Melangyna umbellatarum

The spots on the abdomen of Melangyna umbellatarum are very pale compared to most other hoverflies in the tribe Syrphini, this character is shared with a few other Melangyna species.

I found this hoverfly in the back garden along with dozens of Episyrphus balteatus, there are a lot of those around at the moment.

Rhododendron leafhopper

This exotic looking species was accidentally introduced from the USA in the 1930's; its vivid colouration makes it easy to spot on rhododendrons from the middle of Summer and into Autumn.

The Rhododendron leafhopper acts as a vector for the fungus Pycnostysanus azaleae which causes the disease rhododendron bud blast. The adult leafhoppers lay their eggs in the buds of the plant allowing fungal spores entry.

Image shot with a reversed 50mm f/2.8 EL-Nikkor on bellows.

Graphocephala fennahi

Marmalade hoverfly

This is the Mammalade hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus, one of the most common UK hoverflies. It is easily recognised by the distinctive pattern on the abdomen.

Episyrphus balteatus

Bee antenna

This is a section of antenna from a Nomada bee, Nomada flava. The doughnut shaped indentations in the lower half are sensilla placodea also known as pore plates, they have an olfactory function, they detect airborne chemicals giving the bee a sense of smell.

The surface of each sensillum placodeum is perforated with many tiny pores, chemicals pass through these pores and are transported by carrier proteins to sensory neurones of which there are many for each sensillum placodeum.

The image is a stack of 83 shots, taken with a Nikon N plan 10/0.30 objective on bellows. The actual length of the bit of antenna shown is approximately 0.7mm.

Cat flea

This flea was kindly donated by my cat, Alfie!

This is the highest magnification I have attempted, the flea was about nearly 2mm in length, so the section of flea in this photo is less than 1mm. I like how the surface is semi-transparent making some of the internal structures visible.

This is a stack of 105 shots.

Bee wing

This is a section of the forewing of a mining bee, Andrena.

The image was taken with a reversed 50mm f/2.8 EL-Nikkor on bellows.

Bee mouthparts

These are the mouthparts of the cuckoo bee Nomada marshamella.

Image stacked from 98 photos which were taken with a Nikon N plan 10/0.30 objective on bellows.

Here is a crop showing more of the detail:

Bee tongue

This is the tongue of the Hairy footed flower bee Anthophora plumipes. The tongue of this bee is amazingly long (12-15mm) allowing it to reach the nectar of deep flowers. As well as collecting pollen from flowers, the hairs on the tongue help with the senses of taste amd smell, molecules pass through pores in the hairs where they are detected by sensory cells.

This image is a stack of 80 photos which were taken with my Nikon D300 using a Nikon N plan 10/0.30 objective on bellows.

Anthophora plumipes