www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi everybody,
It's been a while since I last posted, but I purchased a sigma 150mm macro lens for my birthday and have gone bananas with it recently , as you would.

Anyway, in France I took this , and am not entirely sure what it is

http://www.mgnastro.org/gifs/bfly1.jpg ( 1/160 sec@f2.8, ISO 200, no tripod )

but also took this too

http://www.mgnastro.org/gifs/hornet1.jpg ( 1/1600sec exp,@f9, ISO 800, no tripod )
and I am not convinced it is a hornet either - if anyone could identify either I'd be jolly grateful.


I must say I really really like this lens , even though it is slow focussing

regards

Martin
( http://www.mgnastro.org/wildlife )


ps. other test shots with this lens
http://www.mgnastro.org/photos/red_d_fly1.jpg
http://www.mgnastro.org/photos/red_d_fly2.jpg
http://www.mgnastro.org/photos/red_d_fly3.jpg

http://www.mgnastro.org/gifs/wolf2.jpg

Oh happy birthday, sigma 150mm, cool

ok, I think the first one might be Brintesia circe (great banded graying) was it like this one? :http://www.leps.it/SpeciesPages/BrintCirce.htm

I don't think second is a hornet either, but I cannot seem to figure out what it is, nice pic of it though.
Sure someone can identify it easily if they knew what it was, At first I thought ichimonum wasp or potter or sand wasp of some kind, don't know

Dave is quite right with the great banded grayling. The white mark on the costa, basally of the main white band, distinguishes this from other graylings.

The wasp, I think, is a spider-hunting wasp, Cryptocheilus comparatus. I don't know anything about wasps but yours is the spitting image of those illustrated in my old Chinery field guide, right down to the black wing-tips.

Guy

Thank you Dave & Guy.

The Cryptocheilus was really bugging me

Here is a close up crop of the Brintesia circe from another shot.. ( still processing all of my holiday shots )

www.mgnastro.org/gifs/bfly2.jpg

kind regards
Martin
( www.mgnastro.org/wildlife )