Couple of iPhone shots, taken at Crab Cove in Alameda yesterday. These are California Ground Squirrels, and they live in the rocks at the edge of the beach there. Not quite tame, but very used to people so they let you get reasonably close (close enough to get clear photos with the iPhone 15 Pro 3x camera).
These were taken using portrait mode, providing artificial depth of field.
They are the same animal: a seven-spotted ladybug (coccinella septempunctata) and its larva. The ladybug is an aphid-eater used for pest control, but the larvae are even more effective for this.
iPhone 15 Pro main camera + the lens of binoculars used as reading glasses for close focusing.
My other macros in: https://www.instagram.com/mymacrominitips/
Son el mismo animal: una mariquita de siete puntos (coccinella septempunctata) y su larva. La mariquita es una devoradora de pulgones que se usa para control de plagas, pero las larvas son aún más eficaces para esto.
Es handelt sich um ein und dasselbe Tier: einen Siebenpunkt-Marienkäfer (Coccinella septempunctata) und seine Larve. Der Marienkäfer ist ein Blattlausfresser, der zur Schädlingsbekämpfung eingesetzt wird, aber die Larven sind dafür noch effektiver.
Some impressions from today’s visit to Hallstatt in Upper Austria. The scenery was as grand as ever, but the place is plagued by overtourism to an extent that is almost as bad as in Kyoto. 🤒
Day trip today to Soumenlinna, the inhabited sea fortress about 4 km southeast of the city center of Helsinki. Weather was perfect, and the place very interesting - a really pleasant area for walking.