Lantern bugs

4798 posts
17 years
Saffron Walden,
Essex

Posted 06/04/2010 - 18:30 Link

Today I discovered my mother has a lychee tree with a group of Lantern bugs living on it (they are almost always found on Lychee and Longan trees). I used to love these guys when I was a kid! These two were fairly big fellows - about 4cm long. It's not very PC, but my mother told me that when she was young kids would tie cotton thread to the noses and 'fly' them!

Both with the Tamron 70-300 and onboard flash.

Tim
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Edited by thoughton: 06/04/2010 - 18:32

snappychappy snappychappy

2545 posts
18 years
Wakefield

Posted 06/04/2010 - 19:00 Link

What a strange and beautiful insect, very nicely taken.

My piccies.

Mike-P Mike-P

13627 posts
18 years
Hythe,
Hampshire UK

Posted 06/04/2010 - 19:03 Link

Very nice, would love to have a go at photographing them.

thoughton wrote:
It's not very PC, but my mother told me that when she was young kids would tie cotton thread to the noses and 'fly' them!

Also not very PC to fall about laughing when reading this ...

My Flickr

Prieni Prieni

1469 posts
22 years
Rostock,
Germany

Posted 06/04/2010 - 19:37 Link

Wow, beautiful buggers.
And...stuff PC

Prieni

How inappropriate to call this planet earth when it is quite clearly Ocean. - Arthur C. Clarke
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matwhittingto... matwhittington

1474 posts
17 years
West London,
UK

Posted 06/04/2010 - 20:34 Link

Wow they look freaky - good subject well taken

Mat W

Mat W

My Flickr: link

pnjmcc pnjmcc

491 posts
19 years
Frenchs Forest,
Sydney

Posted 07/04/2010 - 00:25 Link

The colours in those insects are great.

I prefer the composition and the cloours in the first pic to the second(the second looks a little lighter on its nose). But both are good and well focused.

Now wheres my reel of cotton ....

Regards
PaulM

All cameras are equal but.....
Some are more equal than others

08tiger 08tiger

2933 posts
18 years
Atherton tablelands,
NQ

Posted 07/04/2010 - 02:04 Link

Well that's different,first shot is the best with better eye focus

C&C welcome.
Don.

thoughton thoughton

4798 posts
17 years
Saffron Walden,
Essex

Posted 07/04/2010 - 07:06 Link

Thanks folks! I've always thought they are cool insects but not sure how widespread they are. Quite fearless too, so a nice easy shot they won't move no matter how close you get until you nudge them with your finger.

Paul and Don I agree the first one looks better. I think it's the angle in the second one that reflects too much of the flash.

i-Berg i-Berg

3045 posts
16 years
Melbourne,
Oz

Posted 07/04/2010 - 10:33 Link

thoughton wrote:
they won't move no matter how close you get until you nudge them with your finger.

So they don't cotton on until you nudge them?

Nice work Tim

http://www.pbase.com/iberg

paulyrichard paulyrichard

1307 posts
17 years
W. Yorkshire,
UK

Posted 08/04/2010 - 20:10 Link

The second one is a great image and study, nice one.

"All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice." - Elliott Erwitt

http://paulyrichard.wordpress.com/

Frogfish Frogfish

2087 posts
16 years
Shanghai

Posted 17/12/2010 - 12:04 Link

So you didn't get any IIF shots then ? Should be easy enough if they are flying around in circles

I will look out for these next Summer.

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thoughton thoughton

4798 posts
17 years
Saffron Walden,
Essex

Posted 17/12/2010 - 12:09 Link

I had to think about what IIF meant! Unfortunately no I didn't get any of them flying, they move pretty damn quickly once they're airborne!

I was going to say don't bother looking in the Summer as I don't think you get them here in the UK, but then I noticed you are in China. Which is convenient since I took these in Hong Kong! As I noted above they are virtually exclusive to Lychee and Longan trees, so look for some of those

Stuey Stuey

4772 posts
16 years
Wales

Posted 17/12/2010 - 12:28 Link

Cool insects - Nice pictures

It's a shame we don't have insects like that in the UK - although I am guessing that my better half may not agree

K10D, K5 plus plenty of clueless enthusiasm.

My Flickr site link

Frogfish Frogfish

2087 posts
16 years
Shanghai

Posted 17/12/2010 - 15:28 Link

thoughton wrote:
I had to think about what IIF meant! Unfortunately no I didn't get any of them flying, they move pretty damn quickly once they're airborne!

I was going to say don't bother looking in the Summer as I don't think you get them here in the UK, but then I noticed you are in China. Which is convenient since I took these in Hong Kong! As I noted above they are virtually exclusive to Lychee and Longan trees, so look for some of those

Thanks I will do.

What I meant was they shouldn't be so difficult for IIF shots if you have them on a piece of cotton

My wife tells me they used to do that with crickets and cicadas too (both fly of course - which was the fun of it for children that couldn't afford anything except home-made toys).