The OP said he has a K5ii. Certainly a K5 won't play with a PLM. The DA 55-300 is the next best thing and well suited for purpose. If he has £500 (ish) then an F* or FA* 300 would do quite well also. I'm delighted with my FA*300. It's old but its very good!

If you are going to do a 'portrait' of something, all well and good but there is certainly lots of space for 'art' so I'm surprised that you express surprise at your 'attempt to do art'. It is a standout image for exactly that reason - and with such a difficult subject as silver studded blues that hide in the grass stems, even more so. Jolly well done!

I think this year there might be another ladybird invasion. I say that because their larvae are crawling over everywhere
and everything - including one of my fuchsia bushes. A problem the larvae have is that when the time comes upon them
they just have to stop, right where they are, and they become pupae within an hour or so. No searching for a safe spot.
1.



Because they can end up quite exposed they have evolved defenses, such as a ring of sharp spikes at the rear end
where they are anchored to the leaf/ stem/ doorframe or wherever - they can get the call to pupate anywhere!
2.



Also, if anything touches the front end, they rear up to display a huge face with what looks like wide open jaws to
frighten off would-be aggressors. I couldn't get round the other side so you will have to imagine it !
3.



Unfortunately for some of them it doesn't work against their fellow larvae who bump into them. When the pupa
rears up, the mobile larva goes straight for its exposed underside - Yes the little perishers are cannibals !
4.



Other things are using the bush too. I can only guess that this, and other similar cocoons are protecting moth
caterpillars. They certainly make a good job of their cocoons.
5.



And just as well because there are marauding bugs crawling about, hunting for their next meal. I haven't a
clue what these are, except that their wings have atrophied due to their apparent lifestyles.
6.



This one just didn't give up either tearing at the threads or trying to penetrate the cocoon with that sharp
looking proboscis. It also tried to drive the other one away, without much success.
7.






It kept returning no matter how violent the other one was. They were still trying when I left the scene.
8.



Taken on location in the bush with a K1, 10cm of tubes, a focusing helicoid and a Schneider Kreuznach
105mm Radionar lens from the 1940s set at around f8. (came off an old Balda I think but it makes a great macro lens).

I think they set them to (local) zero when taking off and landing and only revert to international sea level when flying?

Have you tried ringing a butterfly farm? There's a big one in Stratford on Avon for example.
Whoops, sorry. That's a fantastic shot. Makes a fine abstract.

Alan Marlow. Google it for his website which has all details. He only does digital.

Love the dog rose.

Well, only about 1 in 10 of my ideas work!

That's a bit too expensive. (It's a 'buy it now' - they always cost a lot). They come up in auction regularly and go for 50 - 60UKP. Here is a quick way of searching ALL of E-bay link A quick skim through it show several FAJ 75-300s at a good price. John Riley recently gave that a positive review on here.

There's an edit for a start - zoom in and emphasise them? ......... what IS the new lens? It would help to estimate its potential.