MACRO CHRISTMAS IN MY YARD

avatar

At first sight, my house and yard could look like places where the Christmas spirit doesn't feel at home. There's nothing Christmas related on the shelves or in the windows. No wreath nor tree. I'm too lazy for having fun with decorations or making cookies. I'm OK with that Christmas stuff, don't get me wrong. I'm not a Scrooge, although I can sound like one at times. Is just that I don't mind having or not having that stuff around me. What I see on the Internet is more than enough to satisfy my Christmas needs. Nope, at first sight, and with the naked eye, you can't see Christmas in my world, but ...

... but a look through the macro lens can reveal some fantastic decorations that can be easily overlooked otherwise.

The annoying rain that keeps falling with regular short breaks since last weekend, keeps leaving beautiful pearls on the vegetation.

Yesterday, I had the whole afternoon without rain, so I had plenty of time to collect a nice variety of droplets.

Not only that. Since the temperatures are relatively high for the winter, from 9 to 13 degrees Celsius, I found some insects as well. Not many really, but enough to spice up with them this droplets-themed Christmas post.

The droplets, shown in this and the following picture ...

... were formed, found & photographed on the Stellaria media plants.

Here you can see a neat horizontal line of droplets on the elongated leaf of grass.

This vertical composition was also found & photographed on the grass.

I found the insects three or four hours after the last raindrops fell on the ground, but immediately after the rain, I found another interesting arthropod.
This is a millipede from the Polydesmidae family. Can't tell you what species exactly is shown in the above photograph.

Here you can see how the droplets can decorate the beautiful folded leaf of the Sonchus oleraceus plant.

Some of these droplets look a lot like Christmas bubbles to me.

Some of the wild plants on my lawn produce plenty of flowers in winter. Here you can see the lovely blue flower of the Veronica persica. In the following photograph ...

(Enlargeable)

... especially if you enlarge the picture by clicking on it, you can take a look at the minuscule Sminthurus viridis springtail in the center of the flower.

Here you can see a bunch of Senecio vulgaris flowers. While taking this photograph, I noticed a small insect among the flowers ...

... so I came closer with the macro lens. This is a leafhopper nymph. Can't tell you the name of the species. Could be the Allygus modestus. Maybe. The family is Cicadellidae.

Some droplets on the grass were hanging on the top of the leaf.

Others were standing on the top in a vertical position.

You could see fragments of the yard reflected in some of those droplets.

On one of the Senecio vulgaris leaves there on the lawn, I noticed some minuscule orange-colored protuberances and a springtail near them.

Here you can take a better, more up-close look at those things. Today, after a quick Internet search, I found that this is a rust fungus. The Puccinia lagenophorae.

(Enlargeable)

For this shot, I came even closer so you can take a better look at the Entomobrya multifasciata springtail.

After taking this photograph I left the springtail on the fungus-infested leaf ...

... and continued working on my collection of Christmas droplets.

Here you can see yet another of the many lovely little pearls on the leaves of grass.

This considerably bigger and more free-form piece of water jewelry has been formed on the upper surface of the Arum maculatum leaf.

Here you can take a look at the Euphorbia peplus spurge and a few sparse droplets on its top.

However, most of the droplets in this post were photographed on the Sonchus oleraceus and the grass. When it comes to the grass, I can't tell you the name of the species because is hard to identify the type of grass only by the leaves. In springtime and summer, when flowers, and then seeds are produced, each grass looks different, but now, all of them look pretty much the same.

On another Sonchus oleraceus leaf, I found an aphid. The Uroleucon cirsii aphid.

Here you can see yet another droplet on yet another leaf of the same kind - the Sonchus oleraceus kind.

At one point, I came across this very small planthopper ...

... on some plant that I wasn't able to identify.

When it comes to the planthopper, I was able to identify only the genus and the family, not the exact species. The family is Delphacidae.
The genus - Javesella. It could be the Javesella dubia. Maybe.

A meter or two further, on the nettle, I photographed another small hemipteran insect. This is the Trioza urticae, a psyllid from the Triozidae family.

This pair of droplets was photographed on the edge of the Sonchus oleraceus leaf.

Here you can see a fly from the Syrphidae family that has landed on the Veronica persica plant to get a bit of nectar from its flower.

(Enlargeable)

In this last shot, you can get out of the macro view and take a look at the wider setting, the lawn, and one of my cats that was sleeping while I was busy collecting the material for the visual part of this Christmas post.

The following links will take you to the sites with more information about some of the plants and small arthropods showed in the post. I found some stuff about them there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaria_media
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/millipedes/polydesmidae
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_oleraceus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_persica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sminthurus_viridis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senecio_vulgaris
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/puccinia-lagenophorae
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/node/132018
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uroleucon_cirsii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphacidae
https://www.britishbugs.org.uk/homoptera/Psylloidea/Trioza_urticae.html

AND THAT'S IT. AS ALWAYS HERE ON HIVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MY WORK.

HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS AND A BULLISH NEW YEAR.



0
0
0.000
35 comments
avatar

Water worlds... I have to admit, I am already waiting for the spring :)

!PIZZA

0
0
0.000
avatar

😄Me too.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thankfully we don't have these blistering -40 like they do in the States, and virtually no snow yet.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yes, life at -40 must be hard. I have never experienced that kind of temperature. Not even close.

0
0
0.000
avatar

My personal "record" is -25 C.
Far away from these whooping -40. And if there is any kind of wind that must feel... I can't even imagine.
I hope they have enough timber as air cons stop working at such temperatures.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Season Greetings to you, friend!
These are amazing shots 📸

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Thank you 🙂 Glad you like the post. Happy holidays.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

All of the pic are awesome. All click are on the perfect time. I'm loving the way you explain the things to us. You are sharing really good stuff

0
0
0.000
avatar

Merry Christmas🎊🎊
I could understand the no christmas decoration because it's same here in my house😸😸 but i don't know why you don't like the rain??
Anywayyy have a blessed new year

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Merry Christmas 🎅🎅🎄🎄🎅 to you too. And happy new 2023.
I like the rain, actually. 🙂 The only problem is my camera which isn't water-resistant, so I can't photograph when it rains. That's why rain sometimes annoys me. After the rain, I enjoy photographing stuff very much, so I like the rain even currently, but if I had a waterproof camera I will enjoy it much more.

0
0
0.000
avatar

so great to hear that😁europe is so christmas(y) that everything about christmas is inspired from europe. Did it snow there yet❄🌨

0
0
0.000
avatar

This Christmas has no snow. There was snow in northern Europe before Christmas, but now I hear that is raining even there. Here where I live, in the south and near the sea, a bit of snow can fall every ten years or more. There is snow each year in the mountains 80 - 100 kilometers north of my hometown. It was snowing there a month ago, but for a couple of days only.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for telling them😁 i haven't really seen snow in real life

0
0
0.000
avatar

This is likely the most remarkable collection of Christmas droplets I have ever had the good fortune to behold:)

0
0
0.000
avatar

☂️🌦️🙂🌦️☂️

0
0
0.000
avatar

Some of these droplets look a lot like Christmas bubbles to me.

Hi there, @borjan. 😃 I completely agree. Oh wow, these macro photographs of droplets are neat and lovely. The droplets are crystal clear and reflect the nature around them. Sometimes, a pleasurable activity like taking pictures among nature is way more fun during a festive season.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I loved the shot of the Stellaria media plant where the drop was in the center of it.

"Some droplets on the grass were hanging on the top of the leaf." Now this one really looked like a Christmas tree ball. So pretty. As were the following 2 shots.

The pair of droplets also made good decorations. Good to have a supervisor on the job, makes it go nicer. :))

Merry Christmas!

0
0
0.000
avatar

😎🎄Merry Christmas!🎄😎

0
0
0.000
avatar

I like to increase my knowledge about insects. You always share very wonderful pictures of inserts. Overall your photography is awesome but last cato picture is my favorite. Thanks for sharing.

0
0
0.000
avatar

A delicious collection of macros... But that one of the Syrphidae fly libating on the flower is really perfect! ... It looks like that fly would have wanted to pose for you!.... Beautiful shots as always @borjan friend!.... Merry Christmas to you and your cats!... 😻 🎅🎄

0
0
0.000
avatar

😎🎄🎅Merry Christmas! 🎅🎄😎

0
0
0.000
avatar

Droplets are so dramatic. Amazing shots you have there.

0
0
0.000
avatar

They look like tiny little snow globes 😵😗🤧
So pretty, 😍
lovely pictures bro❤️

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wow - I love the pics of the violet flower with the wee beastie inside - the first photo is incredible !!! And I like the cat too !!!
!ALIVE
!CTP

0
0
0.000