Brilliant! Thanks, Pete! Definitely looks like Small Torty despite the fact they were pretty large caterpillars!

Seems to be the closest ID I can find - originally thought Red Admiral but I'm totally rubbish at IDs :( Feeding on Nettles (if you hadn't guessed) and with another half dozen or so on different plants - at Potteric Carr (Doncaster) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/Markulous/Butterflies%20and%...

Thanks, Chris

There are similarities but mine had hairs and I think a full set of legs (which would rule out sawfly which, as I understand it, aren't true caterpillars)

Approx 2cms long

That definitely looks like it - and it was on the seabuckthorn. I notice ".....and in some years can become locally abundant". Well, it's like a plague there this year!

Many thanks, Pete!

We were on Spurn Point and the bushes were covered in what we thought were webs with dead caterpillars, until we saw that most of them were alive. They were everywhere - on the road, crawling up the car, on us! :shock: But what are they? About 1/2 inch long with those two very distinctive orange spots

Coming to this a little late but I've used M42 lenses a fair bit, mainly a fisheye, and have had some great results Haven't tried macro at all and reckon you'd probably be best off either using a good prime with tubes or else a couple of good primes with one reversed. Nowadays I've "progressed&...

You/They don't say what they're really after but here's a couple of 'flower in the garden' shots, most with space for dialogue

Wow! Never seen one with as much as that!

Here's the only one I've managed to get:

I meant the firmware upgrade might fix your camera error messages if there is a later version available... No, it's got the latest firmware. From others who've had the same error, it's a power problem - makes sense as unscrewing/rescrewing grip seems to sort problem out. Only very occasional now so...

Rather than suggest that your old Sigma is the master of your new 7D, I would guess that you are yet to master your new 7D. Nopes, I'm suggesting that the Foveon is better at the sort of image I'm after than the Bayer. Don't get me wrong, the Canons are great at rattling off good, consistent images...

Markolous - do you have the latest firmware loaded for the camera? If not, maybe an upgrade of that would solve your problem? No, no! It's that I choose to focus somewhere where there isn't an FP not that the camera isn't capable (though it is slow as most of my current shots are in very poor light...

Just been out shooting snowdrops and I now know why I use MF and will continue to do so - focus didn't coincide with FPs! Did try AF (focus, recompose and shoot) and the resulting detail was the same as MF, so no probs with my AF with Sigma lenses (this was with Sigma 105mm and previously 150-500mm)...

Cant personally understand why most people dont get n with af for macro as i have rarely ever had issues with it even in the days of my 10d and af has only got better with every model. Personally, find that I can MF much faster rather than alter the focus point and then AF (and that's if my focus l...

I've the 7D and the only prob I've had is Err 40 - appears to be a power issue (manual's hopeless but internet, as always, helpful). Irony is that I've had it with the Canon batts but not the clones (which are only 1/7th price! Typical!) Works well with the Sigma 150-500mm but not tried the 105mm or...

I know someone who won't take it off her macro lens, along with tripoding every shot - but then she takes flowers for magazines!

Personally, I rarely use one for macro as I value those two stops too much!

In and around home over the last few days: Up the hill http://www.pixalo.com/gallery/data/500/MG_2394.jpg Opposite the House http://www.pixalo.com/gallery/data/500/MG_2405.jpg Down the Dale http://www.pixalo.com/gallery/data/2/3_2652.jpg In the Garden http://www.pixalo.com/gallery/data/503/5_2985.jpg

Gruditch wrote: Has anyone else done any after dark photography, Regards Gruditch

Strangely, not really done any night photography, as such. Plenty of pre-sunrise stuff (including the Severn Bridge! )

Fascinating stuff and not half bad results - look forward to further microscopic events!

Have a good one, all!

Yesterday's Robin