Hoverfly

At home there are a number of grape vines growing in the back yard. Grapes, if you are unfamiliar with them, have clusters of tiny flowers that are easily overlooked during the brief time they blossom. They have no petals or flashy colors, and are normally missed among the large green leaves. So yesterday, near sunset, I suddenly thought I'd grab my camera and try my hand at a few macro shots of these tiny bouquets using my 50mm Nikon AI-s lens coupled with a reversing ring and a Vivitar 2x telextender. Not the most professional of setups, I know, but it's fun to play with until the day I can afford a dedicated macro lens.

Unexpectedly, there was a visitor on the blossoms barely bigger than the tiny flowers--a little fly that mimicked the appearance of a wasp. I've since learned this is a type of hoverfly, a species that specializes in flowers and is an important pollination agent for plants not serviced by bees or butterflies. I didn't know that at the time. All I saw was a glittery, metallic wasp-like fly that showed no fear as I pushed the lens scant inches away from it and clicked away. Dozens of shots were wasted as focus was difficult to get and even harder to maintain in the fading light, but ultimately I salvaged a few keepers. I'm pleasantly surprised, but it does make me wonder what I could do with Canon's 65mm f/2.8 dedicated macro...







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