AJC

Science of the Invisible Education costs money. Ignorance costs more.

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Moving

Pondering moving this blog from WordPress.com to Blogger. I finally got fed up with not being able to find a template that does just what I want – simplicity (with a grey background!).

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Wood Anemone

The Wood Anemones are past their best here now. Spring marches on, but slowly this year – our annual butterflies (that don’t overwinter as adults) are a month late – no County records for Orange Tip or Holly Blue yet.

Anemone nemorosa.

Nikon D7200 Tokina 100mm f16 1/400 ISO 400

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Fronds Nikon D7200 Tokina 100mm f5.6 1/50 ISO 200

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By The Dawn’s Early Light In the Golden Hour. Nikon D7200 Tamron 17-50mm f16 17mm 1/60 ISO 100

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Legs

Harvestman, Opilio canestrinii. Nikon D7200 Tokina 100mm f16 1/250 ISO 100

Looking bashful:

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Winter Colours

The green lacewings are quite difficult to tell apart. Fortunately, Chrysoperla carnea still in its subdued winter colours is reasonably easy to spot (much harder later in the year when it’s green like all the others), especially if you get close enough to see the hairy veins on the wings.

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Early Doors Frosty pre-dawn start this morning for a dawn chorus walk with the local wildlife group. Nikon D7200 Tamron 17-50mm f11 17mm 1/160 ISO 100.

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How did you spend your day?

How did you spend your day?

Too wet to do much outside today and there were a few domestic tasks that needed attention, so in the end I spent much of the morning counting the pores on the hind leg of a centipede. Heaven!

The Western Yellow Centipede is an interesting beastie, the UK’s longest at up to 70mm.

Western Yellow Centipede, Stigmatogaster subterranea. Nikon D7200 Tokina 100mm f16 1/250 ISO 100

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Field Wood-rush

There seems to be a growing trend on Instagram for hi-key minimalism, including some rather nice arty “botanical” shots, so I thought I’d have a go. In the end, this macro image won out though, and my hi-key effort turned out to be not that hi-key after all. That’s OK, I’ll filter the s**t out of it on Instagram. Also known as “Good Friday Grass”, Luzula campestriswas a week late around these…

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The Last Post

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Danish Scurvygrass

If you’ve been paying attention you’ll have noticed the white froth along all the major roads at the moment. If you pull off and investigate, it looks like this. Danish Scurvygrass was unknown inland 50 years ago, but with the ever increasing tonnage of salt risk-averse councils pour onto the roads each year this seaside plant has taken advantage of the niche we have built for it.

Danish…

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I’m feeling lucky I'm still trying to love the Nik Collection. One thing I have learned so far - it's a huge time sink.

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An appeal on behalf of the Varied Carpet Beetle The Varied Carpet Beetle Anthrenus verbasci, is experiencing a tough time. While in former years its famous "Woolly Bear" larvae munched their way through your winter woolies and Axminsters, now they can only blunt their mandibles on your acrylic Christmas jumpers and your polypropylene shag pile.

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Leiobunum blackwalli I really like this shot, it's so alien. Harvestman, Leiobunum blackwalli.

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Guilty Pleasures Focus stacking - the ideal occupation for a rainy day. Over the last year I've spent more and more time taking photographs of smaller and smaller objects.

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# TwelveTrees: March The TwelveTrees project.

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An Easter Egg You may have missed the news that Google has just made the Nik Collection free. (If you bought it in the last year you can get a refund.