outdoor photography

Rambur's Forktail (female) The last time I went to Central Winds, the birding was really slow, so I had some fun looking for interesting bugs. I found a Rambur's Forktail female down by the lake. This is the first female I've photographed. Right nearby was a moth I haven't yet identified. White Moth The lake shore is also filled with these spiders, and it's very iritating that they don't have a common name. They are  Leucauge argyra. They like to spin their webs across the trail just to give me something to do while looking for birds. Leucauge argyra  There was a little flower garden with the butterflies I posted earlier. Of course, there were also honeybees here, and one of them posed nicely for a photograph. Honey Bee

Rambur's Forktail On April 18, I walked around Central Winds Park looking for birds and bugs. I didn't see many of either, but I did find a few bugs worth photographing, in particular a Rambur's Forktail and a very cool-looking spider, which I believe is  Leucauge argyra . Leucauge argyra

Golden-silk Orbweaver Since moving to Florida, I've had the opportunity to see some pretty enormous spiders.  Golden-silk Orbweavers and Black and Yellow Argiopes are pretty large, and they're spectacular-looking as well.  Black and Yellow Argiope Of course, not all our spiders are huge.  But whenever I have the chance to get close enough to them for photographs, I'm always struck by the beauty of these creatures. I know spiders freak some people out, but when you have the chance to look at them carefully, they really are a wonder to behold. Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver Crablike Spiny Orbweaver Leucauge Argyra

Leucauge Argyra Canon EOS 7D with EF 400mm f/5.6L (ISO 2500 | 1/160 sec | f/5.6) I came across this spider near the shore of Lake Jesup at Central Winds Park.  It was one among about a dozen others of the same species all in eyeshot of each other.  I positioned myself so that a tree was directly behind this one and took a few pictures, not expecting any to turn out.  I had to hand-hold with a relatively slow shutter speed, a high ISO, and I had to manually focus the lens because it was so small in the frame.  I thought it would be a good challenge, and thankfully one came out sharp. Back home I began to search for what species of spider this might be.  The species  Leucauge argyra appears to be the best match.  But this species doesn't have a common name (at least not one I could find on the web).  Now personally, I'm not sure this is quite fair.  I mean this is a perfectly fine-looking spider, and it's relatively common in Florida. Thi...