Maybe. It is a bit close to the flash, so it may not be that efficient. I'd rather stick the sheet at or near the end of the lens. That would have the added benefit of working with extension tubes. I already bought an extra hood for Tokina 100. Eventually I'll remove everything except the fixing and...

Beyond 400, it's advantage Canon, unquestionably, but do many people really use ISO 800 for insect photography? I certainly find 200 is fine for 99% of my work - aren't most insects active in bright, often sunny locations after all? Typically, I work at around f11 and, at ISO 200, this usually give...

I would only sharpen an image in parts that needed a bit of "un blurring" if it was too bad, I'd scrap image. Keep in mind that a pocket camera sharpens images automatically. Some sharpen them more than necessary and there's nothing the user can do about it. On the other hand, DSLRs usual...

One thing to keep in mind is that images tend to look less sharp when viewed on CRT as opposed to LCD. Just for the record - my entry was edited on CRT...

And Malcolm, your entry is on my short list of candidates for my vote!

Looks a lot like Aphomia sociella, but I'm not good enough to say for sure.

Shouldn't you also show the autumn form of Map?

I also have some of your missing ones on my pages, but do you require pictures taken in England? If not, is 960x640 enough?

Thanks! Coming north is certainly an option. I have to do that again as well, as I still miss a number of species.

I would rule out golgus , incidentally, for your female blue, because the underside is clearly not Plebicula (the white submarginal area on the forewing is obvious in Plebicula species). Got it! These are a bit overwhelming after being used to exactly three possibilities... :D I could have checked ...

2 - bellargus (confident) 3 - bellargus I agree. 4 - tough one (female blues usually are!) If it's the same as 5 then I'd tend to plump for thersites for them both. Well, thersites or even golgus , but it does have very little orange and the underside is surprisingly light. On the other hand, I don...

OK - here are my best guesses: 1 - ilicis (confident) No surprise there... 2 - bellargus (confident) 3 - bellargus again (note that escheri doesn't have a cell spot) Right. I admit I did not work enough with this one. The two pictures are of the same butterfly. I'll have to dig more into books tomo...

Here is the last batch of uncertain butterflies from Italy. Some have a tentative name and some don't. This should be Satyrium ilicis: http://upload9.postimage.org/341752/YSATilici_2973.jpg These may be anything, but for now they are Polyommatus escheri. :) http://upload9.postimage.org/341785/YPOLes...

I'd venture to quess that the topside of Heath is more like M. diamina or some other darker one. The first Brown Argus is IMHO likely to be P. artaxerxes . Of the others I have no opinion. I would tend to agree with the S. acaciae , except for the last one. I have no opinion for that. FaunaEur does ...

This is my entry straight from Lappland. This one isn't going to change as I've run out of hollidays.

Pale Arctic Clouded Yellow - Colias tyche werdandi:

Three days in extreme NW Finland did not yield many pictures as the number of butterflies was exceptionally low despite the decent weather and good timing. Even so, I did manage to get some shots: Boloria freija - Freija's Fritillary: http://upload9.postimage.org/282155/YBOLfreij_3510.jpg http://upl...

padfield wrote:it's an hour later here.

I think it's an hour earlier...

Thanks for the comments! I'm quite aware that this not one of the easy genuses. The lack of underside in the first three won't help either.

I use a point-and-click Canon compact. I was afraid of that. The underside of Chequered is fine as it has plenty of contrast, but the Erebia is clearly focused on the background. If you are certain of that happening, you might move the camera back a bit after autofocus. Such sure cases are probably...

padfield wrote:Look particularly at the shape of the hindwing.

Got it! You got there a couple of species I'm missing...

You seem to have your focus in the wrong place with a couple of those. What are you using? Then again, so it in many of mine - helps to take enough.

Here is the second problem Genus from my trip to Italy; Pyrgus . The first two pictures are from pretty high (2000+) altitude and I suspect they might be Pyrgus andromedae . http://upload9.postimage.org/65994/XPYRandro_2708.jpg http://upload9.postimage.org/66000/XPYRandro_2710.jpg The last three I p...

Then the weather might be just fine.

BTW, you seem to be missing B. thore. I saw a couple (and got a picture as well, but it's not edited yet) above M. di Campiglio. The height was about 1800 m. If you visit Monte Baldo, that place is a good stop as well.

I'd say it's Mamestra brassicae and not the rare one.