Macro – Page 4 – Photos from Northern Norway: A photo blog

Close up picture of housefly (Musca domestica) on snow – First insect in Northern Norway

12 Comments / Fly, Insect, Macro, Nature, Norway Norwegen Norge, Snow, Winter / Thomas Laupstad

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera March 10th 2008. Click image for larger view.
We have had a couple of warm days here in Northern Norway and a few insects have been waking up from their hibernation. In this picture you can see a common housefly (Musca domestica) sitting on some snow. Usually these flies are very hard to get close enough to get a good macro shot, but I guess the cold from the snow made this fly move slowly.
I can’t wait for all the insects to come back so I can start taking tons of macro photos.

Check out some macro pictures of flies from last year:
–Dance fly couple mating and eating a fly
–Hoverfly on a poppy flower

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (AndÃ¸rja), Troms in northern Norway

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Macro picture of common limpet (Patella vulgata) covered with barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides)

10 Comments / Coast, Limpet, Macro, Nature, Norway Norwegen Norge, Sea Ocean, Shells, Shore, Snail / Thomas Laupstad

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera February 28th 2008. Click image for larger view.
In this macro picture you can see a common limpet (Patella vulgata) covered with barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides) at low tide. The limpets are snails that feed on algae living on hard rock and stones. They are able adhere themselves strongly to hard surfaces and can be very hard to peel off if they sense danger.
I have been watching some TV-shows by the survivalist Ray Mears where he use a stick to whack them off using the surprise factor. I will have to try to cook some limpets later this year and I will report back here on how they taste 😉
If you look in the background you can see another limpet waiting for the tide to come back in.
The barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides) seem to get a free ride with the limpet, but I’m guessing the limpet is glad for having some extra camouflage.

Check out this photo of the shell of a limpet filled with small pieces of sand. The inside have some beautiful structures and colors.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (AndÃ¸rja), Troms in northern Norway

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Macro picture of Wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) sprouts covered in snow – Global warming?

8 Comments / Flora, Macro, Nature, Norway Norwegen Norge, Plant, Snow, Wild daffodil, Winter / Thomas Laupstad

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera February 25th 2008. Click image for larger view.
The Wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) have been sprouting as early as mid January this year. This is extremely early for us in Northern Norway. Although we have had frost, snow and thawing several times the Wild daffodil can handle extreme conditions very good so I think these sprouts will survive.
In Norwegian this plant is called “PÃ¥skelilje” (Easter lily) because it usually show us its beautiful yellow flowers around Easter.

Yesterday I heard a meteorologist saying that so far this have been warmest winter ever recorded in Norway. I know that doesn’t prove anything, but it sure smells like global warming…

I can’t wait for the spring to come so I can photograph the flowers in full bloom. Meanwhile you can see some of my flower pictures from last year here. If I had to choose the picture of the Purple Saxifrage flower are my favorite because they were the first wild flowers I saw last spring.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (AndÃ¸rja), Troms in northern Norway

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My favorite macro pictures from 2007 taken in Northern Norway part 2

19 Comments / Ant, Macro, Nature, Norway Norwegen Norge, Sawfly, Spider / Thomas Laupstad

When I made the first post with my favorite pictures from 2007 I realized that I had more faves than I could fit into one post. So here is the next batch of my favorite macro photos taken in Northern Norway 2007.
Click on the pictures to see a larger version and if you click on the individual links you can read more about each picture.

1. Macro photo of ant dragging a spider

If you look closely you can see the ant is dragging a spider.

2. Macro photo of Ichneumon wasp

This freaky creature is a sort of Ichneumon wasp that lay eggs into other insects. Their larvae live as a parasite of other insects.

3. Close up photo of water drop against yellow lichen

If you look at the picture large you can see the reflection of me, the sun and a big mountain.

4. Close up of bumblebee

Bumblebees are beautiful and fascinating. Check out this post for more bumblebee pictures.

5. Macro picture of a blue eyed sawfly (Rhogogaster viridis)

Loved the blue eyes on this sawfly.

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My favorite macro pictures from 2007 taken in Northern Norway

20 Comments / Flora, Flower, flower fly, Insect, Macro, Nature, Norway Norwegen Norge / Thomas Laupstad

I’m a big fan of taking macro pictures, especially close up pictures of insects.
Here is a selection of my favorite macro pictures that I took in 2007.
Hope there will be lots of insects and other creatures to photograph in 2008 😉