Tiny LIFE
( What I casually called Mayfly here was in fact Green lacewing / Chrisopidae )
Some days ago, short floss like thing standing on the edge of the book, caught my eyes ? ? ?
At second glance, I realized, it was an egg of the Mayfly. Then I remembered a
Mayfly was flapping around the table lamp a night or two before. = so, she laid an egg ! ?
While looking around —– I found four more those eggs
here and there. —– And I found a dead Mayfly too.
—– M m m m # ? # ?. What a hell ! What should I do ? ? ?
non
I don’t like it. Absolutely not welcome at all.
Even if those eggs hatched, there is no food for its larvae
—– simply I can’t take care of them.
—– and if I pick and throw them out, the eggs will be
eaten by other small creepy crawlies.
—– In any choice, those small life would be doomed —– isn’t there any alternative ? ? ?
non
So that I decided to take picture of them = at least, Mayfly could contribute something to
the world —– ( really ? —– for what extent ? ) —– Don’t ask me, it’s a sheer excuse.
But, to take picture of such minute subject is not easy. As my macro photo system has been
disappeared somewhere I decided to make it using cheap Chinese Micro-scope Lens.
( Using wide-angle lens with reverse adopter could make large magnification though its big
shoulder prevent to access small corner to take picture of this kind of fixed object )
So, I wound a wire around the screw mount of the microscope lens (and partly soldered / Photo above left )
then glued this ring on top of a splay can which happen to have suitable diameter ( Photo, middle ) and
put LED focus light —– here the Macro Photo Adopter for Canon EOS.
( can was mounted on a Canon body cap —– with a cut-out hole in the middle, of cause 🙂 )
What a hustle you might say. Yes it was a hustle in deed. To holding a wire ring in the dead centre
of a mouth of can while keeping it exactly parallel (well, sort of 🙂 ) and filling the 2.3 mm gap around
of it, using Araldite glue etc. etc, a lots of work.
non
But don’t forget the life of a small Mayfly —– she unfortunately end-up her life in this room though,
at least she did her best, surviving few days without drinking any water (may be — I know not) and
laid the eggs which was her duty in her life.
At least, I have to respond to the encounter with this life —– it is the duty to be a Buddhist.
Squeezing the brain and find the way to solve the technical difficulties and achieve ( at least in the
acceptable standard 🙂 ) the necessary objective —– is the Zen ( in action ).
This is what I’ve been saying “ Do It “ not wasting the time thinking.
—– Um m, the result seems not too bad. ( I think —– for an almost cost nothing hand-made device 😀 )
( Quality of the images is not as good as Zeiss apo-chromat lens I used to use, but think about the price 😀 )
___/\___
PS : The stem or egg supporting rod (?) is nothing but a wonder of the nature. How the secluded liquid
—– can instantly harden and able to hold the egg on top. —– If anybody know the scientific research of
—– this, please let me know. (Incidentally, the rainbow color on top photo was created by the optical
—– diffraction of the transparent membrane of the wing. —– it’s mean, the thickness of this film is as thin
—– as a wave length of the light ! — isn’t this incredible ? Man’s technology is still behind of the nature )
PPS ; After many years of having had their visit here, this year I came to the resolution, how to deal with
—— them. = When ever I saw them flying under the light, catch them and throw them out of window.
—— Watching them fly or take rest on somewhere —– might be amazing or interesting and giving a water
—— or piece of fruits etc. may seems to be an act of friendship or what so ever. IT IS our arrogance
—— and on the end, it would do nothing good to them. They don’t belong to this room and there is no
—— prospect for them to have their fruitful life here. Throw them out where they belong = NATURE.
—— It is the most kind and friendly things we can do to them.
It is often the case, without giving a help and leave a person in their own device could be
the most kind things to do to the person’s life.
—
Wow! Incredible photographs, and what impressive ingenuity! Thank you for telling me about this post! I really enjoyed it. You paid this Mayfly a nice honor by capturing her magnificence in this way. 🙂 The details are spectacular.
Glad. Now you might be convinced that the life can have many
different approach and the solution, when we actuary try.
And this is the same reason how I appreciate your very intensive
approach to the photography.
[…] the Lens used was the one I’ve hand-made to take May Fly Egg before (click the Link here). […]
are you by any chance at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts?
David, it’s a bad joke. Ha ha ha, I’ve got a degree (believe or not in Industrial Sociology) from a Uni’
in Tokyo, but during that time I was taking photo and sorting Plant’s Specimen in the Herbarium, and
in the same time (different days in a week) doing assistant work in a National Metallurgical Research Institute. (and even designed and made electronic probe —– hence left a legend “Who the Devil that guy” 😀 )
It is in a very simple principle = just do it. (and do it again until it succeed).
The reason why I didn’t go techno side was,that the question in techno
could be solved by somebody using a math. I chose the direction in human
mind where no other person can give an answer.
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