Stalking the wily Coccinellidae

Here’s a tip for you macro photographers: if you want to find subjects, go out and pull weeds in your yard (but take care to pay attention to what you’re pulling). Chances are good that you’ll see something worth shooting.

I was reaching down to rip this weed out of the lawn (or what sad thing passes for our lawn after a summer of drought and a winter of discontent), when I noticed the ladybug perched atop it. Fortunately, it was sufficiently focused on whatever ladybugs focus on to give me the time to rush inside, grab my camera, mount the macro and flash, and get back outside to snap some pictures.

They’re actually not that attractive up close like this, no offense to any that might be visiting the Gazette. On the other hand, they’re not bugs, either, so they have that going for them. (For an enlightening look at the differences between bugs and beetles, see this page. It’s more interesting than you think.)

According to Wikipedia, ladybugs are referred to in Hebrew as “Moses’s little cows.” If you have any insights as to why that is, feel free to share them. They eat aphids and spider mites (which is one reason gardeners generally welcome them), so if carnivorous cattle are your thing, feel free to use the label.

Another photography tip: keep shooting until you’re out of storage space or your subject flees. You might get lucky like I did. The split carapace on a ladybug is called the “elytra,” (which I have no doubt will eventually become the name for a model of Hyundai car) and this photo was snapped an instant before the beetle tired of my presence and left for greener weeds. I wished for a slightly faster shutter speed* but overall was quite happy with the way the picture turned out.

*Photo geek stuff: Shutter speed – 1/160 second; Aperture – f/5.6; ISO – 100