Sharp Invertebrates

Volucella zonaria on an ivy bank.  Gates Green Road, Coney Hall, 2 October 2015.

These are just a couple of particularly sharp photos that my new camera provided for me.  The first is a large hoverfly, a hornet mimic, eating ivy pollen.  Banks of ivy like this provide the last big feast before the winter for both pollen and nectar lovers.  This hoverfly is going for pollen.  Look at the way her proboscis wraps the ivy's anther.

You don't see how furry these creatures are with the naked eye.  This one looks like a stripy teddy bear.

Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus.  West Wickham Common, 1 October 2015

This Garden Spider does not look like any kind of bear.  It's our commonest orb web spinning spider, and the females are quite large at this time of year.  Here, she is wrapping her prey.  The front legs are spinning it around on an axis formed by the thich nearly-vertical threads.  With one back leg she is guiding a spray of strands from her spinnerets to complete the wrapping.  These spiders always wrap very thoroughly.  The post office would be happy with the result.

EOS 5DS, a camera to enjoy.  Both of these were taken with my normal setup; hand-held with a 100mm macro lens and a ring flash.