Photos from Northern Norway: A photo blog » Macro

Picture of musk beetle (Aromia moschata)

Thomas Laupstad — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:15:23 +0000

Taken with Olympus EPL-1 digital camera July 2nd 2011. Click image for larger view.

Here I have photographed a musk beetle (Aromia moschata) just outside at a place called Bygdøy. It is incredible that you are able to find such beautiful insects so close to a big city.

The musk beetle is very characteristic with coppery or greenish metallic tint and the long antennas (click on the picture to view the insect in a larger view). This beetle can be found in southern Norway and I have seen it several times feeding on trees that has a cut in its trunk. The larvae of musk beetles are known to feed on willow trees and can actually hurt these trees.

Check out my other insect pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus EPL-1 digital camera
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 42 mm
ISO Speed 320
Location: Bygdøy, Oslo

Close up picture of viviparous lizard / common lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

Thomas Laupstad — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:40:20 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera April 18th 2011. Click image for larger view.

The viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is the only lizard that lives in Norway. It is also known as common lizard and can be found in large parts of Norway. I’ve never seen lizards in Northern Norway, but they are found in a few places in Nordland and Troms, and in large parts of Finnmark. On Nesodden I have often observed lizards on rocks in the sun that disappears quickly when they come aware of risks. According to Wikipedia the common lizard preys on insects and spiders, but is hunted by birds and snakes.

I found this lizard under a stone where it lay perfectly still. It had not woken up from hibernation and thus I got the chance to get close in on the lizard to take this picture. I recommend you to click on the image to see it in large size.

Please check out my other close up / macro images on this page.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 150 mm
ISO Speed 400
Lens: Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG HSM Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Macro picture of Large marsh grasshopper (Stethophyma grossum) the largest Acrididae in Norway

Thomas Laupstad — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:52:04 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera September 6th 2010. Click image for larger view.
After moving to the south of Norway I have discovered many new species of insects that I have never seen in Northern Norway. In this photograph I have found one of these new species. This is a Large marsh grasshopper (Stethophyma grossum) that is quite common around my house. It is the largest Acrididae in Norway and can be quite a sight with its up to 37mm long. This grasshopper is often found in wet grasslands and and close to beaches. Since I live to close to wet areas we have lots of grasshoppers around our house, during the summer, making a constant buzz. Our chickens love to feed on grasshoppers so maybe they taste good?

There is about 30 species of grasshoppers in Norway and I hope I can photograph more species next summer.

Check out my other insect pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture f/6.3
Focal Length 150 mm
ISO Speed 400
Lens: Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG HSM Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Macro picture of Goat Moth Larva (Cossus Cossus)

Thomas Laupstad — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:08:25 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera April 17th 2009. Click image for larger view.
Here is a close up picture of a Goat Moth Larva (Cossus Cossus) that we found last spring. This larva is found in most of Norway, but not further north than Nordland county. The larva often lives in old trees with leaves where it can live from two to five years before it crawls out. The goat moth larva can grow up to 10 cm long and the specimen in the picture is the largest larva I have ever seen. If you look closer at the picture you can see that the larva has some pretty big jaws. I did not dare hold it because it was pretty aggressive and bit straws that we put in front of it.

Spring is soon coming so hopefully there will be many opportunities to take pictures of cool insects and other buggers.
Check out my other photos of insects here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Macro photo of big ice crystal – Cold period in southeastern Norway

Thomas Laupstad — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:09:15 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera January 5th 2009. Click image for larger view.
We have had a very cold period here in the southeastern part of Norway with temperatures down to -18C (-0.4F) and the cold weather created tons of beautiful ice crystals. Here I have photographed a big one that the sun shone on creating nice, shimmering light. I recommend that you click on the image and view it large to see more of the fantastic details in the snow crystal(s).

Note: The photo of the ice crystal was taken in the southeastern part of Norway.
Check out this image of ice crystals forming on a branch.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Picture of Yellow foot, Winter Chanterelle, Funnel Chanterelle (Cantharellus tubaeformis) – Tasty mushroom

Thomas Laupstad — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:22:57 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera September 18th 2008. Click image for larger view.
This autumn has been a really awaking for me when it comes to edible mushrooms (and toxic ones). I did not know much about mushrooms except for golden chanterelles and fly agarics. A friend wanted to learn more about mushrooms so we picked up a book at the library describing edible mushrooms. We went out into the forest and found several types of yummy mushrooms.

In this photo you can see Cantharellus tubaeformis (known as Yellow foot, Winter Chanterelle, Funnel Chanterelle and Yellow Legs in English) mushrooms. Funnel chanterelle was the mushroom that we found in largest quantities and we could easily fill a basket in an hour. The funnel chanterelle has a very pleasant taste and we used it in a lot of dishes. It is so great to be able to go out in the nature and harvest all the delicious goods from her
We actually found so much funnel chanterelles that we were able to dry a good deal. I photographed the whole process of drying so stay tuned to my RSS feed if you want to learn how to dry mushrooms.

Note: This photo were taken in the southeastern part of Norway. This photo should not be used to identify unknown mushrooms to check if they are edible or not. If you are not certain about a mushroom do not eat it!

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Flash used
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Picture of Terracotta Hedgehog (Hydnum rufescens) mushrooms – Edible tooth fungi

Thomas Laupstad — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:02:13 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera September 18th 2008. Click image for larger view.
In this picture I have photographed some Terracotta hedgehog (Hydnum rufescens) mushrooms. They are closely related to the more common Hedgehog mushroom (also known as Wood hedgehog), but the Terracotta hedgehog have a more red and yellow color on the upper side of the mushroom. These tooth mushrooms are pretty easy to identify due to their teeth, instead of gills, on the underside of the cap, but there are some non-edible mushrooms with the same kind of teeth so this is not an entirely safe sign that the mushrooms you find are edible.
We found a lot of both Terracotta Hedgehog and Wood hedgehog mushrooms this autumn, and I think they are really delicious food! We eat them plain with just some salt or add them to different dishes.
Note: This photo were taken in the southeastern part of Norway. This photo should not be used to identify unknown mushrooms to check if they are edible or not. If you are not certain about a mushroom do not eat it!
Check out my other mushroom pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Flash used
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Macro picture of Meadow buttercup flower (Ranunculus acris) covered with rime frost

Thomas Laupstad — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:39:34 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera October 14th 2008. Click image for larger view.
The winter is getting closer here in Norway and some nights have been below the freezing point. If you get up early before the sun starts to warm up the place you can discover that the landscape is covered with rime (frost).
Here I have photographed a Meadow buttercup flower (Ranunculus acris) that was covered with rime and I think it looks quite beautiful.
The Meadow buttercup flower is probably one of the last flowers I will be able to photograph in the wild this year, but the dark seasons will hopefully bring many photo opportunities too.

Check out this picture that I have taken laying down in a buttercup field in the beginning of summer.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Flash used
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Pictures of Golden chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) – Our most delicious mushroom

Thomas Laupstad — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:49:57 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera September 18th 2008. Click image for larger view.
Here I have photographed some delicious Golden chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius). They are the most well known edible mushroom here in Norway and is probably the most exclusive mushroom too.
You can use Golden chanterelles in a lot of different dishes, but I prefer to eat them plain after some minutes on a hot plate with a pinch of salt and maybe some organic sour cream. It is absolutely yummy!

This year we have found a lot of edible mushrooms in the forest so stay tuned for more mushroom pictures. It is very nice to be able to gather edible food from the nature, but it is also a bit scary to gather mushrooms as there are so many toxic ones. I use a rule for gathering mushrooms: If I am not certain I wont eat them! I can also enjoy the meal much better if I know that the mushrooms that I’m eating is safe. If you want to look at a mushroom that is toxic, take a look on my photo of a fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) fungus.

Here is another picture of Golden chanterelle. They are a bit dirty, but fully eatable and I must say I enjoyed eating them. A lot!

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera September 18th 2008. Click image for larger view.
Note: These photos were taken in the southeastern part of Norway.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Flash used
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Picture of wood anemone (nemorosa) flower with purple primula flowers as background

Thomas Laupstad — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:37:03 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera May 31st 2008. Click image for larger view.
In this picture I have photographed a wood anemone flower (anemone nemorosa) with some purple primula flowers as background. I loved the contrast with the sun shining on the white wood anemone flower and the the primula flowers in the shadow. These beautiful small flowers are also known as windflower, European thimbleweed and smell fox.

The wood anemone flowers is a sure sign that the spring is here and that summer is right around the corner.
Flowers are popping up everywhere now so expect more pictures of flowers from Northern Norway in the near future. You can also check out my previous pictures of flowers here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in Northern Norway