Gosh, it's getting warm!

My morning exploration was a bit shorter than usual today, First off, it was quite hot in the sun. Kara did not approve, and wanted to head back.

It seemed that the insects in the hayfield agreed. It was quite quiet, with only the odd butterfly fluttering about, and very few dragonflies evident.I was back out with the tripod today, convinced that losing a few grab shots was worth the higher percentage of in focus shots.

I was carrying around my old Canon 40D body, which is a cropped sensor body. When used with my standard lenses, it gives the sense that you are getting better magnification compared to the full framed body. Some people refer to the smaller sensor bodies as "cropped sensor" bodies, because in effect, that's what they are - the sensor is reduced in size, and effectively crops a section out of the image that you would see with a larger sensor.

My 5D Mk2 has in excess of 21 megapixels. The 40D has 10.1 MP. If you do the math, I still get more pixels, and lower noise pixels, if I use the 5D and crop. The bigger sensor wins for image quality, every time.

The main advantage of the 40D is that it has a much higher rate of firing for multiple images, at 6.5 frames per second, while the 5D  is closer to 3 frames per second. For trying to capture the perfect moment in an action scene, the 40D might be better. It is also smaller, lighter, and plenty good for posting web images, so I will likely use both cameras for this blog.

Anyway, I did manage a few images of skippers today. I was trying to get images of them doing something, or shot from unusual angles, or with unusual lighting. The shots of butterflies with their wings splayed are great for identification and to convey the full majesty and brilliance of their wings. It's also interesting to see the butterflies engaging in their daily routine.

Here are some shots of the skippers feeding ...

I like the backlighting on this one, it adds a glow to the shaded part of the butterflies thorax and abdomen.

I thought that this top down view, lending a symmetrical look to the butterfly, was a bit interesting.

Here's a new visitor to the flowers in the hayfield. At first glance, I thought it was a wasp of some sort. The banding on the abdomen, clear segments on the wings .... but a closer look showed that it was in a fact a wasp mimic moth. Quite the convincing impression!! I am having a tough time identifying the species, though. The abdomen is a dead giveaway, with the crayfish-like "tail".

I noticed another goldenrod crab spider. At first it was just hiding, but eventually it got busy, constructing a web. Here it is, just hanging out .....

And finally, the field is full of wildflowers. Here is one of Cathie's favourites - orange hawkweed. Full sun isn't the best lighting for flowers. I'm hoping for a day with high thin cloud to give me some softer light, so that I can document the profusion of wildflowers - before we have to mow the hay field! Gulp!