Fungus-eating Ladybird - Sydney, Australia
Over the weekend I found a tiny ladybird on one of the plants on our balcony. Since I hadn't photographed the species before I grabbed the macro lens, extension tubes and a flash and started shooting. I came up with a number of decent images.
More photographs inside.
Fungus-eating Ladybird - Sydney, Australia
The fungus-eating Ladybird, identified by the yellow and black markings on its body, is about 4mm in length. There are a number of yellow and black Ladybirds and I spent some time online trying to identify the correct species. Fortunately each species has a distinct black and yellow pattern on its back which simplified the task.
Fungus-eating Ladybird - Sydney, Australia
As the name suggests, this species feeds on fungus and black mold on plants. It is fast moving and is known to take flight or drop when it is threatened. It is not a welcome garden pest as it is said to spread mould spores form plant to plant as it moves through the garden.
Fungus-eating Ladybird - Sydney, Australia
I used the 7D and the 100mm Macro lens for all these photographs. For lighting I used a Canon 430 EX II fired from various positions off camera. I tried a couple of shots with the flash on the camera and found them to be a bit flat and boring. The off camera flash created a bit more depth and, in my opinion, produced better results.
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