Sparkling Jewels in Wet Mornings

You might remember that wading through long grass early in the morning will result in wet shoes and socks. That would be due to morning dew, and it can be an element of exquisite beauty when wrapped around macro subjects.

The extent of the morning dew varies for each location, but would generally dry up by 8am. It would typically be much more if it had rained in the previous night.

#1 Dead ant wrapped in morning dew. The ant had died from mind-controlling cordyceps fungus infection, which causes it to climb to the tip of leaves where they cling on til their deaths. The vegetation behind can be seen via the huge droplet of water as well!

A video to explain the effects and nature of cordyceps fungi.


#2 A wolf spider mother carrying her egg sac, warming up in the early morning sun

#3 Another ant with morning dew, shot at the same location

#4 Leaf footed bug donning a string of morning dew droplets!

#5 Morning dew is most apparent on spider webs, here's a Bird Dung Spider slowly dismantling it's dew ridden web early in the morning. More pics on this subject in The Walking, Drooling Bird Dung.

#6 Another wolf spider wearing some pretty crystals

#7 Molt of a huntsman or nursery web spider.

#8 The common wolf spider, occupants of the numerous hammock webs at Admiralty Park

#9 A beautiful jewel-littered web of an orb weaver

Other subjects of the day from Venus Drive... after the dew had dried up. :P

#10 Leaf hopper from an uncommon angle. Looks like a shocked parrot!

#11 Cockroach??

#12 Unidentified fly resting on a car. So sorry for the fingerprints I left behind!!! Anyone with an ID to this?

#13 Front shot, looks like the Esplanade!

#14 A pair of huge mating craneflies

#15 Cute tiny beetle, about 3mm in length

#16 A Nightjar, well camouflaged when resting on a pile of dead leaves. So big, yet most of us missed it initially! This is a nocturnal bird and it was probably sleeping, even thought the eyes opened wider as we got closer.

#17 Since I'm doing macro shoots, couldn't leave without taking a close up of this bird!

#18 Two-Striped Telamonia, a common but beautiful jumping spider, with blue tinted legs.

The complete album can be viewed here.