky, fluffy clouds and the horizon is distant. Hard to believe 30 years ago this was a nuclear launch point of great repute (well it got a lot of press).
Again the ‘Gwiber’ adder avoided me, i just saw the tail end dissapearing into long grass as i crept up, should i practice creeping!. No matter, lets see what else is about.
sioncyn y rhos - Heath grasshopper.
Criciedyn hirgorn brith - Speckled bush cricket. This photo does not show full extent of antennae but gives more detail of body colour.
Aeron gwyddfid - honeysuckle berries.
Dock bugs, sorry no welsh name but such a group seemed unusual, looks like one instar from adulthood.
Cleiswyfyn brown - Brown china mark, (the new book of names got it’s first use for this one).
Gwyfyn teires lleiaf - Lesser treble bar.
Madarch y maes - Field mushroom. I saw a lot of fungi starting today and this was the biggest surprise.
Llinos - Linnet. The light was fading and the bird was a bit distant but it was nice to see.
I found several words for these critters. Dulog is what the Welsh Patagonians call it.
Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
I found this little guy foraging in my yard the other morning. You rarely see
them as they are nocturnal. This is the only species in the US. They’re
basically little anteaters. They dig a lot. They keep digging a hole under my
bananas. I tried to fill it in but it always reappears the next morning. I
found out there was a large nest of carpenter ants there. I should have tried
to get a video. He was rummaging in the grass and kept hopping to a new spot to
look for insects.
No, they eat decaying wood. When a banana stock produces fruit, the stalk starts to die. So, the roots and stock will be in decay while the bananas ripen.
Cudd - hidden.
cuddio - hide.
Cuddliw - camouflage. (yes i have mentioned these words before, today i have an example of nature and camouflage.
Lle mae’r gloyn bwy - where is the butterfly.
Gweirloyn llwyd - Grayling. These have a habit of sitting amongst litter, be it plant or rocky material so are well camouflaged.
The struggles with identity (that is i would hate to put out false information (though it’s bound to happen)).
Picellwr cyffredin - common darter ( i think after much deliberation). click image for full size.
ID based on overall image and in closeup the 4 bright red spots at wing base plus the hint of yellow patterning in the wing roots and perhaps most important, yellow stripe/line on black legs.
It’s very kind of you to say so but it’s a combination of .
This brilliant camera, (just under £120.00 new).
The subject matter.
The camera i am still learning settings and getting advice from people who know more about photography than me. I am finding that the most important aspect is light (from which direction it is hitting the subject).
The subject matter, well there is so much beauty and wonder outside that capturing it is a joy to share. These images are all by hand held photography as i try to capture what i see and there certainly isn’t time to use a tripod. So there it is, i’m lucky to have places to wander and click away when i see something, i try to start clicking and continue as i get closer and alter angle of camera to subject (which is equal to altering which angle the light is approaching).
That is just great.
Gleysen y celyn - Holly blue, second generation now about. I was leaning over a wall camera in outstretched arms and light is to much, though the pattern of under-wing spots are fairly clear, there is to much reflected light spoiling the subtleties of a beautiful species.
Cennau - lichens, on a pebble (just another wonder of evolution).
Copor bach - small copper (another butterfly in second generation).
Coeden cnau ffrengig - common walnut.
Pryf hofran - hover fly, (one of many species, this one only has Latin name, Chrysotoxum bicinctum).
Where is the walnut tree? Were you on Ynys Mon? I saw a very, very old one there.
In your camouflage picture, I still can’t see the butterfly, even after you’ve shown the close up!!! Is that actually from the other picture? I couldn’t place it!!!
N.B. You have a very steady hand!! Mine have always tended to shake and age doesn’t help!!!
That’s down to a high shutter speed, not a steady hand.
Here is the cuddio photo with an arrow.
If you look back at the close up photo, i think the green plant will convince you they are one and the same time/butterfly.
The pond weed photo you sent me looks like the broad leaved example i posted (to me anyway), closer example or an expert eye needed. (being wrong is how i learn, and with plants it’s easy to be wrong).
So it’s nothing to do with the trained eye then. You could give me the camera, the subject matter would be the same and I could do it. Well, after a lifetime of close observation, possibly. Yes, the camera takes the picture, but you point the camera!
Precisely!! Well said, Margaret! I see a boring fly. John sees what makes it different and not at all boring. I see pond weed and, if I take a picture, probably get my finger over the lens!! My friend takes pictures which look O.K. but don’t enable identification!!
Today was a bit different in helping a group clear a bird island of scrub.
Not a lot of opportunity for photo’s it may seem but started with an immediate surprise
when i picked up an old branch.
A toothed fungus most likely Schizoproa paradoxa. (yep Latin name only).
Llyleuen - Aphids.
Yep i have posted photo before but hopefully i have got a bit better with the macro settings for detail of them. As for species i have found there are around 550 species (hanner mil a hanner cant o rhwyogaethau) of them, so all i can say definite is they were on willow (helygen).
Gradually trying to add plant knowledge.
Cedowydd - common fleabane.
I am, as I’ve mentioned before, 73, and now I find out that there are more aphids than just greenfly!!!
To be fair, my only interest was in feeding them to growing froglets when I was about 12!!!
Seriously, you teach me more every day!! SSiWildLife!!!
Did I tell you about the one that came and sat next to me on my anorak? “If I move, I might frighten you.”, I thought, as my anorak was tied round my waist!! So eventually, I moved very, very slowly. “This warm rock is moving!” thought y wiber, sliding gently off. I bent to get a really, really good look, and, of course, terrified the poor little thing, so it fled at speed!! (It was a very young adder… gwiber ifanc bach!!)
Last night i was feeling rather clever when i potted an insect and passed it to a gentleman saying i think it’s the yellow ophion, He is kind of expert and replied you are kind of right, there are 37 species of those. (such is life).
Anyway, it was a late night and early morning with moth traps, this morning was particularly dull and these photo’s are not good. (but the event was).
